The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-09-03
HER CANDIDACY.
Edna Shell = POulsOn's
Only Campaign.
SEEKING THE NOMINATION.
Distractions Placed in the WAY of
Woman Who Wanted an
Office in Iowa.
CANDIDACY.
SEEKING THE NOMINATION.


doing yeoman service in the front ranks of
all educational and reform movements. it
is pleasant, now and then, to hear thu
stories of those who have been pioneers in
the work of obtaining for women that
recognition which their zeal and prowess
in all good work have of late years shown
them to merit. To women as schoolteach-
ers we have long been accustomed women
on school boards have long since ceased to
be novelty although San Francisco has
not yet so far caught up with the times as
TO have enlisted their services in the man.
agement of our schools and in several
counties in this State women have served
satisfactorily as Superintendent of Edu-
cation.
Twenty years ago, however, all this was
different There were women teachers then,
as now, and women were even then finding
their way into the other learned profess
sions, but women in political positions,
particularly in positions TO which good,
comfortable salaries were an adjunct, were
about as rare as snOwstorms in California,
and as far between.
The modern point Of view, too, is so
radically different from that of twenty
years ago that many things that would
then have been deemed Wildly radical
many ideas that would have been thought
20 verge upon the revolutionary-have now
taken their places as commonplace and
generally accepted. The radicals OF yes
terday are the conservatives of to-day,
while our modern radicals are pressing
forward TO plant the banners of progress
on some distant height. Some day some
newspaper woman will be writing of these
IN The past tense. speaking, as | am doing
to-day, with former radicals, Of Il cir now
al uaf 1s-o.r no INlx
even little behind the point OF view of
me coming generations. They will not,
however, have many better stories to tell
than this one Of the experience of a lady
VINO IS now one OF the N Ost charming mem.
bers of San Francisco and Oakland society,
recognized as conservative of the con-
servatiyes, yet with broad. clear outlook
upon life and keen judgment regarding the
great questions that in these stirring times
engage all thoughtful minds.
Nearly every dweller in the literary and
social Arcadia OF the sister cities knows
Mrs Edna Smell P0ulson, but while all
her acquaintance know her as a clever.
cultivated woman OF fine taste and high
attalnEents, only an intimate few of her
friends have ever heard the story Of Mrs.
PuulsOn's first ana only political campaign,
when, as candida e for nomination on
the Republican ticket 10 the Office of
County Superintendent OF Education, she
stumped Mahaska County, Iowa, and won
the fight, with John p. Irish, then a young
country editor. but as ardent Democrat
as he is now, looking on and applauding
the demure little Quaker maiden's success
1ui campaign.
IT was twenty years or so ago thatthe Re-
publicans Of Mahaska County, anxious to
get the matter before the people," resolved
to nominate a woman for County Super-
= lnteBdsnt OF Education. There were
otter reasons why they desired Mrs. Poul-
son, then Miss Edna Smell, to hold this
office. Already the young teacher. fresh
/, from college and full OF enthusiasm, had
nc hown herself possessed Of ability OF no
" mean order The schools needed strong,
L1ecided executive head TO assume charge
u them, and among the men none such
presented itself. The only other available
candidates in the Republican ranks were
poor stick Of a man whose chief poitica!
stock in trade were the wife and five chill
dren for whose maintenance, he pathetI-
cally urged, he needed the salary of $500
per annum that Went with the Office. and
teacher of penmanship who did not believe
In women in politics. The Democrats had
strong man ID the field, but In those
days, in Mahaska County. the Republican
nomination meant election TO Office SO
strong was the party.
II was proud day for the little Quaker
schoolma'am when a delegation Of the
leading men of the district, prominent
lawyer and the representative of that dis
trict in Congress waited upon her and
asked her to accept the nomination il it
could be secured for her. There was an
anxious consultation among the mem bers
OF the house of Smell, and at last: Il think,
perhaps, thee may as well aceeptit. Edna"
h=r father said.
The fight that year was for the nomina-
ton. and the aforementioned poor stick.
who saw chance Of that desirable $500
eudlng his grasp, was early in the field
pulling all the wires he could to secure the
Socially, intellectually, spiritually, the
lady candidate was immeasurably his SUI
peVior. The leaders of his party being de-
sirous TO put woman in the Office TO op-
pose her on the ground of her sex would
avail him nauGht lie was at his wits end
to contrive stratagem whereby the lady
should be defeated and the nomination be-
come bis. At last by dint OF much
cudgeliug an idea found its way into his
brain. He had found wire that he
thought could be pulled in that rigid
nelghborhood. He declared that il would
be crying shame to elect Miss Smell to
that office because, heinous offense, she
was not orthodox! No question as to the
religious principles and tenets of any other
candidate; no thought of the religious lib
erty for which our fathers suffered hard
SHIPS; no memory OF the constitutional
provision that church and state shall ever
walk apart IN this country. All these things
were forgotten n the enOrmity of tho
thought that the suDerntendency of
Mahaska's schools and the annual receipt
OF $500 from Mabaska's treasury should
Iall TO the share of unorth oooxy in femi-
nine garb. Shades of George Fox and
william Penn! Never let such a blot come
upon Mahaska! So he jumped into the
night determined to do or die.
As Tor the other Republican candidate,
ne was a sensible fellow, who kne W the
aDsurdity OF any such line of opposition.
He fought Miss SMELLS nomination fairly
and s9uarely upon the ground that she
was woman. TO elect her was uncon-
stitutional and women had no business in
politics anyway. They were not smart
enough. They were too helpless. stWhv
the lady candidate if elected could moi
hold the office She would not even no
able to hitch up her own horse to drive
from one place TO another in the circuit"
This was in truth serious objection in a
farming district. knowledge Of grammar
geography and the three RS" was not
really essential to county superintendent
OF education. but inability to hitch up a
morse was fatal defect. Tie good electors
shook their heads and looked doubtful.
Its ag'In nature" said some, "for wimn
10 Qeu Sech things They amt fitted for IL