The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-04-12
WOMEN AT THE BALLOT BOX.
Electicneering at the Polls in Kansas Much
Like Men-Many of Them Come with
Their Ballots All Prepared.

KANSAS CITY, April 4.-The strang-
est election contest that has ever taken
place in Kansas occurred to-day. 1t
was municipal affair, and every town
in the State had a hand, but the results
are not the most interesting feature of
it.
It was an election in which women
took the leading part. 1t was the
first election in Kansas in which wo-
men had full and free suffrage, and
they exercised it as fully and as freely
as the Australian voting system would
permit.
The greatest interest was in Kansas
City, Kan, the largest city in the State,
and in Topeka, the capital. In Wichita
black and white women voted, and in
Kansas City, Kan, dozens of women
stood about the polls and "worked"
for their friends.
In that very lively and wicked town
Mrs. Anna Potter, the wife of the Hon.
Eli Potter, millionaire land and cat
tie owner, was candidate for Mayor,
but at o'clock tonight enough votes
are in to show that she is hopelessly
left.
my lady friends told me-" she said
to The Sun correspondent this evening,
''that they would vote for me, but I'm
afraid they have already learned the
ways of the men who make voting
promises"
Nearly all of the women voted in
squads. Four, six, and eight would go
to the polls together and crowd up close
to the Judges. Few of them had any
idea how to mark or fold the ticket,
and each took policeman to one side
and had him show her how it was
done.
Some of the women are accompanied
to the polls by their husbands and
brothers, who manifested much pride
in their equal suffrage relatives. The
richer went in their carriages and voted
as decorously as New York banker
would have done. Mrs. Potter, the
woman candidate, appeared at the
various precincts in Kansas City, Kan,
early in the day. She had two brass
bands with her, one of negroes and one
of whites.
II hired the colored band for one
purpose and the white band for another
purpose" Mrs. Potter said. That pur-
pose is obvious. She was working for
the black votes as well as the white.
'One thing that struck me very ,forci-,
bly," she said, "was the gentlemanly
conduct of the men. I did not see the
slightest breach of good manners on
their part, and everywhere the women
are receiving courteous treatment"
Mrs. Potter and her bands visited the
precincts all the morning, but at none
of them did she do anything further
than to call her lieutenants, male and
female, to her side, and counsel with
them. She seemed confident all day
that she would win.
In the negro districts the colored wo-
men who "worked" at the polls seemed
to have strange idea of canvassing for
votes. Instead of quietly asking for
support, they shook their tickets in the
faces of white ladies and in loud voices
demanded their sufrages for favorite
friends on pain of 'gittin even." It
took two influential colored preachers
to show the wome that such conduct
would do their cause more harm than
good.
"Why, we doan mean nothin'," said
one: "we's just lecturin', dat's ALL"
At one of the polling places young
woman stepped to Republican ward
striker and asked for a ticket. She
glanced at it and, turning to a Demo
crat, said: ''Let me have Democratic
ticket; I wouldn't vote this thing for
all Kansas City"
With that she tore her Republican
ticket to pieces and threw it into the
air. The Democrats shouted at this,
and the young woman voted and went
away.
"De Democrats said one old col
ored woman, "kaiot run things after
de wimmin gifts to votin'."
Armourdale, the packing suburbs of
which the Armours are owners, turned
out more hard "workers" among the
women than any other part of the
town. One old man and bis wife
reached the polls before they opened
this morning. Several women rushed
to the woman to offer ballot, but she
opened her reticule and showed that
she had it.
EYES," she said, "and I am 10 years
old this happy day, and now Pm al
most ready to die; but would have
lived to be hundred to get to vote MY
sentiments. ] won't be satisfied until
I see a woman in the Presidential
chair at Washington"
To-day's election settles the question.
| Women can vote and vote successfully.
Many Of them had their ballots pre-
pared, and none submitted to meddling
by ward strikers. They came and
went quietly, and their presence put
stop to all brawling at the polls.
There was never such quiet election
in the State of Kansas. The special
police were not needed. In 1887 the
Kansas Legislature passed a bill per-
mitting women to vote at municipal
and school elections. At the following
election only small female vote was
polled, and the bills introduced at the
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