The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1894-04-07
MRS. LEASE AND HUSBAND.

MRS. AND HUSBAND.
Mary Elizabeth Lease is the first wo-
man in American politics. The Antonys,
the Willards and the STATIONS have only
tried to annex woman's world to politics.
Mrs. Lease is mixing up with man pol
itics and acting like a omar She
acted very like a in her row with
Lewelling, and after her victory she acted
very like a woman in dispising him be
cause he was beaten by a woman. If a
had been in Mrs. Leases place in
that row he would have been laughed at
for his i;npudence; with Mrs. Lease, how
ever, it is "Woman, glory in your spunk"
and the world stands by and cheers. Mrs.
Lease further promises to go ahead and
make some more history.
Mrs. Lea.e's personality is rather Pc
culinr. She is a tall, angular m who
fails to descend to little tricks of dress to
cover or improve her thinness. Her
gowns are invariably fashioned in the
STYLE known as princess. She Is flat
chestcd and narrow-hippod, and the
r%oundness of figure and general pleasing
plumpness so Characteristic of %femininity
are totally lacking in her. She has black
hair and blue eyes, characteristic of her
race, the Irish. Her face is absolutely
colorless, and her skin is as fine and
transparent as an infants. She has a thin
face and high cheek bones, and her teeth,
which are due to the dentists art, are very
much lnsovidence when she talks, OF when,
in the heat or public speaking, sho glares
ut her audience.
She is not a pretty woman, nor is she
an attractive woman but when she opens
up tho hoodgates and pours the walls of
her wrath out upon the plutocrats (she
calls every one not aPopuliat q plutocrat)
the agricultural gentlemen of Kansas fall
at her feet and she WINS them.
In speaking of her life Mrs. Lease re
Gently said:
SIN 1873, during the panic, We lost all
we had concluded to go to Texas. We re-
NAMED there seven years, and in 1880 re-
turned to Kansas. I then made.up my
mind to study law, and passing my e1-
animation, received a good diploma and
WAS admitted to the bar, l opened a law
Office, in conjunction with another young
woman, and practiced law at the Wichita
bar. In 1883 the new political movement
sprang up. and the first union labor con-
yention was held in Wichita. On that
day 1 was about to take a trip to Topeka,
and as the train wal three hours late I re-
marked to n gentleman of my acquain-
lance that I wondered if the convention
would allow a woman to come in and It's
ten to the speeches. He said certainly
they would, and took me in. When I ell
tered 1 was recognized by some Of my
Knights of Labor friends. As I was then
a Master Workman of the order, they
loudly called my name at that time,
being green in things of that kind, I did
not know what they meant. Mr.. Brieden-
thai, who is now state labor COMMISSIONS
of Kansas, was chairman of tho conven-
ton, and rapping on the table with his
gavel, called for order, and requested me
to step up and speak. l was nearly scared
to death Lut complied with the request
I spoke for two hours, and when the men
present threw their hats in the air and
cheered mel came to the conclusion I had
made a success. This was my first speech
in public. When the delegates returned
to their homes they spoke of me to others;
then I was deluged with letters requesting
mo to make speeches all over Kansas. In
this manner I got into politics."
Mrs. Lease is tickle. Her father was a
red-hot Republican, and SO were her two
brothers. They all fought for the. Union
during the Rebellion, and her brothers
fell on the field of GETTYSBURG. She was a
Republican herself until they refused to
allow her to help them. She was reared
a Roman Catholic, and as she herself says,
Il worshiped at many alters, but I am
only a member of the great big church
the church without catechism and without
creed"
And now about the husband. People
who have kept track of Mrs Lease have
often wondered if there was a Mr.. Lease
Lease, and if SO, what n of man. hi
was. The newspapers have waxed mer
~ over him and pictured him a gentle
confding home body, who washed thu
dishes, took care of the children and hung
out the clothes on wash days; but, as /,
matter of.fact, no newspaper man hat
ever! got, close enough to him to discrib'
him, or oteil Of his life, his ambitiona
his loyesaor his u bates y. e! J.