The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-03
SHE IS POLICE coMm1ss1oNER
She Holds Forth at Lravenworth,
Kan, and She Makes Things Hum.
From the St Louis Republic

Kan, and She Makes Things Hum.
From the St. Louis Republic
Leavenworth, Kan, May 23.--Whilst
Susan b. Anthony, with her three score
years and ten. can oxcussbly talk of her,
self as being tho first woman in this
country accorded the right to address a
deliberate hody, the modern woman
continues 10 make history in the world Of
progression and equeai rights quito us
uniquely as did Miss Anthony, years ago.
startle the natives.
Whilst Miss Anthony claims the honor
above referred to, and paved the way for
women's voice In public. to Mrs. Eva M
Blackman OF LeavenwOrth Is due the
honor of being the first woman TO hold
the position Of police commissioner.
Gradually have modern women come to
infringe upon what were at one time sup
posed to be the exclusive prerogatives Of
the sterner sex but prior to Mrs. Black
mans brave stroke, none had dared to
cope with the intrigues Of city's police
management.
Against the gibes and witticisms Of the
public press and apparent impossible ties,
She has shown q capacity and aptitude
for the position she holds that has practi-
cally silenced all opposition and made her
a powor on the board, if not the absolute
ulftCbOE DI ulCbdJDE Ol bLub OIRdDlLdLlOnt
What Mrs. Blackman has done in the
matter of having things her own way
cutting Off the Official heads Of chiefs Of
police; firing old bachelors from the force /;
installing her friends in office; driving a
variety troupe out Of town. making the
police force dom hats TO her, etc, has
already appeared in the Republic. but the
following is Of interest at this particular
juncture:
BY profession Mrs. Blacknan is a stem
ographer, but gave it mp to enter the
newspaper field. She edits and owns the
Labor News, an S-inch populist paper,
exercising personal supervision over the
job ONCE, as we'll as doing much Of the
type setting. She is ~ years old, small
Of stature, and believes that comfort
should be paramount to style in dress
Her 4-year-old son is her constant com
rade, and measures over foot for every
year. Mrs. Blackman is a single-taxer.
Shortly after her appointment as poli,e
commissioner, her attention was at
tracted 10 the horrible condition of the
city Jail. For twenty years men have
come and men have gone, but the condi-
tion in the city bastile has grown worse,
and it remained for the first woman po-
lice commissioner to break through
precedent. Women and men, white and
black, were confined in vermin infested
dungeon from which light and air were
almost excluded. A huge furnace made
the stench-laden air uhbearable.
After four months of pleading and lob
bying, womens quarters were arranged
over the Jail, sanitary closets and bath
tubs added, water service and ventila-
tion given and the Jail cleaned up gener-
ally.
Next in the improvement line comes a
code Of whistle signals by which the
force is put in constant communication.
1t was formerly the custom Of the patrol
men to report at 6 80 a. m, II m, and 9
.. m, and it was by chance an officer
could DE found when wanted To remedy
this, Mrs. Blackman put into effect a
schedule by which thee whereabouts of
every man is known at all times.
In an interview today Commissioner
Blackman was asked Are there any
saloons IN Leavenworthf"
why is not the prohibitory law en-
forcod|
"Because the sentiment of the people
Of LCayenworth is Overwhelmingly against
it, Jt is an impossibility 20 enforce any
law in a community where the people are
almost one In opposition. Its enforcement
has been tried here ana failed" ~
Would you enforce the law il you
conldf'
Yes, l certainly would, not because I
believe ia t. but because il is law. !
believe that if the prohibitory law was
rigidly enforced it would result ia its re-
peal at the next session of the legislature.
State prohibition is makeshift at best.
National control of the liquor traffic is
the remedy"
is the law better enforced elsewhere
than in Leavenworth2"
THE sale of liquor is better concealed
in some other localities, that is ALL
1T has been said that you discharged
bachelor to give place TO your husb and"