Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-11-04
A TOWN FOR WOMEN.
THREE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL
ARE LADIES.


THREE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL
ARE LADIES.
The Founder of Lincoln, N. j.. Wants to
Practically Demonstrate the Advantages
of Woman Suffrage Results Thus Far
Attained.
No longer necessary to Ego west,
young womann A new El Dorado is
open in the east to the woman ambitious
to have a voice in municipal affairs.
The site is Lincoln, in Middlesex coun-
ty, N. j., about 28 miles from New
York city. The town was born April
last.
It stands for an idea-an idea pro
mulgated by the man in whose memory
the town was named.
"I go for all sharing privileges Of the
government . said Abraham Lincoln
"all who assist in bearing it's burdens,
by no means excluding women -
Lincoln is not incorporated. This is
how it comes about that the idea of
giving women equal political privileges
with men is being executed in the con-
servative state of New Jersey. The ex-
pertinent arrests the attention of pro
and anti suffragists and students of mu
nicipal government throughout the
world. The outcome is waited with
universal interest. July B, which fell
on wash day this year, Lincoln held its
first municipal election. Three women
were elected to the common council,
one of whom was made president.
have the story from the father of the
town, Mayor Silas D. Drake, who with
the three women of the council was a
unique feature Of the recent national
convention of mayors and councilmen
held at Ohio's capital
Miss Emma Egel, president of the
council, Mrs Olivia Hazard and Miss
Matte Moore, members, find themselves
in curious position.
In the accepted sense they are not
ssnew' women, despite they have Sc
cureu without the dreaming or the ask
ing the highest prerogative in the snew"
woman's column of wants .
They are not college bred, they have
never been particularly interested in
suffrage or woman's S rights, they are
not clubwomen, they do not ride bicy
cles or wear ultra gowns, but they have
got there all the same. Physically
wholesome, attractive, well bred and
domestic, rich in energy, enterprise and
common sense they saw their oppor-
tun1ty and grasped it. Each is con-
scious of the responsibility of her posi-
ton and its farreaching effect ON the ulti-
mate triumph of woman suffrage and is
alert to do the best to her ability Mrs
Olivia Hazard is property holder in
Lincoln. She is also the mother of sew
eral children, and halls originally from
Philadelphia. Misses Egel and Moore
are the daughters of property holders,
the town having been cut through their
fathers farms.
AS president of the real estate syndi-
cate that laid out the town, the Hon.
Silas ID. Drake, or Isl, !" as he is IA
miliarly known in Jersey, is practically
the owner of Lincoln He is little
man, bubbling with energy, horse sense
and chivalry. "On the 9th day of July
last, said ST, II conceived the idea of
giving women vote in the municipal
affairs of Lincoln. drove at once from
my home in Bound Brook to Lincoln,
and going from door to door personally
summoned the women to the town hall.
A call to arms in their country's de-
Tense could not have met prompter re-
sponse. From the washtub, the bread
bowl, all the homely round of domestic
duties, the women focked to the town
hall, not few forgetting in their ex-
citement and curiosity to unroll their
sleeves or remove their aprons By II
o'clock we had elected mayor, four
| councilmen and two council women. "
Thirty five women voted.
But the second election, interposed
President Egel, twas themost exciting.
It was held in September, to fill two
vacancies i'll the common council caused
by the resignation of two men. They
were ridiculed for belonging to coun-
Gil presided over by woman, and, fail
ing to attend the meetings, they were
notified that their designations were in
order. One man and two women were
candidates for the vacancies. The women
were pitted against each other. The
polls opened at clock in the after
noon. A large wooden ballot box, with
| hole bored in the tightly fastened lid,
stood on table in the postoffice. Mrs.
! Olivia Hazard was one of the tellers.
! A committee composed of Mayor Drake,
Miss Emma Egel, the president of the
common council, and a citizen decided
| the eligibility Of persons who desired to
vote. The women came on foot, on BIZ
| cycles and in carriages. Brawny men
in overalls fresh from the neighboring
factories stepped aside for stylishly
gowned women to drop their votes.
Mayor Drake and the men Of the
council are warm in praise of Miss
Egel's executive ability and recount
with Susto how she succeeded in get
ting man empowered with police au-
thority, while the mayor and council
men were debating the steps of proceed
ure. Another triumph of the council
women was the filing of petition be-
fore the railroad company asking that a
| fiagman be stationed at certain rail
road crossing that witnessed the death
of Jersey COW belonging to one of the
ladies'
The station master at Lincoln is q
woman. The town has two railroad
stations, with AZ trains stopping daily
Before winter 100 trains are expected
It has a sewerage system, long dis
tance telephone, postofice, town hall
and schoolhouse But we will soon
have new, modern schoolhouse, em-
phasized the council women in recount