The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-18
THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE
Committees Report at the fleet
ing Last Night.
WOMAN AS A FACTOR IN MU-
NICIPAL POLITICS.
Paper by Mrs. E. B. Wells-Will
Hold a Meeting at the Grand
Opera House.

The Municipal League met at the
joint building last night and as usual
hurled oratorical thunder at the polit-
ical evils of the municipality. Outside
Of committee reports and oratory moth
ing of great Importance was achieved.
except that the league has decided to
open its artillery at the general public
next Thursday night.
Committees were given preliminary
audience. The committee on morals re
ported that they believed it unwise for
the league to make any aggressive
move at present. except to seek the
enforcement of the law against cigar
cite smoking and to personally offer
its cooperation and aid to the board
of police commissioners. Scott Ander
son. for a special committee. reported
that the theatre could be obtained for
$40 and the Grand Opera House for SIS,
and ii was thereupon decided to hire
the latter place of amusement for
meeting on Thursday night. This an
nouncement is to be made from all the
pulpits in the city on Sunday, and its
purpose was stated TO be to create a
general interest in the league.
The membership committee reported
is new members, who were promptly
initiated into the league.
Mrs. Emmeline B. Wells was first
introduced and read a vigorous address
on Woman as a Factor in Municipal
Politics. Mrs. Wells advocated the
study by women of local politics, which
she said was necessary in order that
they might intelligently begin the work
OF curing the existing evils. She be-
heved it impossible for these evils to
be remedied until women came to the
rescue.
The sentiment in favor of women's
entrance into the. arena of politics, she
said. was increasing and 1t was appar-
ent that they would soon become a
powerful influence for the good of the
municipality. Every one recognized
that women were economists and the
speaker was in favor of their holding at
least a few of the offices. when that
time shall come" she concluded.
women will make of this city a COM
parative paradise
The subject then became open for
general discussion and Rev. Lockwood
arose to remark that women's votes
were valuable and that every one of
them could cOunteract the vote of some
professional politician or rum-seller.
Scott Anderson thought that a wOm-
an had just as much right to become
mayor of a city or legislators as men,
if their capabilities fitted them for such
positions 1t was necessary for women
and other vices might be suppressed,
and that the city offices might be
swept clean of bad men.
J. j. Corum and B. F. Clay also spoke
in a laudatory way of the effect of
women in politics and prophesied a
better condition of affairs when their
influence should be felt
l. E. Hall referred scathingly to the
recent action of the board of education
in barring married women from re-
ceiving positions as schoolteachers.
He wanted women on the board and
spoke in a complimentary way of the
excellent management at the county
nfiFmary since a woman took charge
Of it.
H W. Lawrence made the concluding
address. His subject was Direct Leg
Station, or the Initiative and Referen-
dunn He referred, in the course of
his remarks, to the issuance of bonds
oy the county over the protest of the
people. 1t was against just such evils
and enactments, he said. that the
was aimed, and he believed
here could be no true democracy until
egislation was referred to the vote
II the people.