Catoctin clarion., 1899-11-23


~~~~~-~~>-~~~~~~-
Election Day i'm Denver.
WOMEN IN POLITICS.
Ny First Experience Is . Voter.
A. j. NORRIS.
November II. 1899.
The big political powwows are over; our
patriotic rallies dispensed with; the many
virtues Of the candidates have been elo-
quently told and retold; their vices and
naughty tricks held up to public
gaze by the opposing parties; pledges
and promises enough have been given
to send, If kept, every sinner straight into
glory; speeches enough have been made to
bring on tonsilitis 70 every political orator in
Denver. The candidates have been elected
the democratic rooster has crowed long and
Justify; the week has been filed with trium-
phant howls and cheers, and all this fuss and
tumult oyer the election of our county off,
GERS sheriff, og.catcher and few more.
Myl amt politics an interesting studyl ] am
30 glad left the old effete East where wom-
en- never heard O. politics, and como out here
to Colorado where I can be a free woman
and vote alongside O. the men.
And now 1t is all over, the curtain is rung
down, the bear is dead, and-Sh!- helped
kill him. Yes stree. that's what did helped
kill the bear-if you doubt it, just ask Tom
Maloney-that's our political boss, the Dick
Croker of Denver Democracy. Tom is hand.
some in way, has classic face, but-whis.
per-too much below bis belt-beer and
bananas, you know. Tom is all right and
what he can't get into that big head is not
worth knowing. Aud 800 other ladies helped
kill the bear. That's What We did. The
men said we did and know we did,. Tom
said we did, and Matt Murray-he's alderman
from my ward-said we did, and no democrat
would lie. Yes stree, Its true as gospel and
I have the satisfaction of helping to keep out
one set of rascals by putting In another set.
And the next day when 1t was all over, q
long. faced, solemn looking man rang my
door bell and handed me tract with the
enquiry, "do you want to 60 to hellf" !
started, looked guilty, couldent help II,
wondered how that man knew what l had
been doing.
Why did l do it! O we'll, scarcely under.
stand, myself. You see there IL q sort OF
current-atmosphere. they call it-and once
you get in you can't help yourself, you have
to swim with It. Every blessed woman In
Denver is in It and you can't be In Colorado
a single minute before some one will be talk.
ing politics and trying to influence your
vote, and first thing you know, you will be
in it up to neck and ears, head over heels
working nip and tuck to get that vote. Fun'
Well l should smilel know now why 60
many men go into politics and lounge about
on beer corners and store boxes and dangle
their legs, and smile and smile for weeks
previous to an election. They are anticipa-
ting the glorious whopping good time COM
ing. Funt Why never had so much fun
in all my life.
Well, / am glad came to Colorado, any
way. I am learning such lot about men
and politics and women and things. When
the election came up I asked woman how
many tickets were in the field. and she began
to name them snd when she got as far as the
9th ticket, I gasped:
Great heavens, msdami How does anv
one know how to voter" and she smiled Sc
renely:
~, You will soon catch on, NJ iss, after you
have been in il awhile" and she was right.
soon caught on and now I feel like gen.
uIne native.
How did happen to vote for Democracy!
o, we'll. / spose was born that way; had 1t
from the time was knee high to katydld.
You used to call me Populist back there, but
I found the party here in the soup and I
didn't care to swim around in that sort OF
bathing pool, and the other parties had fused
and counterfused until they were so badly
mixed that couldn't tell tother from which
ALI save the Mckinley straights-so just
Jumped into the Democratic boat. 1t wasn't
all as clear as chow chow when began, but
I read mp and learned all about it-how the
mean, nasty old corporations own the earth
and pretty much everything in sight, and how
they are backed by the High five"-the po-
litical machine which has controlled every
political party that has gone into power
during the last 20 years, except the Demo-
cratic party; that's what the Democrats say,
and know that Democrats wouldn't lie.
And don't know all about it from expert
ence. Now they would shut the water Of
when was in my bath and leave me stranded
high and dry and only half clean; and the old
tramway would set me down in wilderness
OF weeds where I would wait until next
morning for another car to come along; and
the gas company would turn off the light
before could get my night cap on. And
last spring the Demo cratic party went into
Office on municipal ownership platform
and they promised the ladies If we would
vote for them, they would give us pie and
cake and whole lot of nice things; and We
did 80. and they have kept their pledges.
And the issue for the recent election was the
submission OF bond issue for the city own
ership of a water plant and the taxation Of
street car and all other corporation franchises
and it carried with whoop and great big
plurality of 5000 over and above all the other
tickets combined. And now am so glad ]
voted for the Democratic party, and pretty
soon, next spring, perhaps, we are going 10