The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-24
TOWN IS RUN BY WOMEN.
Long Island Managed Exclusively by Sex
Feminine.

on Long Island, is little town run ex-
| little town. either.
East Hampton has a population in
| winter of 1,500 and in summer OF $500
| not q small place for women to look
after. The area of the village is four
| square miles. 1t extends one way from
the railroad station to the ocean.
Among the summer cottages are tha
Rev. I. De Witt Talmage and the Rev
DR. Heber Newton.
There are 10 cottages occupied only
in summer and their temporary resi-
dents aid, in no small way, the women
in their work of operating the local
government, for have they not sue
ceeded where the men failed? They
raised thousands of dollars when the
men could only raise less than a hun
bred
1t was four years ago that the Ladies'
Village Improvement society began its
work. For nearly two centuries and
half men had looked after the business
With little success. The beautiful elms
on both sides Of the main road, that is
100 feet wide and which runs to the
| ocean, We're being destroyed by insects:
uSSL La lhc stASStS was d LOOt VI lNN
| thick, whirled up and down and across
by the slightest zephyr; there were no
lights: there We're no cross walks;
there was no cycle path, and, above ALL
| from the Womens standpoint, liquor.
| was sold freely.
But all that is changed now, The
women organized, and within two
weeks, showed the men what they
could do.
They took up subscriptions and raised
$500 in a few days. Then they heN a
fair that netted $4O0 more and a sccia-
| Bile brought in another hundred dollars,
making an even thousand.
With this money the women pur-
chased lamps and wooden posts and
had them planted by contract. With
more money subscribed by the men
they bought oil and hired a man to
look after the lamps.
That was big step toward improves
ments In fact in two centuries and
a half. it was about all that had
been done for the unincorporated VIII
lage.
After the lamps came the cycle path
question. 1t was too dusty to ride in
the road, SO the women built a cycle
path two and one-half miles long from
the main road. They prohibited any
one from riding on the sidewalks t'un-
der penalty of the law"
What would be done with a prisoner
is not known. as a precedent was new
er established.
With the introduction of the cycle
path the village took new life More
wheels We're purchased and the riding
was doubled. There was nothing but
praise for the Ladies' Village Improve
lnent society. The men relinquished all
claim to any part in the affairs of tina
town, except to insist that they should
vote. The women don't mind that.
They don't want to vote. They just
want to run the town.
This year, with the election of Mrs,
%. II. Dayton as president, Mrs. Henry
d. Hedges treasurer, and Mrs. B. il.
Van Scoy, secretary, the women have
made greater strides than ever in their
work. Last summer they paid $500 for
two sprinkling carts made a. contract
for driver and team and another
for the water. They sprinkled the
dusty day all summer
Following this innovation they built
four crosswalks at cost of 5000, cut
the grass for two miles on either side
of the road, sprayed every elm tree.
public and private, in the village with
insect destroyer, bought town flag
and pole for $50 and sowed plants
where they were needed to beautify the
appearance of the place.
After doing all these things the soci-
ETY. closed the season with $500 in the
treasury. 1t was decided to go intG
road building, beginning with the main
street. Two weeks ago the society
voted not to touch any of the treasury
money "a woman's economy for road
building, but to raise a separate fund
for that branch of improvement.
thousand dollars they thought would
be a good starter
So the most charming ladies We're
selected ito do the begging They
went at the men with their most win
ming smiles. There was no escape, Cor
if Mrs. Dayton Mrs H. D. Hedges and
Mrs, Van scoy or half dozen others
failed to make some of the single men
disgorge, the sweetest and prettiest of
the maidenS We're played as trumps,
which never failed. The result was
that in two weeks the ladies have rails
ed a total of 1887. This week they will
hold a birthday party at which every
visitor is expected to drop into a bag
one cent for every year he or she has
lived.
~ East Hampton is a pretty healthy
place, where many inhabitants live
close to the century mark. good deal
of money is expected. But it is hard
on the ladies to be reminded of birth
days. The money realized at the BIRTH
day party will be used for the improve
ment of roads.
In speaking of the society Mrs. Day
ton said:
1--WE 90 in for business. We charge
members so cents year and we do
not have pink tea meetings We are
still at business.
we hope soon to show what We can
do in bodybuilding. We shall begin
with d small piece of the road as an
experiment and expect to use gravel as
a bed Asphalt is almost too expensive
for us to think of, but we are deter
mined 20 have good roads.
There is every reason to believe
that we will be successful. The men
give us great help-fnancially. In
fact that IS where we get all our
money. though we did donate as So
ciety $500 for the road building scheme.
1--WE are proud of our society. far
it has done about everything that can
be done for a while for the improve
ment of the village. The summer wish
tors help US in every way. Last sea-
son we raised $500 in one afternoon at
a fair.
I'VE are constantly receiving in
quiries from women in other Long ISL
On nd -hrn