Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1900-06-30
CHICAGO LETTER.


Mr.. A. Emmagene Paul, supefin-
tendent Of the Second ward street
cleaning. may well be called the Colo
mel Warlng Of Chicago. Twenty years
ago. according to Mrs. Paul. she was
exactly the type of woman that con-
stituted the despair OF the violent
woman suffraEist
One day In her usually lifeless mood
she picked up the daily paper and her
eye CHANGED to light upon = little cd
itorIal In reference to . woman who
had also suffered, but who had risen
above her grief and was making her
life . distinct blessing to humanity.
Something In the spirit of the article
aroused Mrs. Paul to a sudden resolve.
and when her mother came into the
room she quietly announced her inten-
ton Of going back to Chicago. To
her family the very idea was mad
ness. but neither Illness nor influence
could deter Mrs Paul from her pur-
pose. and to Chicago she came with
NO definite plan rs to what she was
going to do, but believing that some
work must b. waiting for her In the
big, crowded city. This was in 1898.
the spring after the Worlds Fair. and
II % happened that Mrs Paul went to
visit friend, who was . member OF
the Municipal League. an organization
formed during the fair tor the pur-
pose OF seeing what power women
could exert In the administration Of
civic affairs. The club seemed very
much alive TO the generally filthy con-
dition OF the city, and to the malad-
ministration OF Its laws. After listen
ing to endless explorations and dis
cussions OF the subject. Mrs Paul one
Aay ventured to say:
well. ladies'. you talk very well.
but why don't you do somethIng,"
''Yes." was the reply, but how to
begin. II was obviously necessary to
frst make terms With the mayor. and
mono OF the ladies had any personal
acquaintance with him. As chance
would have II, Mrs Paul had friend
Who knew that of1cial, and II all end
ed In her being detailed to bring the
attention of Mr.. Mayor to few OF the
things that the Municipal League
wished to have done. She found his
honor very much inclined to treat the
whole matter as joke. He. how
ever. finally volunteered TO go before
the ladies and prove to them the Mt
ter futility OF their schemes. He ac-
cordingly went, but not finding them
GO easy to convince as he had mag
ined. he consented to appoint an In
epector from among them. provided
the league would second his choice OF
Mrs Paul for the Office
Nothing could have been more
| averge TO Mrs. pani's incilnations:
but. finding that her refusal would
/ Etul.ifF any further efforts OF the CLUB
she consented TO take the Office for a
month. simply to prove that II was no.
| only possible. but an eminently suit
4 able position for woman to hold
She had no need and no desire to add
To her income. ard undertook the work
/ with the sole aim of proving that a
/ woman could do 1t. She was there
/ upon commissioned to take one of the
best wards in the city. investigate Its
+ conditions and do whatever she chose
/ for Its improvement. with the equip
| ment already appropriated. Mrs. Paul
| nrst spent several days In a study OF
the situation. and discovered--what
she was later to discover in nearly
every ward OF the eity--that the regu-
lar inspector was given his ONCE as a
reward Of elestioneerine during polit-
ical campaigns; and that. although
drawing $1,000 = year salary. he not
only did no work. but nothing was