The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-06-14
WOMAN SUPERlNIENDS' CIICAG0'S STREETS
CHICAGO LETTER.

B kpStNISltA9l1s1t wv ~ ~ IL
CHICAGO LETTER. Il
4 Mrs. A. Emmagene Paul, superin-
tendent Of the Second ward street
cleaning, may well be called the Colo
mel Waring 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 suffragist.
4 One day in her usually lifeless mood
she picked up the daily paper and her
eye CHANGED to light upon q little ed
aitorial 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 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 as to what she was
going to do, but believing that some
work must be waiting for her in the
big, crowded city. This was In 1893,
6 the spring after the Worlds Fair, and
1t SO happened that Mrs. Paul went to
visit friend, who was member OF
the Municipal League, an organization
formed during the fair for 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 It's laws. After listen
ing to endless explorations and dis
cussions Of the subject, Mrs. Paul one
day ventured to say:
Well, ladies, you talk very we'll,
but why don't you do something?"
Yes was the reply. but how to
begin. It was obviously necessary to
= first make terms with the mayor, and
none OF the ladies had any personal
acquaintance with him. AS chance
would have it, Mrs Paul had friend
who knew that official, and it 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 ut
ter futility of their schemes. He ac-
cordingly went, but not finding them
so easy to convince as he had mag
II ined, he consented to appoint an in
spector from among them, provided
the league would second his choice of
Mrs. Paul for the Office
Nothing could hayden more
,averse to Mrs. linations;
stultify any furthS ne CLUB
she consented to t dee for a
month, simply to prove that it was not
only a possible, but an eminently suit
able position for woman to hold
She had no need and no desire to add
to her income, and undertook the work
with the sole aim of proving that a
Il A1a could do it. She was there
commissioned to take one Of the
zards in thu. lily, inE est ifsAta ii
- tions and do whatever she chost
tor Its improvement, with the equip
ment already appropriated. Mrs. Pau
first spent several days in study o
the situation, and discovered-wha,
she was later to discover in nearly
every ward of the city-that the regu
lar inspector was given his office as {
reward OF electioneering during polit
Zeal campaigns; and that although
drawing $1,000 year salary, he moi
only did no work, but nothing was
expected Of him; in fact. in most in.
4 stances, he had some other business
which consumed all his time.
Her Investigations concluded, Mrs
Paul looked up the contractor, who
fortunately, was an easy going, hearty
lrishman. He was infinitely amused
at the novel situation,s and seemins
to think 1t best to humor the won en-
IN their little whims, bestirred him.
self to secure teams and workmen. and
stood good-naturedly by. while Mrs
Paul "bossed the job'-regarding the
whole proceeding as little wind.
storm that would soon blow over. The
new inspector systematized the labor