The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-04-27
At Polls Rouf
Saloons From Schools

is one of the few cities in the
country where the saloon Is a fac
tor in the schools, where saloon
keepers and bartenders sit on the
board of education.
1t is also the only city in the
country where the women have
taken advantage of their nominal
power to vote in school elections.
Those two facts are to be men
toned together.
Detroit has just finished one OF
the most exciting elections in Its
history. The saloon versus the
school furnished the issue. The
Detroit women furnished the ex-
element. The result was a vic
tory for them. They drove eight
of eleven machine board members
into retirement.
Their striking victory has given
the women of Detroit new ambi-
lions. Already in the women's
clubs and church societies is the
talk of war against the saloon
litself-to drive it out of Wayne
county. In trying to run the
schools, the saloon has over-reach-
ed itself. 1t has drawn the fire
of body of people who have just
learned their strength.
One of the stock arguments
against woman suffrage has been
that women did not use the ballot
when they had it. The school
elections was the conspicuous
proof of this. This has been true
in Detroit-until this year.
For Detroit women didn't play
at politics this year. They got lists
of all voters. They formed organ
izations by wards. They divided
up the lists and saw every woman
voter. They had challengers at
the polls. They secured autos
and other vehicles to bring voters
to the polling places. They swung
a powerful influence on their hus-
bands and men relatives.
In other words, they played
politics, just as they had seen the
men do for years.
All kinds of women enlisted in
the work. There were club women
and society women. There were
washerwomen and the wives of
men who worked on the street.
They worked through workers
clubs and church organization.
1t was a campaign of diplomacy
and conscience. In the year that
the campaign lasted those inter
ested in the cause made it point
to make as many new acquaint-
ances as possible. Then they
would drop in to call. Over the
afternoon tea or the sewing the
conversation would drift around to
the schools-what a shame that
the saloons should be controlling
them-if the women got together
they could do something.
By this time often the woman
visited was a convert.
On election day was seen the
spectacle of women, old, sick and
crippled, being helped to the vot.
ing booths, where women's
committee explained just how tc
vote.
IT ought to be in bed" one fee
BILE and crippled old woman
smiled wanly. "But I thought il
was my duty"
That was the spirit that won fol-
Detroit women.
A republican saloonkeeper, Hen
Try Miehm, and a democratic bar
tender, Albert Hely, won re-elec-
lions. H. G. Wiedeman, who calls
himself Independent, but who vot-
ed with the saloon machine, won
reelection. The rest of the II
went down in defeat-before the
women.
Saloonkeeper Miehm was a
member of the committee on text
books last term, Bartender Hely of
the committee on janitors and
buildings, as was Miehm also. This
last committee has been found
useful In other cities for swinging
political schemes-and other
things besides.
In the new board Miehm and
Hely will find their hands tied by
la hostile majority. They will face
a bigger contest, the women say, If
they try for another election.
In the past Detroit-probably