The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-04-18
WOMAN IS EL|G|BLE
FOR G0vERNSH|P
u
IN NEBRASKA
Supreme Court OF That State Decides
That They Can Run for Any
Office Within the Gift
.ds of Voters.
Miss Jordan Won Easily and Es-
tablished a Precedent for
IA Her Sex.

LINCOLN, Neb.. April lS.-Women'
although not permitted 10 vote, are
qualified and eligible To hold any
The voters This is the majority de-
Cision rendered by the supreme court
In the case OF Miss Gertrude Jordan,
who was last November elected treas
urer OF Cherry county, out was de'
pTiycG Of the office until the highest
court OF the state had sustained her
coutont!on Six justices united III an
opinion sustaining Miss Jordan, out
Associate Justice Jacob FaWCeu.
kindly faced and kindly mannefei
man of sixty five years, dissented, de-
clalmg the precedent set By IN" court
a dangerous one and opening the way
tor woman 10 become governor or
the state or chief justices OF the SUI
premC court
With the political proposition OF
the right OF women 60 vote aud hold
office | have no quarrel. says Justice
Fawcett. but neither by the constitu-
ton nor by statutory enactment are
they given the right TO do either, en-
cetd a. go school offices II their polit
ical rights are to be thus extended It
should be done by legislation. II 4
woman may be elected county treas
uror. she may be- elected governor OF
the state There il no more COnstitu-
tiuuu or statutory inhibition OF the
one than OF the other. Can We arbl
CARLY say she has sufficient capacity
for the former. but not FOR the latter
Neither the farmers or the constitU.
ton or the Legislature has said SO and
| am unable 10 discover how We be
come endowed with such occult
power"
Her Attorneys Argument.
Frank NJ Tyrreu, q Lincoln attor-
ne. Who argued the case ia behalf Of
Miss Jordan, cited previous ruling
IN Nebraska. based on a decision IN
Massachusetts which confirmed in wo-
men the right To hOid any Office 10
which they were elected. but plainly
eAcnrptne he said. executive ami
judicial Offices. The majority Of the
court accepted This view OF the case.
though their conclusions were reached
hy different workings
Miss jordan. who will now be in
stalled as treasurer OF what is de
clared 10 b. the largest oOunty In the
United States in the northwestern SEC
ton OF Nebraska. comprising an
acreage almost equal To that OF the
state OF Massachusetts. is thirty years
old, attractive in appearance, bust
uesslike and modest She is a native
OF Kansas but has spent most of her
life on the Nebraska frontier first as
q school teacher, then a homeSteader,
and foI seven years Deputy County
Treasurer Since being deprived last
summer OF the Office stu which she was
elected she has made her home with
her parents, who live on a ranch in
Cherry county She is declared to he
one OF the most expert accountants
anG office women in the state
Miss Jordan according 10 the state
montS made to the supreme court. Is
the first Woman I'm the United states
to be- elected to the office OF county
treasurer For seven years. almost the
entire term OF two treasurers. She
was deputy treasurer by appointment.
Nine months ago the incumbent. w. A.
Armstrong Republican. resigned.
The Democratic board OF county com
missiCLers. who had the power OF Sc
lecting a successor. chose r. y Quib
bile. who had been beaten by Arm
strong by the narrow majority Of
three votes. Miss Jordan retired from
office when Treasurer Quibble was in.
stalled.
~ the Republican primaries she an
nounCed her candidacy for the Office.
Two men contested for the nomination
with her. but she won with ease.
Treasurer Quibble had no one to con.
test for the Democratic nomination
and was made the candidate of that
party Ia the canvass Miss Jordan
travelled over most OF the big county.
She made her appearance at all meet
.ngs OF farmers and diligently worked
FOR votes Several young men en-
listed in her behalf and disregarding
political affiliations they formed an
organization that brought about her
election with 242 votes to spare
As the political campaign waxe1
warm Miss Jordan discovered that her
long term OF service in the county
court house and her acquaintance with
almost every voter i'm Cherry county
served her well in The race, but her
personal campaign was none the less
thorough. as she attended every Cher
~ county gathering from picnic to
auction sale. II being her plan TO be
wherever numbers Of people could be
seen and talked with. Her most thor
ough campaign was made In remote
. parts OF the county and TO do this she
\trayeled more than 500 miles on horse
back and in a buggy during Septem-
Der and October, besides half as much