Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-09-21
RECALLERS ARE
NEARLY RECALLED
Mayor in Seattle Just Escaped
Being Ousted by a Good
hearted Woman.

calling the recallers" the diverse or the
recall of public official. AS the principle
of the recall Is put to the test of eX-
perience, 1t becomes apparent That the IL"
must be carefully framed If 1t Is to be
effective In time of emergency without fur-
nishlng opportunity for interference with
the ordinary course of Il moderately Salts
factory administration.
The voters of Seattle recalled one Mayor
Hiram G. Gil, on charges that his chief
of police. c. w. Wappenstein, was selling
out the community to tho criminal ele-
ment. Eleven indictments against Wap-
penstein by special grand jury and
conviction and penitentiary sentence OF
two years in the only case that has as We.
come to tria! have subsequently Justified
the public dissatisfaction with that
administration
George W. DllinE, the new mayor. had
been in office less than six months, when
he. too. faced an agitation for his recall.
Within the last month It developed that
only a vigorous fight could prevent
second election An earnest woman Mrs.
Catherine Stirtan. began single handed
tho attempt to unseat Dlllng Az the Law
stands at present. she was able TO unite
MANY diverse clements In tho attack on
tho administration, being able to proceed
on n strictly negative platform, with no
attempt to bring forward a candidate
! until tho election should be determined
upon by the voters.
Mrs Stirtan is q good woman who de-
totes her Nc to work among the prisoners
| in the city and county tails. To her can be
| traced many acts Of noble charity, and
| more than one case in which the friend
! less blanket stiff of the mines and
| logging camps. n stranger in a strange
| land speaking an alien tongue, has found
/ Justice or ClemenCY.
Mrs Stirtan became convinced that John
Corbett long the jaier at the city jail,
! was monster of brutality 1t became al
most an obsession with her that he must
! be removed Corbett is a hard-fisted rock
of man, who rode many a storm in deal
ing with the lawless element in the
rougher days from which a western
| city energies,
Chief Claud Bannick of the police. n
| IL. '-haired boy Of the college athletic
type. who was called away from the Uni
versity of Michigan to serve In the
| Spanish war. heard her complaint, but
was not convinced that brutality had oc-
| CURED under his administration billing,
| appealed to- had faith In Bannick s
ability and clean intentions. and refused
| to interfere. a council committee held
hearings, but found the evidence in
, sufficient.
Mrs Stirtan then appealed to the
people. She enlisted her husband. F.
A. Stirtan, and her son, formed a Re
call Associations" and opened head
quarters Petitions for the recall Of the
mayor and four councilmen were soon
in circulation. The movement devel-
opcd unexpected force. billing had not
gone through the bitter Gin campaign
without making enemies. Mrs. Stirtans
humanitarian platform attracted many
Opponents charge in all sincerity that
many politicians and others were glad
to stir up another election in the be-
lief that it would dscredit the prin-
ciple Of the recall. which Is on trial
here before the country. 1t became
apparent that % per cent. of the voters
AZ the last election would sign the pc
titions. and that another election wouit
be called.
At this juncture appeared mani
fcsto signed by long list of heavy
business men and others. warning the
community that the occasion did not
call for another municipal revolution
and that further agitation would hur
business. "injure the town" and So
on. Solicitors were sent to every signel
IF the recall petition asking for hi!
withdrawal The tide was turned whei
the city attorney decided that, Will,
supplementary names for the recall
petition could be accepted only up I,
the date specified in the law. with
drawals were effective if filed befor
the actual calling Of the petition or
the final checking over Of the pcti
tons by the city controller last Fri
day. the withdrawals were sufficien
to invalidate the petitions, with SOM
three hundred names to spare
Gossip was current that, IL an election
Were to be called. ex-Mayor Gill woul'
have been brought out in an attempt t.
make him the candidate against Diline
in which case the campaign would hay
been fought on an issue adiudcated onl,
last spring, an issue very different from
that which Mrs Stirtan wished to raise
II is doubtful if the same elements tina
signed the petitions could be united be
hind GIN or any other one candidate a
the election.
The two recall campaigns IN Seattl
and the one in Tacoma have raised mucl
controversy as to the wisdom OF tn
, terms of the Recall law. There seems t.
be n consensus of opinion that the prin
ciple must stand or fall on the nice al
tustnent of the percentage OF voters re
CURED to make the petitions effective
The sentiment IA unquestioned agains
$ too many elections and too insecure
tenure Of office and there Is n belle
that this would make the law unpopular
, The extreme wing of the 'progressves
have up to this last campaign stood firm
ly FOR a low percentage.