The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-05-22
WOMEN IN CIVIC AFFAIRS.


making cities clean and healthful /
they will lend their assistance to tn,
city officials was the main theme O
an interesting address delivered be
fore the ninth biennial convention d
the Iowa Federation OF Women's club:
in session in Sioux City last week, b,
Mrs. Caroline Bartlett Crane, OF Kala
mazoo, Mich. formerly of oul
neighboring city of Hamilton Ill
Mrs. Crane Is known nationally as an
expert in civic housekeeping In the
course of her address she explained
the methods by which women in a
number of cities and towns have
helped eradicate abuses and ac
complished much good.
One of the criticisms offered by Mrs
Crane Is that most city governments
lack in directness and efficiency
Civic offices do not hold forth careers
for men. and the result is that the
best men are not always enlisted in
the. work. In many parts of Europe
the offices are lifelong in duration and
good men are invited into them by
that fact In the early days of this
country about 31s per cent of the
people lived in cities. So much at
tention to city government was not
then given Now about 40 per cent
OF the people reside in cities and the
problem of their proper regulation has
increased.
Mrs. Crane urged that the best
men should be engaged to manage the
city's affairs. Such things as bosses,
party lines and ward boundaries
should cease in the common hope of
better city. The commission form
of government is approaching the So
luton by placing men who have been
successful in the management of their
own affairs into the manag of
the city's business. Conditions have
been benefited since the adoption of
the plan.
The questions OF why the city is con-
Quoted and of what economy really
consists are the chief ones confront
ing the people. All that men do to-
ward obtaining wealth and building up
enterprises is done primarily for the
good OF the home The city is, first,
a place in which TO live. Our idea of
civic economy is not to save money,
but to expend it so that the greatest
amount of good will come of it, Mrs.
Crane said. The whole situation is to
provide the best place to live with the
least sacrifice. The problems are
really simple. They are ones of civic
Housekeeping everyday cleanliness
along lines of water, milk, streets,
dwellings. and the other things that
we use constantly
Mrs. Crane complained that people
do not pay enough attention to these
things. She cited the example of a
man who left his little home town in
the east and went to a city where he
made a fortune Thinking TO do some
thing for his birthplace, whose in
habitants were dying rapidly from
plague of typhoid fever that yearly
visited the place, he offered filtra-
ton plant to supply them with pure
water A committee waited upon the
benefactor and asked him if it would
be all the same to him TO give a sol
diers' monument instead.
Women know more than men about
the quality of the foods which are
sent to the home for use Therefore,
Mrs. Crane argued, they should look
into the matter in which they are
prepared. The citizens of a place
seem to believe that If an inspector is
appointed to look after certain line
Of foods that all is done AS matter
of fact men are not so shocked by.
some of the things they see as a
woman would be. Mrs. Crane told OF
case in one Of the northern states
where the women started campaign
against the quality of meat that was
being sold them. They found on in
spection that the places where the
animals were slaughtered were any
thing but sanitary Their insistence
succeeded in cleaning up the slaugh-
ter houses
When the women desire to help the
inspectors their help Is welcomed,
MFS. crane asserted. They should
look into the way the water is cared
for before it comes into the home.
Many people think they have the best
water system possible and yet are I'M
| able to give the least detail about the
system. They accept without question
the statement of their officials. They
are too trusting The matter is vital
10 all 1t should be understood by all
The people should help to keep the
streets clean by refraining from
throwing waste products into the
gutter and along the walks. 1t often
happens that the man considered the
most loyal citizen in the town sveeps
the refuse gathered from his store
out into the ctreet Children throw
waste paper into the street and the
aust from the coal wagon is swept on
Inc pavement. The street is q com.
mon receptacle for everything. Wom.
en- IN one city took charge of the
streets for several months. Thev an.
llsted the help of the children in the
matter OF keeping them clean songs
which told Of the value os oIoan
r