The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-10
WHEN THE WOMEN VOTE.

Seattle's people have been much
wrought up for several months past
over the alleged misconduct in office
Of Hiram C. Gill, who had been mayor
of that city only since last March. He
was charged, as was the chief of police
whom he had appointed, with having
farmed out the vice privileges of the
city to a syndicate, and had collected
large percentage of the receipts of
the syndicate. Such general belief was
given to these charges that sufficient
voters of the city petitioned for an
election to recall Gill from the mayor
atty. The women of Washington have
but recently been given the right IF
universal franchise. AS many as %, 900
Of them registered to participate in the
recall election. That election was held
the other day, and resulted in Mr.. Gill
being recalled from office by a major
ity of about 1000. 1t is said that a
large percentage of the women who
registered went to the polls and voted.
It is generally admitted that the wo-
mems vote was almost solidly against
GILL; and that the women were there
fore responsible for his recall.
And isn't it a fine thing that the
women of Seattle took advantage of
their opportunities and voted this way?
Where there is much smoke there al
ways is suro to be considerable fire.
The charges against Gill would prob
ably not have developed and been
pressed as seriously as they were if
there had not been something to sub
stantiate- then.--That made Gill de-
cidedly unfit man to be mayor of Seat
tie or any other city. A man against
whom there is even a suspicion that he
is willing to prostitute the chief execu-
tiveship of city by so much. as toler-
ating, let alone reapfng a profit from,
a traffic in vice, is not entitled to hold
such an office minute. The women
of Seattle realized this and they voted
against Gill almost as a unit The wo-
men of every other locality would real
ize the same thing and act in the same
way if they had chance In matters
of this kind, women, with the right to
vote, will always be found on the right
side. On questions that affect the
moral welfare of a community. there
is no doubt where the women, the
mothers who are jealous lest their
young daughters and young sons be
ensnared in the pitfalls that abound
wherever vice is permitted to flourish
there is not the shadow of a doubt
where they stand. And it is too bad
that the women of every community i'll
the country have not the power to as
sert their stand in such essentially inn
portant matters.
1t is to the credit OF the present Kan
sas legislature that it has finally rec
ognized the justice of woman's right to
vote And If the conference commit
tee, that will have to determine at the
close of the session which of the 'propo-
sitions to amend the constitution are
the more important, brushes aside
the woman's suffrage amendment, the
first of the proposed constitutional
amendments to pass the legislature. o
serious injustice will be done to the
women and to the commonwealth. The
latter needs their votes to keep the
ship of state well trimmed and on
clean and even keel. This woman's
suffrage amendment ought to take
acedence over any other proposed
amendments to the constitution which
the legislature may act on favorably,
because it has been up for considera-
ton for a much longer time. s