The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1912-12-05
DESPITE RAIN
WOMEN VOTE
THEIR FIRST BALLOT CAST BY 22S
City Hall is Tidy Taft, SChmeltzer and
Stranahan Elected to Council
Amusing Incidents

If Mrs. Abigail Scott Dunniway, the
mother Of Woman Suffrage in Oregon,
could have seen the city hall of Hood
River on former election days and have
beheld II Tuesday, she would have been
glad because Of the cleanliness of the
place, if for nothing else. The city
hall is the combined meeting place of
the city officials and the city prison,
'calaboose' - it is called in some towns.
The time has been when the maudlin
song of an incarcerated inebriate has
interrupted the proceedings of the
board of aldermen. However, Tuesday
at the municipal election, fortunately,
the steel cells of the prison were
empty.
The floor of the city hall was secured
clean, and no one can remember ever
having seen it so tidy before. There
was an absence of cigar stumps, quids
of tobacco, and no one was seen smok-
ing in the polling place. On the table
around which the election board sat was
placed large vase containing a bou-
qu2t of chrysanthemums and heap of
red Spitzenburg apples reared them
in voting the judges and clerks nibbled
at the fruit. The election board was
composed of Mrs. j. p. Lucas, John
A. Wilson and j. II. Gill, judges; and
Mrs. Chas. II. Castner and G. d. Nick
elsen, clerks. The two women APP
pointed by the city council are both
well known throughout the state in
woman club circles.
Despite the heavy rain falling through
out the day, the women voter came to
the polls. Wrapped in oil skins and
with their umbrellas over them. moth
ers who will soon pass the three score
and ten mark came to cast their first
ballots. One of the Oldest women vot-
ing was Mrs. j. T. Holman, of the
Heights portion of the city. 81 am Ga
years old, and have a number of sons.
who have long been old enough to exer-
else the ballot, she said, "but this is
my first time. think it especially
proper for woman to take part in the
municipal affairs of the city and | shall
always try to exercise as wisely as
can the privilege of my franchise. "
Except for the position of council
men, the contest in Tuesdays city
election were rather light. One of the
most interesting incidents arising at
the polling place was when DR.. W. 5.
Nichol, one Of the Home Protective
Association candidates for the counci
rode up to the polling place with hi
! wife, mother and mother-in-law in hi
automobile, One of the judges. J. Ii
Gill, Immediately warned him that hs
was breaking the corrupt practices act
in bringing voters in conveyances to the
polls. DR.. Nichol replied that he was
escorting his family to the voting place
and that he did not think the law was
intended to prevent such actions.
| However, some of the citizens were OF
the opinion that a man. under the law,
had no right even to bring his wife to
the polls in a conveyance, and the hus-
bands desiring to bring their wives to
the polls later on in the day were
warned not to drive up to tie polling
place, but to allow the women to dis
embark from vehicles at nearby street
crossings.
When the polls closed at seven
o'clock. J. II. Gill. calling Justify on
the street. Hear ye. hear ye, this
election is now closed, the women
had polled total vote of 228 and the
total ballot reached 628, the largest in
the city's history.
+. O. Blanchar, the present incum-
bent was. of course, reelected mayor.
Mr.. Blanchar received $40 votes. II.
l.. Howe was reelected city recorder
and l.. A. Henderson city treasurer.
The fortunate candidates for the coun-
ell were w. II. Taft, j. M. Stranahan
and j. Nj. Schmeltzer. The result of
the vote was as follows;
Recorder Geo. w. Dimmick, III;
II. l.. Howe 490. Treasurer A.
Henderson 364 and Nj. II. Nickelsen
238. Council-W. j. Baker 20l, j. G.
Johnson 10, W. S. NichoI l42, j. M.
Schneider 3lA, f. l.. Scobee 2ll,
James Stranahan 81 and w. II. Taft
410.
The women and men sitting on the
election board had a keen sense of
humor and many amusing questions
were asked and amusing answers given
Tuesday. The women were inexperi-
enced in voting and thought that they
had to reply to everything that was
asked of them. One young lady was
asked how many there were in her
family. Five" she answered very
seriously, counting them on her fingers
shall | give you their names?" An
other new voter when asked her nation
ality, replied that she was an Ameri-
can. well" warned the clerk of the
day. "don't use those green sample
ballots; they're for the Irish. And
several of the woman's companions a so
religiously kept away from the green
sheets, using the pink ones at the
other end of railing around the booth.
They we're of German extraction.
Many women, thinking it necessary
duty, told their ages.