Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-09-05
COLORADO REPRESENTATIVE.
Some Interesting Facts About Mrs.
Agnes Ludwig Riddle.

What follows is quoted from
great series of articles on Suffrage in
the Pictorial Review for September,
and contains some of the most inter-
esting incidents in the lives OF two
women who have become forces in
the politics OF their native state:
Let us take Mrs. Agnes Ludwig
Riddle. of the Colorado House OF
Representatives She is large ro-
bright eyes and smiling countenance
show a soul of fearless guilelessness.
She has never learned to cquivocate.
Her methods are often as direct as
was Alexander's with the Gordian
knot. When there is a thing to be
done. Mrs. Riddle believes in doing
it. That is the key to her character
After she had come to America
from Silesia at sixteen, studies do
mestic science and nursing, and serv-
ed as yellow fever nurse in the
South, Agnes Ludwig went to>Colo-
RADIO and subsequently married
George NJ. Riddle, a young dairyman
who had already acquired herd OF
cattle, some land and barn. He
lived in this. He wanted his wife to
board in. Denver while the new home
was building. What's good enough
for You, said Mrs. Riddle, is good
enough for me" The couple lived in
the barn for eight months. Today,
as might be expected. the Riddles own
thousand acres OF land and their
ranch is one OF the model dairy places
in Colorado.
Mrs. Riddle went to the Legislature
to help the farmers. With her knowl-
edge OF domestic science and nursing,
she soon became mother confessor
to her entire neighborhood She
quickly sensed the deadliness OF rural
isolation and saw that state aid was
the only cure for the farm difficulty
So she got the nomination. canvassed
her district of three counties in her
own distinctive vigorous fashion and
was elected by a great majority She
fought the bosses to a finish. At the
last election they said they would
give her another nomination only on
condition that she consent to be
hitched Mrs. Riddle told them to
give the nomination to whom they
liked. I'll run independent and beat
him mile" she said. She did. Run
ming on the Republican ticket. She
won hands down. when the rest of
the state joined the landslide for
President Wilson. Mrs. Riddle will
stay in the Legislature as long as she
desires. In her the farmers of three
counties have found Legislator with
out guile and without fear.
Mrs. Riddle has stood on the right
side OF every measure before the Col
orado House of Representatives
And she has fought for them. How
effectively she fights can perhaps
best be judged by this incident that
occurred in the. 1913 Legislature. A
segregation bill was before the
House. Mrs Riddle attacked it on
the ground that fallen men should
be segregated as well as fallen wom-
en-. A representative offered to in
sert such a provision. There would
be no men left" said Mrs. Riddle. and
the laughter that followed lasted ten
minutes. just before roll was called.
Mrs. Riddle rose and said. Let him
that Is without SIN among You cast
the first vote" Not a vote was cast.
Now that we have examined the
best type OF woman lawmaker and
office holder, let us consider the 9TH
er kind. Colorado has had two or
three machine woman politicians.
They obeyed orders. They helped
pass some laws that were inimical to
Colorado's best interests. Yet they
had one saving grace. In Legislation
affecting women, children and the
home. they were independent. They
fought with their more principled sis
tiers. They fought with success; for
they could and did command some
support from their machine col
leagues. With their aid. number
OF very progressive laws were
framed. Their incumbcncy in office
then was not wholly an evil.