The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-04-05
WOMEN WITH POLICE POWER

Seattle, where there are at present
four policewomen, others are soon to
be appointed. The number of police
women have become sufficiently
numerous in the West to permit of
the holding of a convention to discuss
the work of women serving the pub
lie in this capacity. Such a conyen-
ton was held last year in Portland,
Oregon. Reports of that convention
prove the value of women in this
department of public service.
In the Twin Cities.
In Minnesota the policewoman has
come to stay, although she is not yet
member of the police force The
citizens Of Minneapolis are loud in
their praises of Miss Glorieux who is
acting in the capacity Though not
clothed with the powers) of a police
woman. st. Paul has been fortunate
in having first-class woman laboring
for years in an official capacity to
reform many of our erring girls.
Everyone who knows Miss Balfour
and what she has accomplished, will
readily grant that it would be i'm
possible for any man to do what she
has done. Though regularly in
attendance at the police court and
accepting the burden of the reform
and direction of women who are
placed on probation there, she finds
time to handle delicate and difficult
problems that present themselves in
the juvenile court. She has spent
many late hours on the streets that
she might find out the haunts of
wayward girls, and has never spared
herself when the future well-doing of
her probatiOners was at stake. st.
Paul made big step forward when
two women inspectors were appointed
to see to the enforcement of law in
the very places where many of the
depraved begin their downward
course. The appointment of Mrs.
Kelly and Mrs. Moore has resulted in
untold good They are both intelli-
gent, jealous and fearless workers.
There is no danger whatever of their
being interfered with in the per-
formance of their duties by interested
parties. Since they began this work
there is less dereliction of duty, less
schooling of the young in vicious
ways, and more regular and eff
cient visitation of places where music,
the dance, drink and lascivious free
dom prepare girls tes~be the com
panions of vilest men. Everyone who
knows the good these women are do
ing will not hesitate to support a
movement legalizing policewomen in
this city.
Women's Courts.
The establishment of Women's
courts-one in Chicago and the other
in Seattle-gives to women greater
opportunities for good than if they
were obliged to work solely through
the regular courts. In Chicago where
Miss Mary Bartelme is presiding
judge men are not admitted, and it is
the confident hope that much more
will be done in the way of bringing
about the permanent reform of girls
who have gone wrong through their
own or another's fault.
Bill Before State Legislature.
The people of Minnesota should be
interested in the passage of a law
at this session of the State Legis-
lature providing for the appointment
of policewomen. AS this legislature
has done such good work up to the
present time, there is little fear that
this bill will fail to pass. BY such pro-
gressive legislation women will be em.
powered to accomplish that which
the best citizens expect of the police
departments, especially in regard to
young girls who have fallen, or, il
not already wayward, might be
entrapped by men and women who
should be bounded by the members
of every police department in the
country.