The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1916-06-02
THOSE KANSAS WOMEN
ARE SOME POLITICIANS
They Know How to Get Office, and
What is More, How to Hold
the Job

II you thot women could not master
the game Of politics you have one
more think coming. A postmaster in
the game has recently visited the Sun
flower state and gives his impressions
of women in politics in the following
forceful and Illuminating story.
Some Kansas men who have had
their political eye on jobs Of one kind
and another for years are losing sleep
these days. You ask what is the mat
ter2
Too many women are getting into
Kansas politics. What is more they
are getting the jobs and have been
holding them so successfully that there
isn't much chance for a man to break
in.
A good many Kansas men voted for
suffrage for the women with the idea
that the women would vote and maybe
stir up trouble in some city elections.
They had no idea the women would
be seeking the jobs the men had be-
lieved their own particular prerogatives.
More women than men in Kansas
have asked for seats in the republican
and democratic national conventions
this year. Governor Arthur Capper,
Fred Stanley, national committeeman,
and members of the delegations have
had more than thousand requests
from women for seats in the conven-
ton.
There isn't any chance to give so
many women seats, but the state poll
ticians are afraid that to refuse a wo-
man a seat may make an active polit-
ical enemy who will cause trouble in
the primary in August and the cleo
| ton in November.
There are l2o women already ac-
lively campaigning for county offices.
One woman is in the race for congress
and two are campaigning for state SEN
ator. 1t is probable that there will be
dozen women candidates for the leg
islature.
Kansas has tried women officials for
several years. Even before the wo-
men could vote there were numerous
women county superintendent OF
schools, one or two county treasurers,
clerks of the district court and county
clerks. Two women were appointed
probate Judges to succeed their hus-
bands and these women were later
elected.
Electing women TO Office has often
enabled one political party or faction to
beat some man and then it was dis
covered that the women couldn't be
pried away from the jobs. In only
two instances have women candidates
been defeated for county Offices when
they were up for second or ever third
and fourth terms.
There is ample reason for the faith
of the ordinary voter in women holding
office in Kansas. The ordinary voter
doesn't stand around and talk politics
most OF the time. He is busy with
his farm or business, and occasionally
visits some county Office to transact
some legal business. When he goes
into the office of a man it is usual to
find one to a dozen political parasites
sitting around talking politics.
If the official recognizes the caller
as an influential citizen or thinks he
might be, the official hastens to attend
to the callers needs. If the caller is
common citizen he may have to wait
until the official finishes the conversa-
ton OF the crowd.
If the common citizen is being wait
ed upon and an influential citizen ap-
pears, the official generally quits the
ordinary man and attends to the busi-
ness Of the man the official thinks can
produce votes.
But the citizen is treated entirely
different in the Office run by woman.
There are no political parasites and
everybody is working. The caller has
his business taken care of in turn and
with dispatch, and he can go home
feeling that he has had square deal
and the money he paid in taxes is well
spent.