The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-31
WOMAN BURGESS
SLOW ON REFORMS
She Has No Fads But Insists
on a Clean Town for
Young People.

Special Despatch TO THE New York HERALD
WASHINGTON, Pa, Dec. 30.-'I want
our town to be clean and wholesome
place for our young men and women. !
want to eliminate the evils and tempta-
lions which beset the youths In the large
cities. This will be my objective In
everything do while serving in the
office to which have been appointed"
declared Mrs Lillian Brownlee. who a
week ago was appointed Burgess OF this
place TO succeed her husband, the late
L. p. Brownlee. who died less than a
month ago.
She is the first woman Burgess 10
hold office In the State. Although she
has been in office only a week she al
ready has instituted some reforms and
contemplates more OF them, but they VIII
not be introduced until she Is convinced
OF their practicabillty. and as she de-
clared to-day she is ging to indulge
in no fads or fancies in governing the
town.
Burgess Brownlee realizes that being
the head OF Washington. with its popu-
iation of 10000. supervising the Police
Department, which is under her per-
sonal direction working in conjunction
with the Town Council and studying
.<he needs and the problems of her mu-
niclpality. is going TO be no small task
Her only previous experience In govern
ing has been within her own home. in
bringing up her five children.
Burgess Browniee Is not what is
termed modern woman. but rather of
the old fashioned type, whose energies
have been devoted to her own home.
Little did she dream that she would be
the Burgess OF her home town, for while
the fight for suffrage was being waged
she took no part in the movement.
The first woman Burgess is not i'm
pressed with the necessity OF having
police women
The very first thing Burgess Brown
lee did upon being appointed was to
order her police chief TO serve notice
on the poolroom keepers to permit no
minors to frequent their places. Wash
ngton is a college town and hundreds
Of youths attend Washington and Jeffer-
son College and the preparatory schools.
and IL has been their custom 10 spend
their evenings In the poolrooms. But
| that is no longer permitted. The pool
room proprietors have raised protest.
but Burgess Brownlee has declared tiHe
new order supported by statute whi' h
! prohibits minors from frequeuting -sl-
rooms. will be rigidly enforced ana any
violators viii be prosecuted
! Another important move the burgess
| contemplates putting into operation VAL
insure husbands being home no later
! than midnight so that lonely wives
will no longer have TO wait until the
morning hours for their husbands. The
/ order to bring about this has not been
! promulgated. as Burgess Brownlee IL
/ not sure whether. under the law. she
I can enforce II. She thinks II can be
brought about by issuing an order to
have the clubs close at midnight and
on Sundays an hour earlier. In this
place clubs are the only place to which
| the men can go after the "movies."
'rWill your duties as Burgess interfere
with your household duties?" Mrs.
| Brownlee was asked.
Eyes, fear they WILL" she said.
Mrs. Brownlee has five children-Eva
! Grace. II years: Robert w. ID; Mary
Ann. 10; Elizabeth n. 10, and Lillian.
who Ia years old. The home. located
in the residential section OF the town. is
a modest one The Burgess Is tall and
| slender and so years old.