The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-05-18

When arrogant lawlessness is in
the saddle, and the law-abiding citi-
zens keep out of sight, it is time for
the exercise of strong hand in gov
ernment.
So thought the electorate of Fair
port, Ohio, last autumn. Whereupon
the men and women went to the polls
and selected as mayor, DR.. Amy A.
Kaukonen, slight, comely girl of
% years.
Her election was mandate for
strong arm suppression of the un-
restrained violation of the prohiOi-
tion laws.
Fairport is a picturesque lake port
80 miles east of Cleveland. It has
only 5000 inha bitants but, prior to
last November, it had won a place in
the front rank of the municipalities
in which open violation of the law is
viewed with approval. In the Pull
man smoker and the club car, Fair
ports name had prominent place in
the conversations devoted to the To-
cation of the lawless haunts from
coast to coast.
In Fairport itself, there was sort
of blatant pride in the openness of
the law violation. Citizens Dragged Of
the success of their stills, and their
recipes for brewing beer. An under
taker, grimly humorous over dual
occupation of bootleggfng and bury
ing, fitted out one Of his caskets with
q spigot and held long, gleeful and
profitable wake over the demise of
John Barleycorn.
A long debauch disgusts even
those who participate in it.
And when Fairport awoke one
morning to learn that one of it's po-
lice officers, crazed by drugged moon
shine whisky, had run amuck in a
bootleggers' resort, and shot to death
another policeman, the little city
decided it was time to put on the
brakes.
Fairport cannot yet understand
just by what trick of fate it happened
TO choose 22-year old girl for its
mayor. A girl mayor is novelty any
place. But girl mayor who has nev-
er been suffragist, never taken part
in politics, never made single street
corner speech, but has played the pi-
ano, romped with her Airdale, "Pat,'
shopped for intensely feminine cloth
es, worn her blond hair in the latest
coiffure, sung in the choir of Sundays
and danced during the week, is
novelty Of the most extreme degree.
DR.. Kaukonen was born in Elyria,
Ohio. During her school days she was
considered an unusually talented pu-
pii. At Conneaut, she won the high
school scholarship which enabled her
to enter the Woman's Medical Col
lege in Philadelphia, where she again
led her class, graduating as the in
stitution's youngest pupil.
About year ago she hung out her
shingle as physician in Fairport,
specializing in children's diseases.
AS a physician she naturally came
frequently in contact with the effects
of the traffic in poisonous alcohol.
But she took no part in the political
consideration of the subject and it
was an unmitigated surprise to her
when committee called on her and
asked her to run for mayor on re-
form ticket. She laughed at the re-
quest and would not accept the prof
fered nomination despite the serious
ness of their insistance. They would
take no refusal and left only when
she promised to think it over.
), Then Dr.. Kaukonen says she
promptly put the matter out of her
mind.
DIR. Kaukonen was called profess
sionally when the bootlegging TRACE
DIV which resulted in a police officers
death occurred. This event determin-
ed her entrance into the campaign
for mayor.
The campaign was a warm one.
But the citizens, even the most con-
frmed liquor addicts, were aroused
to the danger Of the continued su-
premacy of bootleggism. DR.. Kau-
konen had announced her intention
relentlessly to fight the prohibition
violators. Women took the lead in
her campaign, but men Joined them
in the fight, and husbands and wives
went to the polls together on elec-
ton morning and Dr.. Kauhonen re-
O3V.