The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-06-17
MRS. SWEETMAN
STARTS
ON
PAGE 4

1900. bringing her boy. then seven
years old. and her mother with her.
shortly hftcrwafd she married AL.
len Sweetman. with whom she had
been brought up. and whose brother
had married her sister.
SHE was employed successfully hy
the Bon Marchc. the Seattle Electric
company aud Osborn q rrcmper. an
abstract firm. and then entered into
public office. working IN the office
OF the city engineer. the county clerk
and the county auditor.
II was while she was In the audi
tors office that the war broke out
and the then auditor. Norman War
dali. put her on the exemption board.
headed by Tom Rcvcilc. now United
States district attorney.
Tier history since That time Il
too well known 10 deal with In
detail.
She worked uniiringiy thruout
tke war. doing 20 well that she
WIS made member ~ the en-.
empiion hosrd--the only woman
In the country 20 be 10 honorc<i.
During her service 5000 young
men passed thrv her hands. and
I.sIa were Indicted Into the
army.
No matter how unpopular she Is In
some quarters and she Is certainly
not loved By a number OF Seattle
politicians Mrs. sweetman viii al.
ways occupy warm spot In the
hearts OF the boys who came before
her NJ this time. They form. indeed.
the nucleus OF her political organixa.
ton and are ready TO fight az the
drop Of hat for her.
Tier work on the exemption board
brought her In contact with w. M.
Whitney. who was chairman of
Board No. 9. but Il was not until
early In 1919 that their acquaintance
ripened into intimacy.
Then Mrs Sweetman. whitney and
two others were sent 10 Olympia 10
close up the affairs % the exenp-
tion board. They spent seven weeks
together--and Mrs. sweetman. ac.
eordlng 20 her own entirely frank
admission. fell SO violently In love
that she has never since lived with
her husband.
Things went on amIcshIy
enough until the state republican
convention AZ BeiIingham IN
1890. when Mrs. swectmsn
learned Of conditions which made
her accuse whitney Of infideiify.
Il won't do anything while the
convention l. on" she says shc
told him. but after It's over
you'll get yours.
Almost everything that she has
done since that time has been with
the purpose Of making that pfoalc.
ton OF hers come true.
That was why shr wrote her two
unique books. Tho Man who Tried
to Run Away and Wandering WI.
lies Tale in which she told OF her
Iaiissed dealings with Whitney--and
OF many other matters which caused
local politicians no little worry.
After she had published the
books doxsns Of people tnid her
her: You can't live in this town
after that. NouII have TO get
out"
Hut she laughed nj theus. aud
stayed cn living here and now
shes going to run for the legfs.
hiure.
In addition 20 writing tho books.
Mrs. sweetman has done everything
else In her power 10 discredit Whit.
ney. She hnr written letters 10 the
newspapers about him: she protested
vigorously against his appointment
~ assistant prohibition dlrector--and
once. when shc met him IN the court
house. she slapped his face vIror.
ousiy in front of dozens OF specta.
tors Nowadays he reiigiousiy avoids
meeting her for fear Of a repetition
OF the incident
Members % the republican organ.
ization--in which whitney II n POW
err attempt 20 belittic her efforts.
but one thing is csrtagn---she'a got
under their hides. 20 a degre. AZ
least else they wouldn't hate her 40
cordially
Mrs. SweetmRn has BY no means.
however. devoted all her energy TO
her feud on Whitney.
Even before the women no, tho
vote she used 20 take an active I'm. |
ternst In politics--she was a deputy |
county superintendent ~ schools
when she was II. remember - and !
she makes herself heard on almost
every lima ginabie subject OF public
Importance.
Months ago she adopted" Tho
Star. That Is. she didn't Join the
staff Of the paper. but she be-
came such regular volunteer
contributor TO Its columns that
many people began TO look ON
her as an official representative
OF The Star.
This she never was--she had
no inclination toward the career
of n regular newspaper reporter
but her letters were invariably
interesting and frequently caused
no little stir.
These letters. OF course. have
brought her more than ever into the
public eye. ana certainly no candl. |
date ever announced for the legis-
lature with better advance pub.
licity campaign than she.
Just nj present she IN causing no
little alarm IN the camps Of the re.
publican regulars as result Of her
letter in The Star about the alleged
orgy at the state convention. Her
charges were responsible for Mayor
Browns announcement that he would
ask a federal grand jury investiga.
tion--and she II now collecting evi.