The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-01-05
ACTION TAKEN BY
COUNCIL REGRETTED
Mrs. D. G. Willard commends Good
Work of Mrs. SigIer The
Policewoman

To The Free Press: In behalf of
the women of the w. C. T. U. and
the large body of other women who
labored so long and faithfully to
procure and secure a police woman
and after years of petitioning, per-
suading and pleading, finally sue
ceeded in getting the august body
of the city council to allow us that
privilege, providing that we pay for
her services for the first six months
We raised the money and after
consultation and correspondence
with social workers and police de.
partmentS in various cities of the
country, were finally successful in
securing the services of Mrs Sigler,
one highly qualified by long years
of service in social and police work.
and culture We felt exceedingly
fortunate in being able to get such
woman, and as we have heard her
reports from time to time, of her
rescue work, caring for unprotect-
ed girls and women, We have felt
that her work is filling a long felt
want and is one thatcannot be meas
ured by money standard, but our
satisfaction in our success and that
OF our Standard Bearer Mrs. Sig
ler) was of short duration, for the
action of our city council last night
shows plainly that this is still a
mans world and that the days Of
chiyalry are past
In spite of her past records prov
en- by her recommends as well as by
l.. e. c,.I til
she was ANONYMOUSLY dropped by
plea before the city fathers and
showed plainly that she ranked sec
ond to none OF them in education,
intelligence OF veracity but our
mayor felt that he must uphold the
dignity of the court and as the chief
had asked for her dismissal, - the
mayor moved that Mrs Sgler be re-
moved, and the men of the council
voted in accordance with his wish,
SO We are now taking another step
backward, which means untold in
jury to the many girls in our city
who need her help and it also
means that a great Injustice has
been done to Mrs Sigler, to whom
we owe much.
Our mayor said that it does not
mean LudI we CdnuOJ nave ponce
woman, but that they wanted one
who could work tremendously with
the police force. Time will tell
what the outcome will be.
Mr.. Spornitz, station agent, said
to me this morning that Mrs. Sigler
had done wonderful work looking
after girls and that the general con-
ditions at the depot had improved
greatly since we have had a police
woman, that in an educational
center like Msnkato a police won
man is greatly needed. 1t seems to
me that we women of Mankato
should ask our mayor and city
council to reconsider their action of
last night, that they investigate
further and If their instigations
prove that their action was unwar-
ranted, that they reinstatel Mrs.
lSigler as police woman. / really be-
lieve that if we had our choice of
one in a thousand applicants we
would fail in getting one as com
petent faithful, energetic and capa-
BILE as is Mrs. Sigler. Mrs. D. G.
Willard, W. C. T. U. Chairman
Law Enforcement Committee.
II, as president Of the Mankato
Woman's Christian Temperance
Union heartily indorse and am in
sympathy with everything that Mrs
Willard has said in reference to our