an like that, according to my mind, would better get down on her
knees and scrub her own front stairs than try to clean out City Hall.
And she's not the woman for either job."

He chewed his moustache savagely, and strode out of the room, knocking
over his chair in the process and causing his stenographer considerable
alarm as he banged the door together on his way out. Morgan looked
after him and smiled.

CHAPTER III

Learning the Ropes

The next morning's newspapers were embellished with scare-head-lines,
all more or less complimentary to the women's candidate.

"WOMEN TAKE MATTERS IN THEIR OWN HANDS."

"SENATOR'S DAUGHTER RUNS FOR MAYOR."

"MEN TO BE LAID ON THE POLITICAL SHELF."

"SENATOR VAN DEUSEN WILL TURN IN HIS GRAVE IF DAUGHTER ACCEPTS
NOMINATION."

were some of the head-lines which Roma editors had produced by late use
of midnight oil, and the articles that followed them were incredulous,
mildly tolerant, openly snobbish or given over to ridicule, according to
the policy of their several papers.

One of them read:

"It is both a disgrace and a menace to this fair city that city
politics have sunk to such a level that our best men will have
nothing to do with them, and that no one with the ideals of good
government, other than a handful of women, will undertake the
improvement of our municipal government. With all deference to
the ladies,--and who knows their many charming qualities better
than we?--it is inevitable that, 'trained to keep silence in the
churches'--(and the City Hall as well)--our women are without the
large-minded grasp of affairs,--the broad and liberal judgment,
necessary to cope with these affairs. Neither can we as self-
respecting husbands and fathers, consent to see them so belittle
their own dignity and influence as to step out into the arena of
public life. The election of a woman,--no matter how able and
high-minded she might be,--would be a step downward for our city.
It can never be."

Another editor said:

"The late Senator Van Deusen was one of the most distinguished
jurists in the country. He had a mind singularly open to the best
interests of his native town; his constituents always knew where
to find him on questions of law and polity. He did not favor
woman suffrage, nor giving important offices to the 'weaker sex';
although personally he was d