Page:History of Woman Suffrage Volume 4.djvu/729

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 * MEN VOTE FOR
 * WOMEN VOTE FOR
 * Mayor,
 * Mayor,
 * Councilmen,
 * Councilmen,
 * School Board,
 * School Board,
 * City Attorney,
 * City Attorney,
 * City Treasurer,
 * City Treasurer,
 * City Clerk,
 * City Clerk.
 * colspan = 2 |Judge of City Court,
 * Clerk of City Court,
 * APPOINTED BY MAYOR
 * Marshal of City Court,
 * Police Judge,
 * Two Justices of the Peace,
 * City Marshal,
 * Two Constables.
 * Chief of Police.
 * }
 * Clerk of City Court,
 * APPOINTED BY MAYOR
 * Marshal of City Court,
 * Police Judge,
 * Two Justices of the Peace,
 * City Marshal,
 * Two Constables.
 * Chief of Police.
 * }
 * Two Constables.
 * Chief of Police.
 * }
 * }

In cities of less than 30,000 the Police Judge is elected and women may vote for this officer. In the smallest places the City Marshal is also Chief of Police.

It will be seen that even for the Police Court in the largest cities women have only an indirect vote through the Mayor's appointments. In all the cities and towns liquor sellers when convicted here simply take an appeal to a higher court over which women have no jurisdiction. They have no vote for sheriff, county attorney or any county officer. These facts may in a measure answer the question why women are helpless to enforce the prohibitory law or any other to which they are opposed.

Nevertheless even this small amount of suffrage has been of much benefit to the women and to the cities. As the years go by the general average of the woman-vote is larger. Municipal voting has developed a stronger sense of civic responsibility among women; it has completely demolished the old stock objections and has familiarized men with the presence of women at the polls. Without question a higher level in the conduct of city affairs has resulted. It may, however, well be questioned as to whether Municipal Suffrage has not militated against the full enfranchisement of women. Politicians have been annoyed by interference with their schemes. Men have learned that women command influence in politics, and the party machine has become hostile to further extension of woman's opportunity and power to demand cleaner morals and nobler standards.