The Mothers of Richland Storm the Caucus
Women turn out in force at Gibbs Hall, nominate Mrs. C. D. Hopper for council, and promise a bachelor mayor the fight of his life.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
That the people of Richland are waking up and taking notice in regard to their civic welfare was certainly evidenced by the turn-out for the caucus on Monday evening in Gibbs hall.
For the first time the women folks of the community showed that they had some sense of their duty to themselves and their homes by putting in an appearance in a body and helping to make things lively for their better halves.
The entire city council has to be elected at the coming city election, but Mayor George Arbuckle will hold over for another year.
The nominations for each office were spirited, those placed in nomination for the two-year term on the council being William Young, Sydney Relton, Herschel Jameson, Phil Schireman, J. M. Serr and Albert Weidle. After the ballot was taken the following were found to have the highest number of votes and were placed on the ticket: Syd. Relton, Albert Weidle and Herschel Jameson.
For the one-year term the following were nominated: Mesdames Hopper, Roehl and Sawyer, and Phil Shireman and Ezra Kissinger. After the balloting it was found that the names which received the highest number of votes were Mrs. C. D. Hopper and Phil Schireman, who were then placed on the ticket.
Nominations for treasurer developed two names, Mrs. R. D. Sawyer and A. Nelson, the present treasurer. After the ballots were counted, Mr. Nelson's having the most votes, he was declared the nominee for treasurer.
By acclamation C. D. Lilly was called to act as secretary of the meeting, while the clerk appointed Miss Mabel Lausch and Harry Wheelhouse to act as judges and clerks.
The only name for the ticket which was suggested was "The Citizens' Ticket," and this was unanimously adopted.
It would seem that a brighter day is in sight for Richland when the mothers of the town take enough interest in politics to attend the caucuses and try to nominate officers who will be a credit to the town and an example to the young people. This thing of women in politics is so new to many that it seems hardly proper, but if the wives and mothers of a community do not have its interests at heart it is hard to see who will, and it is to be hoped that the men folks will be liberal enough to help elect at least two women to the council and thus give them a chance to show what they are made of and can do, and then if they fall down, the male population can stand back and say "I told you so." The only one who deserves any sympathy is Mayor Arbuckle, who is a perfectly good bachelor, and if he has to buck a majority of women in the council it is to be hoped that he will show a brave front, buckle on his armor and face the music.
A spirited contest is expected at the coming election as regards the council, for it is only on the council that the women desire to hold a place; and if they can better local conditions, what is the matter with giving them a chance to prove their beliefs—and then, if they fall by the wayside, they will not be a factor in future elections.
“It would seem that a brighter day is in sight for Richland when the mothers of the town take enough interest in politics to attend the caucuses.”
In 1916, four years before the Nineteenth Amendment, the women of Richland were already packing the caucus and putting each other on the ballot—proof that women's political power in the Tri-Cities was built from the grange hall up. The condescending promise that they'd be quietly benched 'if they fall down' is a playbook that still echoes whenever a woman runs for local office.
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