Women in City Government

Seattle May 19, 1890

To the Honorable the Mayor and Council of the City of Seattle

Your petitioners the undersigned respectfully represent to your honorable body, that in the passage of Ordinance No. 1356 relating to the keeping of intelligence offices, what they believe to be a grave injustice has been done to the ladies who have but recently engaged in that calling. It is a well-known fact that employers and employees among the ladies do not equal one tenth of those among men. To place the license fees at the same figure for both classes of agencies is practically to drive the ladies from the business and to place it entirely in the hands of men against whom only have complaints of unfair dealing been made and who are the only class that need or call for the regulating hand and power of city authorities.

Therefore your petitioners respectfully pray that the ordinance may be so amended as to place the license fee for ladies within the reach of their ability to pay and in proper proportion to the possibilities of the business. For this your petitioners as in duty bound will ever pray.

Signed: R. H. Moss, George F. Ward, A. L. Koenke, W. E. Dawson, H. H. Dearborn, Mrs. M. J. Peck and others

General File 990633, May 19, 1890
Seattle Municipal Archives

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