Topic 46 
WOMAN IN OFFICE

WHY not?" Colonel Roosevelt asked this question one day when a visitor jokingly remarked that in the event of his returning to the White House, he might have a woman private secretary.  The woman in question was Miss Josephine M.  Strieker, who became attached to his staff in the Bull Moose days and was his secretary to the end.

"Miss Strieker is a perfectly good secretary," he went on.  "She is competent, faithful, loyal.  If she is to be criticized at all, it is because she tries to do too much herself.  Should I by any chance return to the White House, I should be glad to have a secretary of her attainments.  Some of the politicians might not like it, it might be somewhat embarrassing to them, and it would be a precedent, but I am sure that if I could stand it, and she could stand the politicians, we are about the only persons who would have to be considered.

"Come to think of it, is there any good or valid reason why women should not have many places we are apt to consider exclusive male property? To be sure, Jeannette Rankin has shown a lack of some things to be desired in a member of Congress, but have all the male members been so good? I think not.  Now that women are getting the ballot, we must be prepared to see them in many offices hitherto barred to them.  Not a few of the most successful men I have known in public life owe their success very largely to the political sense of their wives.  Take Blank.  He is a nice fellow, and I like him, but I would give more for the opinion of his wife on a matter of practical politics than I would for his.  It comes natural to her — she is her father's daughter.  Without her, I doubt very much if her husband would have gone as far as he has.  With her, he may go farther.

"I mention this couple because you know all about them.  Another man I won't name had a reputation for real conservatism.  He was as conservative as Senator Allison.  You remember that Allison sheep story — where some one remarked that a flock seemed to be closely sheared, and he is said to have answered, ' It appears so from this side.' The man I have in mind was even more conservative at times.  He always asked time to think a thing over.  It did not take me long to discover that if the thing was of any earthly consequence, he wished time to talk it over with his maiden sister — a lady of the New England schoolma'am type.

"I am not sure that any of us would care to see women in all public tasks — I can think of some that I would dislike seeing any woman in — but any place she can fill as well as the average man she is entitled to.  Therefore, to revert, I see no reason why, if I were again in the White House, Miss Strieker would not be a very capable successor to the Honorable Joseph Patrick Tumulty."

When he was about to leave the hospital after the serious operation in February, 1918, I spoke of the good work done by Miss Strieker while he was so ill.

"Mrs.  Roosevelt may tell you of this," I added, "but there are lots of things she has not known about, I imagine."

"Miss Strieker is a trump — a splendid woman and an excellent secretary.  Her handling of various matters that have arisen since I came here and when she had to depend on her own judgment has been splendid — she has been very tactful in some very delicate matters.  I know that some of my friends do not exactly swear by her — they may swear at her behind her back — but that can make no difference with me.

"They dislike her because she is too faithful to me to please them.  Any good secretary comes in for that sort of thing.  Take Loeb.  He was devoted to me and never considered himself.  He was thoroughly disliked by many persons just because he did as I told him.  He made good as secretary just as he made good as collector (of the port of New York) and as he is making good in business.

"Loeb is going to be a very wealthy man some one of these days, and he deserves to be, for he is honest and a hard worker.

"You do not know Loeb very well? I want you to get acquainted with him — you'll like him, and you'll find you have many things in common.  He's a capital fellow."