Show i VOTE r 2 sR sRI I I U ILbO L tG 2 Lj j I Hull TEr coZ HIM t Fl fr I I II It P-i P t I 4 fi g I t f I It t 1 I I U UI I By ELMO SCOTT WATSON ITI the In InI all of or tho states now now W I over and the candi candidates dates selected b by tile the b two major parties c political Interest no now centers In the tile Novem Novem- November November ber her election For months our news news- newspapers newspapers newspapers papers have hare been picture galleries ot of Would be he looking per per- personages per personages who upon the repeated and urgent solicitation of or their friends have hare con consented to be a candidate for this that or the other office It If by chance the voter has missed seeIng the would-be would officeholders officeholder's benign In hIs Ills newspaper he has had bad the Opt op- opportunity op opportunity port unit to see It on a placard tacked up on every ery telephone pole In dt city streets and along country roads nut But cheer up You wont won't have to see these thee picture galleries much lon lung lunger er Only a month more a month or of ora a activity by the politician and his friends culminating In the final effot tot ot get out the tho vote ote and then It will LII cli be over o Are the American people less Inter Inter- Interested interested Inter ested In politics than they formerly were Some observers ers say Yes and point to the public apathy that has been apparent In recent years This year ear will not really be a fair t test st say ay others because Its It's the tile off ot year I I 1 e c e not the year ear of or a Presidential election and and no one expects a great show of ot enthusiasm over o politics In Inan Inan Inan an off oft year Of Ot course there there- are several Issues up for consideration this year rear but It yet remains to be seen whether or not the they are genuine burning Issues which will brin bring every qualified voter roter to the polls to say sar It with ballots Here are some or of them major or minor loca local see see- sec sectional or national I cut clear or hazy hazy- look them over and see If It any of oC them make you burn The Eighteenth amendment the World court farm re- re relief relief re relief lief Ku u Klux klan government econ econ- economy econ econ- economy economy omy waterways campaign expendi expendi- expenditures expenditures tures Lea League e of ot Nations waterpower water water development foreign debt settlements One or more of ot these Issues may It bring out a big vote ote In some states They may have hare something to do with the political complexion of or the next congress and with foreshadowing the candidates and Issues of or 10 1028 1923 3 the next Presidential campaign year nut But Butto Butto to the average o observer the election In November 1026 10 G now looks pretty much like Ilk a matter of ot nothing to get et excited about Fact Is the politicians have had a pretty hard hanl time of ot It this year ear keeping the American people In- In Interested Interested In Interested In their the politicians bus bus- busIness bus business iness mess of ot course It Is the bus bus- busIness business iness mess of ot Mr Sir Voter oter too but he Is on the job attending to this tills business only one or two days das a n year rear whereas the politician Is busy with it days das da's a year Too many distractions North distractions orth pole nights flights Helen lichen and Suzanne play play- playing ing lag tennis Aimee McPherson doing Iler her disappearing act Gertrude swimming the English channel Eu- Eu Ru tu Rudolph dolph Valentino Valentine dying a n whipping fin fin- finIsh fin finish ish In the National r league and a World series and Sir Mr Ir Dempsey and Mr deciding the tue lie hen wel heavyweight ht t le In fisticuffs fisticuffs Fortunately for them the word cross-word puzzle Is almost has more fleet fleet- fleetness fleetness ness fleet and ted Red Grange ness than page front e endurance But the voice olce of the radio Is still h heard beard ard In Inthe Inthe Inthe the land Inn and here we are In the midst ot of l ther football season right nt at a n time timo when political Interest should be hottest I 1 It wasn't like lIle that In the old days days- days all oh nh no nol aol I Go back to the pioneer days when we took our politics seriously and a a political campaign was a strenuous strenuous strenuous affair Talk to some of ot the old old- timers old timers who either knew v about It themselves or heard beard their fathers tell about the days when there were real speakers stump speakers Then ther there were the butcher boys who were distinctive e of or one era ern Inthe In Inthe Inthe the political history of ot the Middle West Vest They dressed conspicuously In buckskin coonskin caps Indian moc moe- moccasins moccasins and red hunting shirts beted at the tile waist alst with a n broad leather gir- gir girdle girdie gir girdle dle die from which hung big butcher wherefore knives the name They were a swaggering boisterous unruly lot these butcher boys bos profane and rough especially wh when full ot of Im I'm bad liquor Whoop e a n bold butcher boy boyl I Im I'm halt half man and halt half alligator 1 I was the cry the they raised as they swept down up upon n some political meeting a n yell that was halfa baita half bait a boast half halt a challenge There was little chance for a n dis dis- dispassionate dispassionate passionate discussion of ot campaign Is- Is Issues Issues Is Issues sues at meetings In those days das It If the orator was not howled down by bythe bythe bythe the butcher boys bos he launched Into a bitter personal pei attack upon his op- op opponent op opponent pon nt and the stronger langu language he used the better his auditors were pleased When the meetings were over the butcher boys invariably mounted their horses and rode at breakneck speed through the settle settle- settlement settlement ment hurrahing for their candidate and jeering at his opponent For many years ears ears the they held the balance ot of power In elections but In later years ears the practice of ot carrying knives was frowned upon However the same class of ot voters oters survived under equally I pretentious names such as the bare footed boys and the pawed huge huge boys bors until the Idea of or physical force dominating elections waned and the butcher boys and their Ilk gradual gradual- gradually gradually ly Iy disappeared Those were the good old od days about which we hear so much the halcyon days of or the past the passing of or which the sentimental sentimental- sentimentalIsts sentimentalists sentimentalists so often mourn Those who de do deplore the strong-arm strong methods used nt at atthe atthe the polls In some of ot the big cities or of today oda might remember the butcher Even In those days when Amer Amer- AmerIcans Americans Americans are supposed to have taken taken their politics seriously It often re- re required required re required a n special effort to get out the vote yote From the state of ot Missouri comes an amusing story printed in n a recent Issue of ot the Kansas City Star illustrative of ot that point The new rules and and regulations about malting making life lite easier efler for tor the voters have taken all nil the joy out of ot politics and made It as tame and Innocent as asa asa asa a game of croquet grumbled crumbled the vet vet- veteran eran politician his corncob with natural leaf Ho lie was talking to some nomo of the youngsters on one of ot the county committees who had asked him for a few tew pointers out ot of the depths of his long lone and somewhat strenuous experience as a party leader Votes Is votes and sos so's you OU get set em cm its it's nobody's nobody business how the cam cam- cam campaigner went vent on In the lie days when you had to do do- some sorn real to get an onico some giants were de developed eloped Men who knew what they wanted and how to get It Il Everybody In the county did all their voting at It the county sent seat In the the forties the Fabulous Forties as some writer In the Saturday Evening Post has set B t It down If you couldn't get to the count county seat scat cat you OU couldn't vote No absentee votes were counted then Some Somo times the polls were kept open two or three days You learned how Now NeW York went about a week after atter the tho election or election or r maybe two weeks Those good old days I Peter was standing tot fo the legislature from Macon county Peter and Tom Dickson hll hia right hand right right-handman man counted noses and figured that when about all who could get to the county seat had voted he would be about seven I shy of ot beating his opponent Theres about sixty votes over In Ten Mile lIe and Round Hound Grove Grov townships said Dickson Yes says ays the chief but they might rs r well be at the North pole They'll never foyer walk salk thirty miles and back just for tor the tho fun tun of ot voting They They might If It they had shoes Ehl Eh from who began to wake up You buy a n barrel of ot those tho so red bro bro- brogans brogans bro gans gans at Rod nod Shacklefords Shackleford's store stor and I believe I can account for tor most roost of ot that vote No sooner said than done Dickson put the red shoes In sacks and thre threw oni om across two o horses Tho The road wal nothInG but a trail then Shoes of ot an sort were a n luxury When Dickson Go got out among among- the settlers they were as al tickled as children to see those red shoes When a man tried on a pair pall and they fit nt Dickson said Think you could walk to Bloom Bloom- Ington Ington In those shoes Could IT 17 I Just try mel All right Lets Let's go to town and those shoes are aro yours Santa Claus had come out of ot the wilderness Before long Dickson had men following him around wanting to take on that shoe proposition Sixty pall pair Quickly found owners and a lame lameman lameman man agreed to go to tho the county seat sest If he could ride the horse hors As they neared town one on of ot the set set- settlers set settler tIers casually asked By the way who'd be a good man to vote tor for representative tn tI vo T r You might try Dickson suggested lie Ue sent lent me mo out to give you those shoes It was no trouble Every man voted according to the tho dictates of ot his con con- conscience conscience con science and the joy over possessing a areal areal areal real pair pall of red shoes was triumphantly elected by his bis brogan brigade That was good politics and the people patted Dickson on the back for tor being so 80 In for tor his bis hisman man The veteran paused to knock the ashes s out of his bis pipe pip preparatory to tord reloading rd n g toI I I tell you fellers tellers he It if you want to win In politics you got to thInk leeches dont don't mak mok make no votes vote votes votes- toI I It takes headwork I Heavy campaign expenditures In I two states this tills year have ha brought to the fore again the discussion of proper and Improper use of ot money In pol politics j As usual when this or any other e e of ot corruption In mod mod- modem modern I em ern politics comes cornea up there are those who shake a mournful head licad and mur murmur mur It wasn't like thIs tills In the good old days nut But wasn't It If It we may judge from from tho testimony of or con con- contemporary contemporary temporary authorities politics wa was more corrupt a hundred years ago I than It has lias ever been since Take the I case of or Illinois for Instance Illinois which had its Senator Lorimer now shares with Pennsylvania gen general eral oral criticism for excessive campaign i expenditures Governor Ford FOId Is la au- au au authority I for tor the statement that dur I dur ing lug the period of or 12 years I neither the people nor their public pulI servants servant ever e dreamed amed that govern govern- government o ment might be made the Instrument to accomplish a n higher destiny for tor tho thio I I people antI that the professional politicians enjoyed an nn unparalleled reign of graft I Good old d days Why h not the lie ball bal old days das I |