Show letting ettin Out t the Vote eVoe r ii l VOTE oR J y a d d r s 1 9 b d C A o mr 01 oN SMAro r kA ma W IIII 1 w ay r E CON IlNa lu OMI r rw ri st 4 I Jam y r r li 1117 sell i 4 r i a rl r l' l iV r f y I ELMO SCOTT WATSON IT ITU the In Ina a all of the states state's now over OHr an and l the candidates candi dates selected by the two wo major parties political Interest now centers in the Novem Novem- election For months ou our news news- j have bave been picture galleries of d. d d-be d be be looking per per- the repented repeated and andt ifS es j who upon Ct t solicitation of their friends consented to l Je be e a n candidate late for foe fo that or the other office If by byre byce bythe re ce the voter has hns pissed missed seeing be odd odd-be benign i newspaper he has had the tt op- op ophy Ity hy to are M-e It on a placard I up on every telephone te pole In I streets wind along country roads 1111 up I You wont won't have to toese toese iese ese picture galleries much long long- Only uly Only a month more a month of ty b by the politician and his hish ds h culminating In the et out the h hote vote ote an and l then It ill all l h hg over oler e ethe the American people less Inter Inter- In politics than they formerly 1 Some observers ers say Yes and to the public apathy that has apparent tn to recent years This I will III not really be a fair test i others because Its It's the off oft year rear It e e. e not the year ear of a Presidential resl and lon and no one expects a n great of ot enthusiasm over politics in foff of year Of course there are Ira rat ral Issues up UI for Cor consideration bear year rear but it yet et remains to be whether or not they are genuine tae Issues which will bring qualified voter to the polls to It with ballots Here are some tern hem major or minor local loca secor sec sec- 1 or national I cut clear-cut or hazy hazy hazy- lien hem over o and see If It any of them theme e you rou burn hurn The Eighteenth dment the World court farm reI re re- I Ku Klux klan government ec econ n. n waterways campaign expends League of Nations water power foreign debt settlements e or more of these Issues may moy mayg g out a bl big vote tote In some states may have something to do with political complexion of the next ess and with foreshadowing the thees dates es null Issues Issues' of 1028 1928 the residential campaign year nut But I he average observer the election I November 1020 now looks pretty 1 h like a matter o of f nothing to get et pd ted led about Fact Is Is the politicians e had bad a pretty hard time of It this toping keeping the American people Ina In In- ted ded a In their the Ithe politicians politicians' bus bus- s I of it is ts the bus bus- S a 1 of Mr Voter oter too but he Is on 1 Job attending to lo thIs business only I or w two days a year whereas the heron dan Is h bJ busy with Y It t days n a Too many detractions North North nights flights IMP helm imd Suzanne play piny tennis lenns Aimee Almee McPherson doing disappearing net oct Gertrude Oertrude derle I mining grains the English channel flu Ku- w 4 lying n a whipping g fina nn fin n a the He i league Iague and a n Id tortes s mi slut Mr Dempsey and coney 7 the heavyweight In n fisticuffs l Fortunately for the Iro word Rl puzzle Is' Is almost Old and lieu ed Grange Orange has more fleet fleet- i thon PULe endurance lint Hut hurt robe ot of the radio Is ls till still he heard r l In aw aM and nud hw here we are In n the lw midst II h other er t frt football season Heason right at nt a time tune when political Interest should be hottest t I tIt It wasn't like that In the old days days days- ah nh no not I Go back to the pioneer days when we took our politics seriously and a political campaign was a strenuous strenuous affair Talk to som some of the old old- timers who either knew about It themselves or heard hear l their fathers tell about the days when there were real stump stump kere Then there were the tile butcher boys who were distinctive of one era In Inthe ih the political history of the Middle Diddle West They dressed conspicuously In buckskin coonskin caps Indian moc moccasins moe- moe casl s and red hunting shirts bested belted At t the waist with a broad brood leather gir girdle Ir die dle from which hung big butcher knives wherefore knives wherefore the name They were a swaggering boisterous unruly lot these butcher boys profane and rough especially when lull full of liquor Whoop e. Im I'm a n bad bold butcher boy boys I Im I'm halt half man and halt half alligator 1 l was the cry they raised as they swept down upon some political meeting a n yell that was half halfa a boast half a challenge There was little chance ance for tor a dispassionate dispassionate dis dis- passionate discussion of campaign Issues Issues Issues' issues Is is- sues sues sues' at meetings In those days If tile the orator was not howled down by bythe bythe butcher he Into the boys bos launched a bitter personal attack upon his opponent opponent op Ope op- op nn and l the stronger language he used the better his auditors were pleased When the meetings were I over the butcher boys Invariably I mounted their horses and rode at breakneck speed through the settlement settle settle- meat ment hurrahing for their candidate and Jeering at his opponent For many years they held the balance of power In Inflections elections but In later years the practice of carrying knives was frowned upon However the same class of voters survived under equally pretentious names such as the barefooted barefooted barefooted bare footed boys and the pawed huge boys boy's until the l idea lea of physical force dominating elections waned and the and their ilk Uk butcher boys bos gradually gradual gradual- ly Iy disappeared Those were the good old od days about which we hear Ilear so much the halcyon d days ys of the past the passing of which the sentimentalists sentimental sentimental- so often otten mourn Those who deplore de de- the strong-arm strong methods used at atthe atthe attile the tile polls In some of the big cities of today might remember the butcher boys of th the good old days Even In la those days dars when Americans Amer leans Icons are supposed to have taken their politics seriously it often otten required required required re re- re- re a Il special effort to get out the vote From the tho state of Missouri comes an nn amusing story printed In 10 a recent Issue of the Kansas City Star Illustrative of that point The new rule rules and regulation regulations about making life easier ealler for tor or the voters have taken all the Joy toy out of at politics and made It as all tame and Innocent a as asa asa a game earn a of croquet grumbled the vet vt veteran veteran eran politician filling his odoriferous corncob with natural leaf He tie was Wat talking to some pome of the youngsters on one of the county committees who had asked him for a 11 few pointers out of the depths of his hie long and somewhat strenuous experience as a party leader Votes otes Is votes and sos so's you get et em emIts emIts emits its it's nobody's business how the campaigner cam earn went on In the days when you had to do some real to get an office some giants were wert de de Men who knew what they wan wanted led and how to get It It Everybody In the count county did all their voting at the county seat sent In the forties the forties the Fabulous Forties as a. some lote writer In tn the Saturday Evening Post Poet has set st It down If It you ou couldn't get set to the tho county seat you couldn't vote No absentee votes were counted then Some times limes the polls were kept open two or three days das You learned how New York went a about out a 11 week after the election or election or maybe mabe two weeks week I. I Those good old days Peter was standing for forthe forthe forthe the legislature from Macon county Peter and Tom Dickson his hll right hand man counted noses and figured that when about all who could get to Bloomington the county seat had voted he would be about seven fifty shy hy of or beating his hie opponent Theres There about sixty votes over In tn Ten Mile and Round Bound Grove Groe townships said Dickson Yes Yeo says lays the chief but they thy might rs ri well be be at the North pole They'll never nover walk thirty miles and back lust Just for tor the fun tun of voting They might If they had shoes hoes Ehr from who began becan to wake up You bu buy a barrel of ot those red brogans brogans bro bro- gans gang at Rod Shacklefords Shackleford's store and I 1 believe I can account for most of that tha vote vote No sooner looner said eald than done Dickson put the red shoes In sacks and threw em across two horses The road was wal nothing but a trail then Shoes of ot any sort were a luxury When Dickson got out among the settlers they were as al tickled as children to see aee those red shoes When a man tried on a pair and they Dickson said Think you could walk to Bloom Ington In those shoes Could IT If Just try me I All right Lets Let's go to town and those shoes are yours Santa Claus had come out of the wilderness Before Defore long Dickson had men following him around wanting to take on that shoe proposition Sixty pair quickly found owners and a lameman lathe lame man agreed to go to the county seat at If he could ride the tho horse As A the they neared town one ona of the settlers set lot casually asked By By Dy the way who'd be a 11 co good ad man manto manto manto to vote for representative You might try Dickson suggested lIe He sent me out to give you those thole shoes It It was no trouble Every man voted I according to the dictates of his hie conscience conscience con COD science and the joy toy over possessing a 11 areal areal I real pair of red shoes was wal triumphantly elected by his hili brogan brigade That was wall good politics and the tho people patted DIckson on the back for I being so 10 wise wis in la for his bis man The veteran paused to knock the ashes ahel out of or his hi pipe preparatory to reloading I I tell you fellers tellers he If If you ou want to win In politics polItic you got to think Speeches dont don't make mak no vote votes votes- It takes tak headwork I Heavy campaign expenditures In hi tw two states this year have brought to the tho fore ture again the discussion of ot proper and improper use of of ot money monel In pol pol- As usual when this or any Oily other evidence of corruption in mo mod modem l. l em politics comes up there are those who shake a mournful head and murmur mur mur- mur mar It wasn't like Ike this In the good old days But Dut wasn't It If we may ju judge le from the testimony of contemporary contemporary con temporary authorities politics was more corrupt a It hundred years ago ego than It has ever been since Take the tile case of Illinois for Instance Illinois which had Its Sen Senator Lorimer and now shares with Pennsylvania general gen eral oral criticism for excessive campaign expenditures Governor Ford Is authority authority au au- au for the Ule statement that durIng during during dur ing the period of 12 years 1840 1823 neither the people nor their public servants over dl dreamed that government government govern govern- ment might be made the tho Instrument to accomplish a n higher destiny for th tha tho e people and that the professional politicians enjoyed 1 an unparalleled reign of graft Good old days days' Why not the bad bod 1 old days |