The record-union., 1898-01-21
SHE is IN POLITICS.
Mary Ellen Hall, Queen Of the
Black Belt"

Mary Ellen Hall, the Mary Ellen
Lease of colored Republican politics in
New York is a woman who acts. She
is to the colored Republicans of this
city what the other Mary Ellen is to
the bewhdskered Populists of Kansas.
She takes the stump for them, helps
them to carry primaries and elections,
and wages effective war on colonizers
and ballot-box suffers The New York
Mary Ellen has an advantage over
her Western namesake in that she has
no imitators in her particular line of
distinction, whereas there are scores of
white women politicians in every ham
let in which the name Of Mary Ellen
Lease is known.
Mary Ellen Hall has been in politics
quite as long as has Mary Ellen Lease,
but she has never been quite as dra-
matte as the Western woman. Mrs.
Lease first deserted her domestic sur
roundings to aid the fortunes Of Pop
ulist candidates for Governor, United
States Senator and similar high offices.
Mrs. Hall, on the other hand, long has
recognized Caleb Simms as her polit-
ical star Caleb has been janitor of
the New York State Senate, and has a
brother who was once janitor Of the
State Assembly
Many a fight between rival colored
Republican leaders in this city has
turned on the janitorship of some such
exalted body as the State Senate, the
State Assembly or the headquarters of
the Republican party. Every candi-
date for one of these places a year
ago was the head of faction. Sem
ator Hanna at critical point of the
Presidential campaign of 1896 had to
forget temporarily William Mckinley
until he could patch up a truce between
the Simmsites and the opponents of the
tactful Caleb. Senator Thomas G.
Platt has passed many hours in the
same cause, and there are among the
followers of the Republican State lead
er many faithful lieutenants to whom
the disputes between the colored voters
have given no end Of worry.
Through all these troubles Caleb
Simms has borne himself as only a man
could who had the advice and help Of
a shrewd Mary Ellen. In all of these
fights for the colored leadership Mrs.
Hall has worked necessarily and sue
cessfully for the Simms standard She
was so working at the Republican pri
maries last Tuesday night, when she
was elected from voting place in the
Twenty-fifth Assembly District, in
West Twenty-seventh street. The op-
ponents of Mr.. Simms were doing their
utmost to deprive him Of his follow
ing in the Republican County Com
mittee, and Mrs. Hall stood on guard
to prevent ringers" from Harlem from
voting for the opposition candidate
The successful work she did in spite
of opposition from opposing candidates,
police and pouring rain, in which she
bravely worked, shows her to be en-
titled to the high esteem in which she
is held, and that she has well earned
the title Of Queen of the Black Belt"
which her admirers have given her
Though a colored woman. born in
slavery, her influence is not only with
her own race, but over the white voters
in her district as well, who recognize
her broad information in political mat
ters, her keen judgment and her abili-
ties as an organizer and worker. They
credit her with tenacity of purpose
that insures success in the face of the
greatest opposition, and that she is
entitled to the credit was proven Tues
day night.
When I called on Mrs. Hall at her
home. 149 West Twenty-seventh street,
/ found her to be a fine, intelligent
looking woman still on the sunny side
of 80. who is vitally interested in poll
tics and willing to talk of her interest
in an enthusiastic and patriotic man
ner.
II have been working in politics in
this district for fifteen years." she
said, "and Tuesday was the first time
I was ever put out of primary meet
ing, and 1 have attended all of them.
1 was quiet and orderly, doing proper
work to prevent fraudulent voting, and
my election was repugnant to my ideas
of liberty. 1 love the stars and stripes.
because believe in liberty, and it was
my love of liberty that made me run
away from kind and loving mistress,
who was my own aunt, when l was IA
years old.
But because I was treated i'll / did
not give up, but continued my work
and elected my candidate. You see.
1 was working for George G. Mckenzie