Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-10-05
COST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
ONE MAN SPENT NEARLY $1,000 AND
THEN HIS GIRL LOST.
More Pulling and Hauling and More
Champaign Lies" Than in ANY
Political Contest - Victori-
Gus Candidate Got
44,525 Votes.

GUTHRIE, y. T., Oct. 4.-tSpeclaI)
The contest for queen of the Guthrie fall
carnival, which closed Monday night with
the announcement of Miss Lillian Laux'
election, is believed to have been one of
the most remarkable Of the kind ever
waSed. Although Guthrie's population does
not exceed l. 80 people, the winner receiv-
ed ii525 votes, while the total cast for the
highest three candidates aggregated l0,,5oo.
The contest demonstrated that the wom-
en- of Oklahoma are able to give pointers
on real, live political scrapping to the poll
ticians of the sterner sex. 1t also furnished
line on what kind of campaigners may
be expected when the equal suTragtsts
have gained their point.
The ballots used were coupons clipped
from the two local daily papers. At the
ordinary price of cents each the sale
of 1886 newspapers would bring more
than s5,O00 but some of the coupons were
sold for almost fabulous prices. Every
body in Guthrie took great interest in the
race. Business men wrote checks regard
less;y, and clerks and social lions spent
their salaries and contracted debts to buy
votes for their candidates. On Monday
night everybody who could get a few dol
lars together used them in backing his
favorite and money changed hands in big
and little quantities. One well known bus
| iness man with social aspirations announc-
ed at the outset Of the contest that he
| would elect his candidate If it required the
! expenditure of s1,c0o. He is said TO nave
| spent most of the thousand, but his can
didate lost. a young society man who
| spent more than $40 in buying votes
| placed his wages successfully and was re-
paid in full for the outlay.
| 1t was the women. however, who enjoyed
| the contest to the full. Whist clubs and
| needle societies discarded cards and fancy
work six weeks ago to talk over the
| candidates. These talking overs We're
| responsible for many ear-burniTgs. and th=
stories. concocted in good faith and told
| over the tea cups, would have put the Or
| dinary male campaigner to shame. Ham
| mers were passed around at the various
| afternoons" but they were not used to
| nail what politicians call campaign lies.
| Guthrie feminine society enjoyed the most
| deleCtabie morsels of rich, juicy gossip it
| had ever tasted.
When the daughter of the governor and
| the daughter of the congressional delegate
| were in the list of candidates the women
who opposed them declared that the con-
! test was nothing more than Barnes
| Flynn factional fight. When the two young
women withdrew the gossips kindly offered
| the suggestion that it was done at the di-
| rection of paterral parents who considered
| 'one politician in the family enough.
| When young woman who is devout
| Catholic led the race. society sounded the
| tocsin for church war.
When the daughter of an ex-COnfederate
| officer was ahead society proceeded to
wave the bloody shirt.
When working girl stood above all of
| the other candida ties q labor war was
promptly sprung.
| But the questions of church membership,
| Confederate ancestory and labor really
amounted to comparatively little. The
their sisters who were in the race for
| those Mysterious reasons which only a
woman can understand and which she ex-
plains in the l-enccmpassing expression.
| Just cause In this contest 1t developed
| that there are more women in the capital
city who are real mean thing" than there
| Every woman in Guthrie had a distinct
| choice and every woman who did not agree
| with her was several city blocks from be-
ing just as she ought to be- All Of the
women who supported losing candidates
cried when the result became known, for
they all considered that they themselves
had been "snubbed'' and felt the insult
keenIy. Yet. despite the intense personal
interest taken by the voters. it was d
noticeable fact that among the candidates
themselves the best of feeling prevailed al
all times. and the contest was always good
natured.
The close of no political campaign waged
in Oklahoma was attended with more ex-
citing scenes than those which marked the
hour for the closing Of the polls in the car
nearly half block from the drug store
which served as voting place was throng,
ed with people. all yelling for their favor:
ite candidate. Heavy trucks were backed
to the curbing and dry goods and piano
] boxes, filed with coupons, borne into the
; store on the shoulders Of the men Po'
tatoe and bran sacks We're also used tc
transfer the precious ballots. The com
nlittee which counted the votes required
: six hours to complete its task ard the an
! nOuncement OF the result was awaited with
! as genuine interest as was ever evinCed il
a presidential election.
| Miss Lillian Laux. the successful con.
testant, is one of Guthrie's most popular
| bellies. She is n brunette, rather tall anC
slender. and decidedly pretty. She is prom
inent in social and Catholic church circles
Miss Laux was born in Decatur, Ill, but
has lived in Guthrie since 1S92. She is {
sister of City Clerk Charles j. LauX.