The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-02
Considerable Interest Shown in
Commission Form Election.
Fair Weather an Aid to Secur-
ing Full Vote.
is NOT MUCH TALK.
People Generally Cast Ballots
without Comment.
Polls Will Close at Seven O'clock
This Evening.


Election day daWned clear and in
every way favorable to a heavy voting
a. the polls. At o'clock when the
voting began in many of the precincts
there were people eagerly waiting to
cast their ballots, and the voting con-
tinued throughout the early morning
III a brisk manner in marked contrast
tc the scattering vote that came in
during the morning in connection with
the recent bond election. The voting
started out the heaviest in the fourth
precinct of the Fourth ward as far as
reported. nearly sixty persons having
visited the polls by $50 o'clock.
If everyone who is qualified to vote
today casts a ballot it will take 1886
votes in order to win the day for the
advocates of the commission form of
municipal rule but it is safe to say
that there will be several hundred
people at least who will not vote for
various reasons and a smaller number
OF votes in favor of the plan will be
sufficient.
Those interested in the commission
Tlan expect to come out victorious but
there are others who claim that the
proposition will be DEBATED. 1t is GER
tain that the election will not be won
~ either side by an overwhelming ma
jority.
The women are taking an active in
turest in the voting today and for the
'rost part they are in favor of COM
rH1ssion government, and are using
their influence to convert their unin-
formed friends for the new plan.
At an early hour it was impossible
tC tell in whose favor the voting was
going. The polls will close at o'clock
this evening and not O'Clock as was
tod 1f- To- L. s.I-x
tie voters.
Young Support Plan.
The polls will close this evening at
o'clock in connection with today's
election which decides whether or not
Topeka will adopt the commission
form of government to replace the
which was handed down by our fore
fathers. The first returns will be in
by O'Clock and it is possible that the
final announcement of the outcome of
the election will be made by or $50.
The voting throughout the day,
while not particularly heavy, has been
considered in every way a satisfactory
vote, and has been fully as heavy as
was expected. The voting started out
briskly on account of the men visiting
the polls on their way to work but
subsequently there was a slight let up
I'm the pace, but again this afternoon
the voting became more lively. 1t
was then that the majority of the
women voted.
In connection with a tour of the
precincts made by a State Journal re-
porter some interesting facts were
ascertained. AS a rule those belong
ing to the older generation among the
men are against the commission plan,
while the young men who are taking
an active part in the business and
civic affairs of the city are for the
most part in favor of this form of gov
ernment, and the advocates OF the
plan maintain that this goes to prove
that it is progressive system of city
administration.
Women Favor Proposition.
The women to a large degree are in
favor of commission government,
even though in a few instances their
husbands have been known to oppose
it. To illustrate this point during the
morning Mrs. G. F. Fuller conveyed so
women to the polls in the fourth pre-
cinct of the Third ward. and out of
this number exactly SO voted in favor
of the commission plan. 1t might be
said that so women was the total
number called upon. There were none
who were not taken to the polls on
account of an unfavorable attitude to-
wards the proposition which is being
voted upon.
1t seems that about 90 per cent of
the colored people are decidedly op-
posed to commission government on
account of believing that under the
new regime the negroes would not
get the consideration which is due
them. and they also believe that they
would have to go through such rigid
examinations in order to secure a po-
sition under the city that it would be
impossible for them to get a job. A
good many of the colored people,
however, especially the women. are
not sufficiently interested in civic af-
fairs to make the effort to get to the
polls.
Expect to Lose Two Wards.
While it would be difficult to pre-
dict the exact outcome of the election
the advocates of the commission plan
are firm in the belief that the propo-
sition will carry, but not by an over
whelming majority. The opponents of
the plan have little to say, although
few of them are sufficiently san
guine as to believe that they will car
ry the day.
The First and Second wards might
be placed on the doubtful list. The
p Third ward will in all probability car
ry. In the Fourth ward, the second
precinct is voting down the plan.
German and colored elements being
represented, but the ward as whole
is conceded to be for commission gov
ernment. The third precinct of the
Fifth ward is opposing commission
rule on account of the attitude of the
colored people, but it has been esti-
mated that the ward as a whole will
carry two to one. The Sixth ward
seems to be heartily in favor of the
proposition.
One point that is favoring the advo-
Gates of the plan which is being voted
upon is the fact that there is no sys-
tematic effort being made in the way
of seeing TO it that the people turn
out to the polls, while on the other
hand the hunk, hunk" of fifteen au-
40r, n loiIes can he heard this afternoon
in the various parts of the city as they
bring the voters to the polls. There
are a number of women who have
made untiring efforts in the interests