Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1909-12-21


tricts which assured the different
contestants that the prizes would
not all be won in the city, which
would undoubtedly have been the
case If the territory had not beer
divided. This arrangement proved
more than satisfactory, as can be
seen by comparing the city and the
country districts, and before a week
had passed-before the first an
nouncement of the votes-thou~
sands of men, women and children
in Salem and the surrounding terri
tory had entered into friendly rival
ry, seeking votes for their favorites.
Nip and tuck they fought for two
months. each vote adding to the in
terest of the contest. At no time
from the casting of the first ballot
was it possible to pick the winners,
so close was the battle. From time
to time many persons took a guess
at the possible winners, but the
opinion was hardly expressed before
another big batch of Yates was re-
corded and their choice was found
among the lower ones. Thus 1t
went throughout the whole contest,
first one and then another forging
ahead.
But it was just as the manager Of
the contest expected-the reserve of
the various candidates played the
most important part, and was the
deciding factor in determining the
winners.
Everybody Satisfied.
That there should be no disap.
pointment, and that the efforts of
the willing workers should not go
unrewarded, even though their can
didates did not Win the grand prize
the officials of the contest divided
the territory into five districts and
offered prizes for the most popular
lady of each. This increased the in
| terest in the contest and resulted in
satisfaction for everybody. which
was the chief desire of The Capital
! Journal.
Slowly at first the votes began to
come in, then increased gradually
for a while until when the workers
| got thoroughly warmed up they
rolled in in such numbers that the
totals soon amounted to enormous
| figures. The friends of the contes-
tants desired to see them win, and
insisted on making the fact public
by voting for them and getting their
friends to do likewise, and the small
| lest boy or girl was just as power
| full as his elders in boosting his ia
| vorite candidate. More than one
man stole an hour or two from his
office at intervals during the con-
test to make a personal canvass for
some friend, and many a dinner dish
was left unwashed while the women
of the household went calling and
incidentally looking for votes.
Winners Feel Proud.
The winners may well feel proud
of the fact that they have run one
race in a thousand and have come
out with the deserving honor of
having outrun and outclassed work
ers who have themselves done ex-
ceedingly well and would, under or
dinary conditions, have had enough
votes to win.
The honor attached to winning is
considered by some of the candi-
dates as being worth many times
the value of the prize itself. Friends
of the contestants have boosted
them all along the line, and nothing
seemed too hard for them to do
where a subscription was gotten and
the votes given to the favorite.
There has been quite an army Of
| fair ladies who have made it their
| special business during the past
| few monts to early and late exploit
the virtue of the paper. In the city
and in all directions throughout the
country there have been many con-
| testants at all times during the day,
/ af xeyhn ~.
hunting for some one who looked as
though he did not take The Capital
Journal. and it may be stated right
here that there are but few that
have that appearance now.
The contestants have all done
| splendid work, and some have been
more successful than others; but
this is due largely to the ability to
hustle. possessed by the winning
candidates.
All Could Not Win.
1t is a fact greatly to be de-
| plored that all could not win one Of
the prizes, but this is impossible
and there is sympathy in plenty for
| those who have put in days and
hours of hard labor and at the end
failed to receive a prize for which
| lney nave SLflYen; Dut even then.
the work has not all been wasted
effort. The horest striving after
| success. even though the immediate
object is not realized, cannot fail TO
do good The enthusiasm and ener-
gy which was developed is not lost
but reacts on ones character, put
! ting iron into the nerve, encourag-
| ing ones confiderce, stimulating
courage and rOusing an honest be-
! lief in ones ability to undertake
and carry to success any task which
! presents itself In addition TO that.
a business experience that she
would Obtain in no other way.
The Benefits of the Contest.
Every candidate. whether she
cares TO fight the battle OF ballots
or not. is better able TO fight the
battle of daily existence today than
she was when she entered the con-