The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-04-02
What About Stay-at-HOme Vote
Next Tuesday?
Seventy Per Cent of Regis
tered Vote May Come Out.
MUST FIGHT FOR new VOTE
Settlement of BlakeIy-HOuSe
Contest To Be Hard Fought.
General Outlook on Commits.
sion Battle.

Which of the two candidates for
mayor, House or Blakely, will receive
at the general city election Tuesday
the major portion of the votes which
at the primary election went to
Hughes and Lannan? Upon the man
ner in which this vote divides to a
yery large extent rests defeat or VIC
tory.
OF course there are the voters who
were registered and who are entitled
to vote at the coming election, but did
not vote at the primary, to be consid-
cred According to the registration
books there were 5,646 such persons
enough to very easily swing the
scales either way-shou1d they get out
and vote. But judging Tuesdays
election by past elections it is not
likely that a very considerable num-
Der of these stay-at-homes will vote.
Practically 70 per centum of the reg
iStered vote was cast at the primary.
There have been very few elections in
Topeka in which a greater per centum
of the qualified voters availed them
selves of the privilege.
While primary elections are not of
as much general interest as the flnal
contest, the fact that there are more
candidates in the field usually brings
out as large vote as at the following
election. So again 1t seems that the
question of whether House or Blakely
will be elected Tuesday depends upon
the voters who voted at the primary
not those who stayed at home.
Few persons who vote for the sue
cessful candidate at the primaries
switch to another candidate at the
final election. 1t is reasonable to ex-
pect those who voted for Blakely at
the primary to do so again at the cleo
ton and the same is true of House.
At the primary House had a plurality
over Blakely of 961 votes.
Division of Votes.
Hughes received 95S and Lannan
944 making a total of 1902 votes to
be divided between House and B1akely
at the election next Tuesday. If only
the same persons vote then who vot-
ed at the primary the political dope
spells House for mayor, for If he re-
ceives only one-fourth of the COM
bined vote which went for Hughes and
Blakely, he will still have small
lead If all the Hughes vote should go
to Blakely and House received only
one-half of the Lannan vote he would
still have three votes more than
Blakely. Of course both candidates
and their supporters are claiming the
Hughes and Lannan vote and they are
also making efforts TO get out the
stay-at-home vote.
For Commissioners.
In the race for commissioner of
finance prediction signs indicate that
w. H. WATSON will be successful
against J. D. Norton. Wasson's Lead
over Norton was not large at the pri-
maries, but it seems that the support
of the defeated candidates is being
thrown to WATSON. WATSON, in his
primary campaign, conducted himself
in a manner which gained the respect
of his opponents. Although defeated
by him they bore him no ill-will.
Frank Newland, present commits
sioner of water and r1ghting, who is
being opposed by Frank Sinms, de-
c1ared that he realizes he has con-
test.
81 have a fight on MY hands, and I
am not making any secret of it.
want my friends to know it. Sims
will be hard man for me to beat
w. G. Tandy also realizes that he
has a serious contest to meet in w.
S. Hancock. Both randy and New
land had very large reads over their
opponents in the primaries.
W. L. Porter, present commissioner
of parks, has more reason to feel
than any of the city can
for he received nearly twice |
as many votes in the primaries as all |
his opponents combined. Richard |
Wilson is the nominee opposing him.
In the contest for places on the |
board of education there are six norli- |
nees and three to be elected. AS there |
are only six candidates at the pri- |
maries it was case in which all won |
and none lost. AS exactly the same |
will be up Tuesday as were |
is a pretty good indication Of what the |
result will be at the election. w. z. |
Atchison received STA votes; L. NJ. |
Penwel1, 1859; Mrs. c. J. Evans, |
5,S16; James Mullin, 4,190; J. NJ. |
Wright, 3,701. and J. c. Snediker, |