The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-11-07
5000 Women Voted.


Exact figures are not available. hut
at least 5000 white women voted Thurs
day, and more than 1000 worked an
eeasingly, from dawn to dark, for the
Citizens league n its candidates, They
visited every home IN a score of wards
during the day, walking or riding in
autos, and urging men and women vot-
ers to go to the polls. They worked at
the polling places all day long. Led by
Mrs. s.. j, Ellis, Nce-chairman of the
Citizens league campaign committee,
and 20 women OF her women's commit
tee, they worked for n month, day after
day and night after night at Citizens
league headquarters. They by their
enthusiasm, shamed hundreds Of men
who had not voted before in years, into
a realization of the obligations of citi-
zenshtp, The heart-to-heart talks in
the homes, the hundreds of neighbor-
hood gatherings for women, the brill
liant work as campaign speakers OF
three women-Mrs. Samuel J. Ellis,
Mrs. walter j. Gray and Mrs. Sam H,
Pbtllips-aided in the victory for the
principles Of the Citizens league, and
in the election of the LEAGUES candidates,
and no man who knows of the devotion
to duty and systematic work done by
the women supporters of the Citizens
league will begrudge the women the
larger share in the victory,
Paine Campaign Clean.
The campaign carried on by the Citi-
liens league, and by every mar con-
nected with 1t. including Rowlett Paine
and his fellow candidates, was clean,
| above board and honest. They made no
statement during the entire campaign
that could not be backed up by proof.
They made the issue on the broad plat
form Of the Citizens league, c~rystallized
into their campaign slogan, law en-
forcement, better schools. good govern
ment." They attacked no mans per-
sonal character. They treated their
opponents in the campaign speeches
with courtesy,
But when J. J. williams announced
that he stood on his record in public
life during his 40 years in politics and
his two terms as mayor, they used
was, When speakers for the Williams
ticket attacked Mr., Paine's personal
character, through charges and innu-
endoes that he used his office as Unit
ed States food administrator to benefit
his friends among the wholesale groc-
ers and food dealers, Mr.. Paine took
occasion to rdenounce those charges as
f~alsehoods and to state a few plain facts
as to the men who made them.
At the mass meeting of the Citizens
league at which Mr.. Paine and the other
candidates were nominated, A. f, Jen-
nllgS, III |SeCOnulng one OF tne noHlina :
tons, and John b, Edgar, in accepting
his nomination, said that while there
were half a dozen political factions in
Memphis then, they were confident
that every one Of them would be found
combined againstKthe Gittzens' league
before the campaign md fairly been
begun. Ell
The facts showed that they were
right. The Monteverde- Quinn faction
in the city administration, the Macon
Lanier faction, and numerous smaller
political bands, including, OF course,
Mr.. Williams W personal following,
lined vi behind the Williams ticket.
1t Is the unpleasant duty of a news
paper writer frequently to state the
bald facts. II was hoped by the Citi-
zens' league that the election would be
a fair one. The election commissioners
were appealed to to appoint none but
honest men to hold the election. They
were asked by the Citizens league tc
give Mr.. Paine an equal share of the
election officers and judges in every
precinct.
That was not done. About one-third
of the election judges and clerks were
appointed from the Citizens league
lists, but they were appointed in the
newer residence wards where there IL
never any danger Of fraud, while in q
number of the old downtown wards
practically every man in the voting
places was a Williams partisan.