The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-15
ILLINOIS CLOSES MOST SPECTACULAR
 FIGHT IN HISTORY
Unique Campaign Devices Have Stirred People and the Vote Today Will Be
 Tremendous
By CLINTON W. GILBERT

state republicans to conffne the
 mayors operations to Chicago.
 comes to head tomorrow.
 It is the biggest political battle
 of this yenr. The campaign has
 been spectacular. Electrically op-
 crated megaphones below nt you
 announcements of the Thompson
 meetings for monday and evening.
 And Mayor Thompson has had tre- mendous meetings though the opposi- tion declared that the mayors politt- cal serfs here, the officeholders. make up the gathering being compelled to turn out and demonstrate.
 An odd feature of the local cam paign is the candidacy of County Judge Barassa. who is running on his own hook for states attorney, with some chance of success. Barassa is an ltal- ian, and the Italians who are normally Thompson people, are for him. In the race riots he took stand which pleased the negroes. and the negro sec ton is wild with excitement over hls candidacy.
 It has been the most energetic single handed campaign ever made with DO litical methods that are quite new Ii you were a resident of Chicago your milk bottle delivered to you by tho milk man in the morning few days ago would have contained lahe pasted on it advising you to vote fo' Barassa. He has got to the attention of the voters in singular ways. ant many say that he will win, to the dis tress of Thompson for the states at torneys office handles much patronage and may make trouble for polltica grafters' Barassa is anti-Thompson.
 JUDGE OLSOL IN LEAD
 One other local office essential tt the Thompson machine may also o' lost to it, that of county judge, r' which a candidate named Olson seem to be in the lead The county judg' controls the election machinery.
 The Thompson -Lundin machine the most wonderful political machin in existence Tammany in it's best day never had the organization Luaden has One of it's novelties is pledging voter in advance of the primaries to vote 10 the Thompson candidates. It IS con ceded by the opposition that Thori, son has 1Se.000 such pledges in Chi cago. The Thompson people clain many more
 If you believe the opponents o Thompson, these pledges are extorte' under sort of political duress, business man approached cannot wei refuse to sign and having signed n cannot well fail to vote as he pledged Huge efforts have been made to se the women voters registered, not onl! in Chicago, but throughout the state Tn some parts of the state and in Chi cago it is said that practically all th republican women are on the pollia; lists. s
 GREAT VOTE EXPECTED
 The biggest primary vote ever cas will probably come out tomorrow u spite of the efficiency of the Thomp son-Lundin machine, it's .~ opponent count upon burying the Thompsol state candidates. A Chicago edito raised the cry of Tammany asains Thompson. Nobody ever thought or thl before this election. but the name ram many has stuck, and it has done oahi age. The republicans down state ar said to be, aroused against the plan the city machine to control the gov ernorship. the legislature and the stas patronage. |,
 This Tammany issue. summing up | one word a lot of the prejudice or rura folk against a city machine IS the pl issue from the point of view of tn I,owden or anti-Thompson forces smaller issue, but one which helps ther is the discovery that Len small down state republican, but the candl date of Thompson for Governor pal back to the state in April over Sl4o.oo interest on state money. Mir small ha been state official and he is charge with having used this interest none for his own purposes, after he left of flee. Those are the anti-Thompson IS sues.
 The Thompson issue is that the Low den state utilities commission plays tn game of the bankers against the pee rfe and raises car fares and the price Q gas and electricity ind other such pun lie necessaries beyond reason. Mayo Thompson also has his charges oi grai against those in the other camp.
 HAS NO NEURAL TINT
 Probably neither side Is as black a it has been painted in this campaig for this is campaign with no neutra tint The worst that you hear locall against the city government Is that has been inefficient and close. Peopl point to the dirty streets and the hig taxes and rents. But these evils ar more or less common in munfcipalitie since the war. One thing on which tn anti-Thompson people count to pre- vent the mayor from rolling up too bi a majority in Chicago. Is on keeping tn democrats from voting in the republ can primaries tomorrow. They say ths 400 of them voted as republican last spring and gave Thompson his bi sweep.
 The Thompson machine is as muc democratic as republican. If you belle, the advance news, the primaries will picturesque. There will be police repr' senting Thompson present with cooke revolvers to see that the democrats ( vote And there will be deputy sheriff equally we'll armed. representing u other side to sec that they do not vot Much state patronage is involved in u fight; millions for good roads. wate ways development. Also the Thompson Lundin machine would like to pass son legislation which will strengthen it's ho upon Chicago.
 Thompson candidate for governor h; already indicated is Len Small. His ol ponent is Lieutenant Governor Oglesb Oglesby is expected to win. The Thoml son candidate for senator is FraI Smith. a down state republican memb' of Congress with good record. who opponent is William $. Mckinley, also down state republican congressman. The issue is fairly close between the! two men. Whichever side wins. u other side is likely to cut the ticke The Thompson people have no vel strong allegiance to the republican part
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