Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-11-02
{, 0. P. COUNTS ON
NEGRO VOTE TO WIN
White Haired Mammies lowering
About the Voting Places
With Poll Lists.
EARLY VOTE IN CITY
EXCEEDINGLY HEAVY
For Expediency's Sake Short Cuts
Were Adopted by Many
Election Officers.
MANY OF THE ELECTORS
MAY BE DISAPPOINTED
Late Corners May Find That They
Have Waited Too Long
to Vote
MANY OF THE ELECTORS
MAY BE DISAPPOINTED
Late Corners May Find That They
Have Waited Too Long
to Vote.

With gray haired Negro women hover
ing about some Of the election places.
with poll lists. eagerly directing the
runners, some Of whom were coloTed
girls. there was early indication that the
Republican party counted on the Negro
vote to win todav's election in Delaware,
4 Il hoped 10 win NJ all.
There was every evidence. even before
the polls opened. which was /. clock IN
most cases about the city, that the stage
had been carefullt set by the G. @. +.
forces beforehand. Every one Of these
poll list ctIstodianS knew his or her place.
Most 81 them were women. where the
cnlored vote was heavy. probably so that
the men could do more rounding up.
However. Negro men were in evidence
also at the polling places.
some az the election officers had gotten
the prcliminaries IN shape last night or
before : this morning. so that they were
ready for work AZ the time set for opening
At nearly every voting place IN the city
crowd was IN waiting and the voting
started rs soon rs the doors were opened.
II was not necessary to tell the electors to
stand IN line and enter according 10 their
Turn They did SO without being told. The
result was that while there was rush from
he start, everything worked smoothly
where all az the electors were intelligent
and inclined 10 do what the Law requires
Where ignorcnt persons could not be made
to understand things, or where there was
stubhOrnneSS or determination TO work
the wrong way. there were delays that not
only "gImined the works. but also prov
ed ANNOYING to others waiting TO vote
~ovrI INFERENCE FOR WOMEN
Reinc the ilrst time they were ever per-
mitted TO vote al an election in Delaware.
+, proved a novel experience for women,
and they were ''on the job early They
had heard that that was the only way TO
be sure OF having their vote count and
they did not want TO miss fire first off. 80
they fiocked TO the polls early, and IN some
instances the booth looked more like
pink tea. with scattering man here and
there who appeared to be about as much
A, home as the Kaiser IN a meeting OF the
League OF Nations.
This was the early situation. Later 1t
was different Men began turning up IN
numbers and shared numerical hOnors with
the women. IN some instances outnImber-
ing them.
There was. however, very significant
fact in nearly every district III the city.
That was that the women-particularly
y
dav a. possible As an instance: In the
FIFTH district OF the Seventh ward, the
rolls OF which are at 70l Van Buren, street,
loo persons had voted at s o clock which
was not only pretty good work for an
hour. but also an evidence OF the fact that
many persons had put themselves out OF
the way In order TO be sure OF their vote
In the Sixth district OF the Fifth ward,
al 1888 West Sixth street, the vote was
about as heavy and AZ s there were 35
persons standing in line awaiting their
turn 20 vote
And so II went about the city.
SOMEWHAT OF rRoLIc.
For many OF the women white and
black-voting for the first time was
somewhat OF q frolc Judging by actual
observation AZ a typical polling place,
this morning, less than half Of the women
who voted there during the quarter OF an
hour the observation was made, regarded
the matter as serious. Most Of them, in
fact, appeared to regard the whole thing
ss Joke, which was not so much of q Joke
after all, for nearly every one Of them ex-
n.rienced bit OF stage fright" when they
had 20 stand OUT IL the limelight and give
Their name and address loud enough for
"the whole audience % hear
This particular observation was made
Al the polling place in the Fourth district
Il the Seventh ward, ~ the southwest
corner of Thirteenth and Tatnall streets
between 7.30 and S Is O clock There is a
heavy colored vote in the eastern end Of
this district.
Al 7.30 after many others had voted, a
dozen white and colored women, as well as
four men, were gradually working their
aay into the polling place and voting
The work was being dor e as expeditiously
as possible, all OF the election officers being
intelligent, affable and disposed to help in
every WAY possible. Outside was Theodore
Francis. first lieutenant" OF the Republ-
can forces, which included some colored
nersons. men and women one Of the latter
actively engaged with polling list, and
,lso some white men in addition 70 Fran
u. looking after the interests Of both the
Republican end Democratic parties
ContnAAl a. gase Is