South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-11-07
BY HARVEY @. HOWARD


an election are every mans guess.
Straw votes and general analysis
may be depended upon in a certain
measure. but no one can say with
any degree OF certainty what the
voters Will 90.
Taking the opinions OF all the old
timers in AIishawaka as we'll as
those who have been directing the
campaign. IL is conceded that the
present contest between the Dodge
ticket and Mayor Gaylor's ticket.
has furnished Mishawaka with more
political excitement than # has ex-
| perienced in the past rs years Not
since the exciting days Of 1896 when
Bryan opposed Mckinley mas Misha-
waka seen such a campaign.
Even the recognized political wise
acres have been caught mapping.
which proves the political axiom
that no man is elected until all OF
or the VOTES have been counted.
Certainly. If we are TO believe ex-
pert local opinion no one expected
such a spirited contest. nor so many
/ political bombshells as have featured
. j
. fight between Mayor Ralph ". GAY
Tor who seeks TO perpetuate himself
and William Wallace Dodge manu-
! facturer and business man, who tells
the voters that he wants the Office
because Of the opportunity il gives
( him 10 render a public service 70
the city he was born in.
Unusual Angles
The writer has never seen a local
/ political campaign with 80 many
singular and unusual angles. The
campaign is being fought on the
battle-ground OF future danger.
Mishawaka voters. men and women,
/ thousands OF whom have attended
party meetings during the past two
weeks. seem 20 be weighing the one
/ great issue and that whether or not
! the city's best interests can be serv-
ed by rejecting Mayor Gaylor for
/ four years more.
/ Hundreds OF voters. normally re-
! pubhcans. are traditionally opposed
to a third term. whether IN national
/ politics or in city politics.
Sacred and intrenched political
I
a cooked hat in this campaign. The
! best democratic meeting of the cam
paign from a standpoint OF attend
ance. held last Thursday night. num-
bered hundreds Of known republican
voters among the thousand men and
women in the audience. The fol-
lowing night Mayor Gaylor held his
biggest and best meeting and ap-
proximately one thouSe nd men and
women filled the hall among whom
were many known democratic voters
a peculiar psychological feature
of these two best meetings was the
fact that the audience generously
applauded the individual candidates
for mayor, but scarce ripple OF
applause was forthcoming at at
tempts. deplorable at any time 70
belittle and poke ridicule at tns
head of the democratic ticket.
Mastery Grafton.
Standing out as refreshing as
cooling breeze on tOrrid summer
day, and distinguished by its com
mendable lack If stupid ridicule was
the mastery Grafton Of Judge Ralph
s. Feig last Friday night
BY the same token il may be said
that the scholarly and dispassionate
oratory of democratic Chairman
Charles w. Bingham. won city-wide
approval from both republicans and
democrats.
The bulk Of the electorate in Mish-
awake had expected a quiet CAM
paign. Political leaders. especially
those directing the campaigns did
not expect aggressiveness and the
high pressure attacks which have
featured this campaign.
Going on with the theory that "alrs
fair in love and politics" both par
ties have hurled their political
thunderbolts through the advertising
columns of the local papers. Much
of the political advertising matter
had sharp sting. Feeling on both
sides is running high. Known polit-
icaI auguries and traditional battle
lines are at SKIES and sevens
one thing seems certain. There .
is but one outstanding issue i'm this
campaign. Mishawaka has neve-.
had a mayor who served more than .
four years Mayor Gaylor has al .
ready broken this record by sue
ceeding himself. Can he overcome
the third term handicap? Were he
opposed by weak candidate ne
would doubtless overcome such
handicap. but he is confronted with .
a candidate who is known business
executive, a Mishawaka boy occupy
ing a dignifed and responsible place
in the business world. whose person
al character is above reprOach and I
whose business training has made
him peculiarly we'll fitted for the
Office he seeks. Back OF his third
term handicap is the further handi-
cap Of reconciling the campaign Of
ridicule with what Mishawaka voters
know 70 be fact.
1t viii be no reflection upon Mayor