The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-15
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY E. HOUSE
(From Philadelphia Public Ledger.l

In New York the women were ex-
pected to turn the election. That was
the fantastic thought which every
newspaper opposed to Mayor Hylan
fondled and cherished Probably 1t
was no more than a hope; we douot
that any newspaper seriously enter
tanned it. Stupid az they may at
times appear, newspap ers are much
too smart for that. Anyhow, Mayor
Hylan was reelected by tremendous
majority.
We refer to the incident of the New
York election because it enables us TO
refurbir'l an observation projected IN
various guises and made from time TO
time in this column. 1t is that women
do not turn elections They increase
the majorities of successful candidates
and the l;bors of election boards. AS
Amos Amick used to say, That's all
they are to it," When a newspaper
or a candidate says the women are
going to turn the election, that means
the election is lost.
Various correspondents, batting us
with clipping and comment seek TO
reopen the cigaret controVersy.
There's nothing doing Ihe clare .,'s
controversy is settled Tor seven years
We ought to know; we settled it.
1t is our custom, we shall add, to
settle the cigaret controversy once
every seven years. That, we take It,
is often enough There's no use in
OVERRIDING a thing. Other controver-
sizes are not so easily adjusted. Inc
one concerning the period IN autumn
at which Indian summer begins has
to be settled nearly every year
other Tales of Traveller.
Sir-Your slam at the bootlesger as
not having a shirt h. can call his own
shows how far you are behind as TO
the Middle West. We remember IN
the old days, of course, a sinking, tur-
tive creature with a coat and trousers
too large lined with pockets for dir
ferent sizes, cringing into your office
or sliding into a livery stable. who
took his Jail sentence without a muir
muir. Well. here is the modern boot
logger, authentic. / vouch for them.
There are two booze runners in our
little town who work together. They
own an expensive car Of the latest
model. They alternate trips to Canada.
the other doing the retailing. Both
are married, each owns his own home
Ostensibly they are travelling men SELL
ing "specialties" One of them last
week had little more than $4,000 in
local bank, the other a trifle more,
made in less than eighteen months
They have lost one car and contents
on the border, their only mishap. An
OIneF OIL our respected ClllZeHS Is d
lone wolf on the Ell Paso route. He
showed me the other day sac 600 in
Liberty bonds earned in less than two
years without one mfshap.
The other day man was arrested
in a Kansas oil town on the suspicion
of dealing in stolen cars. He pro-
duced a bill of sale for the car bought
from the dealer two weeks before. The
cashier of the bank Bun Adams ran
when he was on earth told me the
arrestee had 100000 in his bank,
earned as a bootlegger. His plan was
never to use a car for more than two
trips. After that he sold it and got
another make with a different num-
Der. Don't write any more about the
poor bootleggers your job is a ''fliV-
ver' compared to his f. D. S.
Now, the interesting note in the
revelations of F. D. S. is the fact that
he lives in a small town in the Mid
die West. Midway between the At
lantic and Pacific and the Canadian
and Mexican borders, it is perhaps the
spot in the world most remote from
the bases of supply. . It is the last
place in the world in which the casual
sojourner would expect to find drink
ing liquor. And yet the supply seems
to be approximately equal to the de-
mand. If it were not, those engaged
in the enterprise would have competf-
well-worked field
But of the many bootleggers we
have known, and for various reasons
our acquaintance with them has been
extensive, only two emerged from that
unlawful occupation with a stake"
They have it yet. In the old DAYS no.
body had the hardihood to attempt to
take money away from men who could
save it in the occupation of bootleg
glng. The manner in which he made
it marked the man who possessed it
as financial wiz"
Only few weeks ago we met a.
former king of the booueggers. When
we first knew him he sat in the lap
of luxury. He was and is a HkabIe
citizen possessed of a whimsical hu-
NOR. He takes whatever fate deals
him without a murmur. 1t NAV be
that we contributed, in a manner of
speaking, to his financial and social