New-York tribune., 1922-01-08

have often heard some one
thus refer to the selling ability
OF some Individual, but you probably didn't
believe that the man referred to could actu
ally do it,
Out In the fourishing Middle West city Of
oungstown, Ohio there is a man who could
not only sell refrigerators to Eskimos. but
who could also sell them years supply Of
ice. 70 boot His name is George l.. Oles. and
ne is the newly elected Mayor Three months
before election no one knew him He had
Just moved to Youngstown. He ran.--and still
runs, for that matter-a food market. He
sold food to the people of Youngstown, and
at the same time he sold himself to the people
so thoroughly that they elected him Mayor
NOT so many years ago he was pushing q
wheelbarrow around the streets of New Cas-
tie, Pa, and hawking potatoes
From potato pcddler to Mayor-that's
George Oles's story--part Of it at least Sounds
like the title of one of Horatio Ayers stories
which used to fill SO many juvenile readers
with the ambition to go out and do likewise.
The meteoric rise of George Oes from DO
tato vender to Mayor isn't so remarkable.
Many men have risen to greater heights from
more lowly beginnings. Lincoln split rails,
only to become President. Thousands have
triumphed over their environment.
fhe astonishing element in Oos's election
is not just the fact that he was once a potato
peddier but how he got himself elected He
is the first man TO be elected Mavor on
an independent ticket
Applied psychology finding the universal
human note, that touch which appeals to bu
man nature in everybody, and striking it
through the medium of newspaper advertising
that was what elected Oles.
Olcs really didn't start out to be Mavor
OF Youngstown He began his campaie7, as
joke.
u was hunting around for something sensa-
tional for my advertisement one dav" he saws
and since the campaign was foremost in
everybodys mind, then I thought I'd saw
that | was going to run for Mayor-thoueht
it would set people talking about Olcs and
his market"
People had already been talking about both
OF them. Oles's advertisements constantly
screamed about something that interested
nearly everybody. Roled-down stockings. boot
leg liquor, his competitors personal shortcom-
lngs-there was always something in Oles's ad-
vertIsements Tor people to laugh over, some
thing which made them say, "Did YOU see
Oies's advertisement to-day? About what he
saw on the beach down in Florida. IT'S ricb.v
1T WAS the human touch--and net a mattor
OF accident either. Oles was in business with
a partner in New Castle. Pa, after he had
made enough money pcddling potatoes to buv
an interest, and the partner says that often
ne had to rouse Oles from a study Of psv
'""'egy long after their market had closed
and tell him it was time to go home. With.
! good business in New Castle Oles decided
o pull up stakes, come to Youngstown and
ry out his theories as to human ADVERTISING.
His partner couldn't dissuade him. and soon
Youngstown newspapers grew more interest
ng.
Il studied Billy Sunday when he was in
1ew CASTLE" said Oles to an interviewer
You know that man is a great psychologist
md l modelled my advertisements after his
tuff. Brass band stuff, you know thought
he could sell religion that way could sell
ananas the same way.
"And did, too" he mused, after pause.
Well, Oles's announcement that he would
In for Mayor worked better than he thought
would. Offers Of support came in and he
'cided to keep up the joke for while. Of