Evening star., 1923-11-30
LADY ASTOR SHOWS
SHE'S HARD HITTER
Tackles Rough HeckIers
Unafraid in Race for Par
Lament Seat.
By GEORGE wITTE.

By Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
Copyright. 1923
PLYMOUTH. England. November
3O.-'Lady Astor, don't you find this
campaigning business year after
year or so. very strenuous?" the cor
respondent asked the American born
visoountess ut her home TODAY. Lady
Astor smiled a cheerful smile.
Come along and see.' she chal-
lenged. And, like Caesar. the writer
went and saw. but, unlike Caesar. il
was Lady Astor who did the con-
qucrlng. Two minutes after she had
hustled upstairs to get her hat and
furs we were hurrying down Ply
mouths seaside drive. Before arriv-
ir.g at the foot OF the street she had
huttonholed and argued with two
sextogerarians. clamoring for the
old age pension. and had helped an
elderly blind woman retrieve her ball
Of knitting wool, which. In the stjff
breeze. was flying behind her like a
bann.:.
Meets All CInSsrs.
At the bottom of the hill a group
OF more than loo men, women and
children surrounded US. Among them
were well dressed men and women of
the middle class, train conductors.
butchers and grocery boys with
baskets over their shoulders, dock
hands. unkempt, unemployed. working
/, mems wives, waShcrwomen, servant
girls. schoolboys. street arabs. This
was the motley crowd which the
American born wife of an English
lord tackled fearlessly, even affec
men. women and even children:
You'll vote for me. won't you?"
For few minutes everything went
peacefully, then a collarleSs individ-
ual yelled out:
Heckled by Lnborer.
are you helping us?'
Lady Astor began to explain pa
tiently how she meant to help the
unemployed, but when he kept on
interrupting her with hoarse oh,
turned on him with flashing eyes:
Stop now, | have had enough of
your cheek" And he stopped and
skunk away.
While the writer was listening to
walrus mustache poked him in the
ribs with uninvited familiarity and
said: I'VE calls her Nancy He
chuckled. But We means no harm.
We likes her"
One could, not help admiring Lady
seething crowd of vociferous men,
women and children-a trim, slender
figure in a pale blue suit. with a
lemon-colored jumper and simple
black sailor hat.
Gets Hearty Send-On.
When finally she was able to break
away she climbed into the tin lizzie"
in which she is doing her campaign
ing. A tall, well dressed man started
shouting. Three cheers for Capt.
a a TO hltt
the faint hurrahs which answered
this appeal were drowned in the
stormy applause and cheering that
greeted the cry vote for Lady
Astor."
And amid waving of handkerchiefs
and hats, Lady Astor drove away to
the next meeting place. During one
of the brief breathing spells she had
| today Lady Astor told the writer
/ about the present election.
The campaign this year is not as
nasty as last years when the drink
| trade tried to stab me in the back
by dragging America into the fight"
she said. Il am using social reform
plank of my present platform, and
am out to fight the bolshevists. COM
| munists and all who are aiding the
| laborites and socialists in this cleo
| tion.
Tariff Is Secondary.
! Although I am a conservative, the
| question OF high tariff is matter of
secondary Importance, with me, fact
! which has made me none too popular
| with my party.
"But 1 am no party's darling and
never have been anything but inde-
pendent"
| Lady Astor's reelection seems as
sured. She herself is confident Of VIC
tory Another Plymouth candidate on
the conservative ticket is Sir Arthur
Shirley Benn. whose wife, Lady Benn.
| was Alys Marie Luelling of Sprink
Hill, Ala.