Evening star., 1925-09-07
BIG BILL EDWARDS
MAKES CLEAN RACE
HyIan Ticket Controller Can
didate Differs From
Others in Fight.
BY g. GOULD LINCOLN.
stan Correspondent Of The Star.

NEW YORK, September I'm the
midst OF the mudslinging of the
Democratic primary campaign for the
mayoralty and other municipal Offices
of New York City there is one can
didate who is making a clean fight.
It's not surprising. He is Big Bill"
Edwards. candidate for controller on
the Hylan ticket.
Big Bill" Edwards Is known to
thousands of Princeton men the coun-
try over as the man who captained
the Tiger foot ball team just before
the close of the last century-which
was only 25 years ago, and not so
long as it sounds. He was captain
and guard on the Princeton team in
that heart rt-breaking-for the Ellis
game in 1899, when Arthur Poe,
Princeton end. booted a field goal in
the last 3S seconds of play and Yale
was defeated IL to 10.
Later he was commissioner of the
street cleaning department of New
York under Mayor William J. Gaynor,
and he swept the streets cleaner and
cleaned up the snow and ice more
quickly than any commissioner they
had ever had. President Woodrow
Wilson made him collector of internal
revenue at New York City, and he
handled hundreds of millions of dol
lars for the Government. He was a
former pupil of President Wilson
while the latter was a member of the
Princeton faculty. More recently still
he was appointed special deputy COM
missioner of police by Mayor Hylan.
Is Nationally Known.
Big Bill" has never before sought
the suffrage c. the New York voters,
though he is personally known to
thousands of them. and by reputation
to millions of them. There is no ques-
ton about his personal popularity.
There is no question about his democ-
racy. Even Gov. AL Smith admits
that he is "all right" though the
Governor is now lined up against
Mayor Hylan and naturally is speak
ing for the entire Walker and anti
Hylan ticket. Commissioner Edwards
own particular opponent is Maj Gen.
Charles White Berry of Brooklyn,
commandant of the New York Ma
tional Guard. a physician as well as
soldier, who is running on the
Walker ticket.
Commissioner Edwards is not max
IL. y,
and publicity has insisted upon a
clean campaign" If he can clean
up the present campaign, however,
he will do a bigger job than when
he tackled the New York streets.
Mayor Hylan and his hacker, Will
liam Randolph Hearst, are charging
the Governor and Senator Walker,
candidate for mayor. with all kinds
of corruption in every other breath.
And what the Governor is saying
about Hearst and his methods In Ian
guage more picturesque and no less
violent sizzles for hours after he has
said 1t.
DepIores FactionaIism.
In statement to the press Mr.. Ed
wards deplored the talk OF faction.
alism. He said that the prevailing
opinion in New York seemed to be that
only two men. Gov. Smith and William
Randolph Hearst, were running for
Office
II am listed in this fight as a candi-
date for comptroller" he said. And
want it distinctly understood that l
am a candidate as Democrat, a regu-
lar Democrat, and not a factionalist
or as allied with any faction or any
group. 1 am associated with Mayor
Hylan in this contest as his friend. !
have no quarrel with those who differ
from me in my estimate of Mayor
Hylan. / have no quarrel with Mr..
Berry, who has the same right to seek
the nomination as I have"
Gene Tunney, contender for the
heavyweight championship, in a letter
to Mr.. Edwards has declared for him
saying, las a clean sportsman / know
you will be a clean Official
On the face of things, Big Bill is
arrayed against the Tammany Tiger,
which is supporting Walker and Berry
and the whole anti-Hylan ticket. The
number of Democratic voters in Man
haitian and the Bronx. where the
party organizations have backed
Walker and Berry, is some IL 900
greater than the number in the three
boroughs, BROOKLYN. Queens and Rich.
mond. where the Democratic orGaniza-
tions have declared for Hylan. The
edge seems to he with Walker and
Besgy. even II the influence of Gov.
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