Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-06
ThomPson's Minority Vote
Raises Hopes of Opposition

denomination Of Mayor William Hale
Thompson on the Republican ticket as
a candidate for mayor of Chicago re-
suits in many expressions of opinion as
to the significance of the primary, in
which Judge Lyle was defeated. Lack
Of cooperation in the opposition, it is
pointed out, resulted in the choice of a
minority candidate. The Democratic
nominee, Anton j. Cermak, is a sub
ject of differing appraisals, in the course
of which there are suggestions that he
may be able to defeat Mayor Thompson
in the election.
Thompson was not the choice of the
voters who participated in the primary y
declares the Ann Arbor Daily News, OBJ
serving that "the vote against him was
much greater than the vote for him"
The South Bend Tribune sees in the
figures determination to rid the great
city of an administration that stands
out among the bad ones in American
history" The New York Evening Post
holds that ex-senator Deneen made a
contribution to the unhappy result"
when, to hold his organization to-
gether, he ran third candidate, AL
derman Albert, who got around 100,-
Thompson generals threw into the
Republican primaries the complete
tough Democratic vote" but that the
people of Chicago yet turned out the
largest vote ever known in their at
tempt to shake themselves free from
Thompsonisnl."
1.-THE opposition once more blames in
dividuals and organizations who insisted
on having place in the race" according
to the Oakland Tribune, which feels
that "in Chicago more than one po-
litical organization believes it lcses pres
tige If it fails to put o candidate in the
field" The Kalamazoo Gazette asserts
that had the forces opposed to the
mayor shown better sense of co-opera-
tion and concentrated their support on
one really attractive candidate they
might have come closer to success"
Thompson still faces an election
which may prove his waterloo, says
the Schenectady Gazette, with the adj
vice that "if all of those who wish
a better era will unite, Chicago may on
election day remove the stigma which
has been upon it for so many years"
X
The thought that Cermak may rally
enough of the votes which went to de-
feated Republicans to win him the cleo
ton" is voiced by the Flint Journal,
while similar position is taken by the
Seattle Daily Times, and the Hartford
Times contends that "a Democratic vic
tory should be the goal for all decent
citizens The Fort Worth Star-Tele-
gram holds that Cermak, who heads
the group of county and city officials
working without Big Bills approval for
the elimination of overlapping activities
by city and county governments, has a
better chance than any Democrat who
has opposed the Thompson regime in re-
cent years The st. Louis Post-Dis-
patch argues that there's nothing in
vincible about ThompSon's City Hall
machine and all reports of the Demo-
cratic candidate are favorable" That
paper adds: Whether he has the fight
ing qualities and gifts Of leadership the
situation demands we are unable to
say"
Conceding that cit is Chicagos bust
ness whom its wants for mayor" the
Portland Oregon Journal observes that
some of the things that happen in
that city are amazing to the rest of
the country" and asks, will it be pos
sible for gangland to win in spite of
the efforts of decency in Chicago, and,
if so, how much will be the impetus
given to gangs and ganglands else
Wfere?" That paper sees challenge
to true government throughout the
country" from this source.
Taking a somewhat different attitude
toward the results, the Topeka Daily
Capital asserts that "the contest be-
tween Lyle and Thompson was regarded
as a sham battle, so far as the political
professions of Lyle are concerned; that
"the Republican candidate with good
record was Albert, member of the
City Council, where he has consistently
fought against graft, crime and corrup-
ton" and that cit appears that about
e5 per cent of the citizenfK of the Sec
md ritv in tha collnfrVM favnr the
The Capital concludes "CeInnak Is a
Democrat in a Republican county who