Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-07
100000 CHICAGO
VOTERS co TOPOLLS
TO CHOOSE MAYOR
BaIIoting Quiet, With Few
Personal Fights Between
Election Judges.
PRECINCT STAFF REMOVED
AFTER CHARGE OF FRAUD
Attorneys for Commission Reveal
Repeating" and Voting of
Many Dead Persons.

BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, April 7.-Unprecedented
numbers of early voters, quietly regis
tering their choice between William
Hale Thompson, Republican. and Anton
j. Cermak, Democrat, for World Fair
mayor presaged the largest mayoralty
vote in Chicagos history today.
1t was an ideal day, warm and sunny,
and the thousands of persons who filed
through the booths in the first few
hours caused election officials to revise
their estimate and predict total Of
1,250000, a quarter Of a million more
than in the last election.
For the most part the balloting was
as quiet as it was heavy. There were
some disorders, mostly personal fights
between election judges, fights that were
quickly halted by the arrival of police.
Judges and Clerks Removed.
Election officials removed the entire
staff Of judges and clerks at the SIX
teenth precinct in the twenty-seventh
ward and replaced them because Of
charges of fraud. In this district, which
has a large floating population, no
suspect notices had been filed by the
judges.
Attorneys for the Election Commits
sion said the books in this precinct re-
vealed that many persons had voted
twice, that many who had voted in the
primary had never registered and that
many dead persons were listed as having
voted. The precinct officials were dis
missed after it was found they were
guilty Of negligence but not Of criminal
intent
In the presidential election of 1928
the total Chicago vote was 1918, $50,
but the highest ever cast In a mayoralty
contest was 999,74 in 1927. The pres
ent registration is l,412,135
Polls Close at pm.
The extensive organization work that
had been noticeable throughout the
campaign continued up to the very
end. ThompSon's followers and the
Democratic organization backing Ger
max had watchers, workers and adj
vertisers at every precinct. The polls
close at 4 pm, G. 8. i.
Both candidates told the voters that
Chicago's future was the big issue,
Thompson charging that the influence
OF CerMak, who is chairman Of the
county board, has beSmfcheu the
name of Cook County," while Cermak
demanded that the voters "clean out
the City Hail. and free the city from
gangsters.
Thompson, although not formally in
dorsed, claimed support from the
Non-Partisan Better Government Asgo-
citation, which asked, "Shall We estab-
1ish a Chicago Tammany?"-a cry
which was reiterated by Thompson's
followers.
Both Parties Predict Victory.
Predictions Of victory were reiterated
by the camps of both candidates, the
Democrats claiming their man would
win by 10000 or more, while Bertha
Baur, Republican National Committee
woman, declaring Thompson would be
returned the victor by $4,000.
Starting out mildly, the campaign
wound up last night with bitter words
coming from both sides, but in spite
of this officials were not looking for any
outburst of election disorders. The
State attorneys Office and Acting Po-
lice Commissioner John Alcock joined
forces to maintain order from the open
ing Of the polls at am. until their
close at 4 pm, while special grand
jury, investigating alleged corruption
in the Police Department, was ready to
punish any election Law violators.
In addition, more than 1000 special
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