Evening star., 1939-11-09
Yonkers Tea Party
Gusts Political
Machine Of City
Revolution at Polls
Is Started by
Energetic Woman
Ry IRA WQLEERT.


BY IRA WOLFERT.
YONKERS, N. Y, Nov. 8 (N.A.N.
AO.-This city of 100000 has had a
kind of revolution at the polls, and
1t started. like another, older revolu-
tion, with tea party. In fact, there
were a whole series of afternoon
teas, and, at them all. Mrs. Edith P.
Welty, broom-wielding housewife
and grandmother, poured the hot
water and passed the lemon.
The complete returns on what
happened won't be in for at least
four days yet. when the complicated
work of counting the proportional
representation ballots for the city's
Common Council is finished. But
there is enough in now to show that
the regular Democratic machine
was socked where 1t hurts. For the
first time in years it has lost control
Of the Board of Supervisors.
Mrs. Weltys army of citizens was
led against both the Democratic and
Republican machines in behalf OF
the non-partisan City Manager
League. She believes that, since the
Democratic organization was blasted,
the final count will show that the
Republican organization was, too.
I'VE hammered home the message"
she said. that up here the two par
ties worked hand in hand and the
only thing for us to do was to throw
them both out"
Devoted to Home.
Mrs. Welty. a small slender, spry
woman Of Sc, gray-haired, pink
checked and animated, is native of
Cleveland. She came to Yonkers 27
years ago when her husband, a
structural engineer for a railroad
company was transferred to the
head office in New York. Back in
Cleveland. she sang professionally at
concerts and in churches, and she
did a little of that here, too. But
mostly, she says, she concentrated on
taking care of her comfortable sub
urban home and rearing her two
sons and one daughter. She spent
her spare time playing tennis.
Il used to think of women in pol
itics as suffragette stuff" she said,
"and nothing for me-"
Then, four years ago, with her
children out of college and able to
take care of themselves and the win
ter afternoons getting rather emp
ty, she joined the League of Wom-
en- Voters here, mostly to oblige
friend"
AT the first meeting" she related,
Il was assigned to take the affirna-
tive in debate on city manager
government, and I guess 1 have
been sounding of a loud Affirmative
ever since"
She was given a month to pre-
pare her side of the debate. Any
thing do, do thoroughly she
said. Il studied very hard, and I
guess I took the club members
rather by surprise"
Her speech went over so well that
she started to receive invitations to
speak before other groups, and then
she started system of chain teas,
each woman at a tea party promis-
ing to give a party of her own and
discuss the city manager form of
government over the hot water and
lemon.
Makes 600 Speeches.
Il must have made four or five
speeches a week at different teas
for 10 MONTHS she said. Il guess
I've made about 600 speeches in
Yonkers in the last few years. I
started sending little paragraphs to
the Yonkers Statesman and Herald
each time l got hold of some new
fact and they co-operated marvel
ously. They printed them all"
The women got their men inter-
ested, and, before long, the ball was
started rolling. A city manager
league was formed, with Mrs. Welty
as secretary, and it is with this league
that Mrs. Welty hopes Ito keep the
politicians licked"
The ammunition Mrs. Welty
threw at the heads of the machines
was bruising stuff about graft and
collusion, and it precipitated many
bruising battles.
Il used to think" she said, that,
when woman had been married
long enough to have two grand
children, she knew all there was to
know about men. But that was
before I entered politics.
When I remained at home,
thought that all people were good.
Now I'll tell you this. Whatever
anyone tells me about anything,
whether he tells me something that
sounds good or sounds bad, l refuse
to believe it until I have investi-
gated for myself"