Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 82, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 April 1915 — THOMPSON ELECTED MAYOR OF CHICAGO [ARTICLE]

THOMPSON ELECTED MAYOR OF CHICAGO

Republican Candidates Sweep Everything in Chicago—Women Vote With the G. 0. P. William Hale Thompson, republican candidate for mayor of Chicago, was elected by a majority of 138,891 over Robert Sweitzer, the democratic candidate, in the election held Tuesday. The final and official count may run his plurality considerably larger. The election was the culmination of one of the bitterest fights ever waged in Chicago’s history. The campaign was marked by great rallies, riots, street fights and the breaking up of rival meetings. Thompson owes much of his success to the women, who for the first time were permitted to vote for mayor. The returns indicate that he was given 66 per cent of the women's vote. His woman watchers at the polls worked unfalteringly in the tough wards of the city, where they were subjected to the taunts of the river rats and hoboes. They refused to be frightened away and remained on their jobs until the votes were counted, sealed and delivered. The socialist party cast a surprisingly small vote, probably not totalnig more than 20,000, and the prohibitionists dwindled down to 10,000. The fight between Thomposn and Sweitzer was so intense that the socialists and prohibitionists deserted their own tickets to help in the fight between the two leading candidates. It was thought that Sweitzer with his German name would capture all the German-American votes, the entire Catholic vote and enough scattering votes to give him a plurality of 110,000. The returns from the German wards showed that he did not get their votes and the injection of the religious question lost him many democratic votes. , Indications are that a total vote of 650,000 was cast. It would have been much larger but for faulty registration. Thousands of progressives were led to believe that they could not register as republicans until after the expiration of two years. The result of the election is a stinging blow for Roger Sullivan and what he stands for. After his defeat as U. S. senator he was charged with an attempt to obtain control of the city, choosing as his nominee Robert M. Sweitzer, who had alway been a Very uccessful campaigner. The efficiency with which the women handled their duties and the intelligence they displayed at the polls, indicates that suffrage will ultimately triumph and will become a national movement. Over 144,000 women voted Tuesday, so let’s all prepare for it.