Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

A: Generally just before an election.
Q: So it was a rally in support of the election?
A: Yes.
Q: Let's see, now. We touched on your activities in the 1948 election. Let's
see, the next one would have been an off year election.
Q: In 1950, yes.
A: But that would be principally for local candidates, you see.
Q: Do you remember any specific condidates that you were very active in
supporting at that time?
A: No. No, I do not, because we were supportive of an entire ticket. It is
very rare that we ever give any particular emphasis to any one candidate
except if he had a special problem. We voted for the Democratic ticket, to
support the entire ticket. The message was, "Vote Democratic, pull the lever
for the whole ticket." That's the way we did it. And that was, of course,
the strength of this organization. I mean this whole Chicago organization
supporting the entire ticket.
Q: And you had no real problem with that? The preclnct was headed in that
direction by that time?
A: Oh, yes. You would always have somebody that wanted, you know, ta take
care of one person or this, that and the other, or pick a guy because he was
a Methodist or because he was a Rotarian or because he was a Lion ar something,
Yo11 know. But basically and fundamentally, we carried the whole ticket. It
was a party operation.
Q: Were you active at the ward level in the media, like the geefender or the
Tribune and that sort of thing? Did you approach them actively for support or
provide information?
A: Well, are you now talking about after T becape a legislator? Tn that
period ?
Q: No, sir, still in that early period.
A: Not in that period, no.
Q: So from the ward, then . . .
A: You would get an article when you had an affair, in order ta tell wha
talked about, that kind of thing, but generally, no.