, 1920-10-28
UBLIC o
GOVT.

to the newspaper editors OF tne cOuu-
try. Out of 5.l54 editors replying TO
a QUESTIONABLE sent out by the Press
Service Company of New York. 4,466,
or Sc per cent, gave it as their tudg-
meni that the people of their commu-
mites we're overwhelmingly against
the Government competing in business
with IT'S own citizens.
In 1919 the Press Service Company
conducted a similar canvas OF editors
on The government operation of rail
roads. That QUESTIONABLE showed thar
81 per cent OF the editors considered
their communities against Govern
ment operation OF public utilities.
Apparently. then, If editors estimate
public opinion accurately, that opin-
ion in a year, considered by commu-
mites, has swung 3 per cen farther
away from socialistic experiments.
Eleven Million Circulation.
The combined circulation OF the pa
pers whose editors replied is 1l,42S,-
SIT, which means, according to the
usual estimated ratio between circula-
ton and readers, a constituency of at
least 100000 0 And this constituent
cy is pretty evenly scattered through
out the country, no considerable sec
ton of any state being unrepresented.
The estimate of opinion based on this
thoroughly diffused A per cent of the
country's population may. therefore,
be considered a fair representation OF
the people as a whole.
Another feature of the result is Its
evident lack of partisan bias. The
major political affiliations of the pa
pers represented are fairly evenly d.
vided, being 1857 Republican and
1850 Democratic. There are also 1885
Independent and 462 miscellaneous,
including labor organs, etc.
How little the results are affected
by the politics Of the papers is shown
in an analysis by sections. In the
Southern section. for instance, where
replies came from 63 Republican pa
pers and 3S9 Democratic. the per-
centage against Government operation
was SO; In the Great Lake section,
with conditions reversed, AIS Repub-
lican and 155 Democratic. the oppo-
sition was 81 per cent.
Replies from the West. Middle West
Nv yum = nv AhAoA " - u a'R
take to consider those sections vastly
more favorable to radical Government
experiments thai the East. The rad
icals can get little comfort out of the
80 per cent of thumbs down. per
cent above the average-in the South
west, including Arkansas, Louisiana.
Missouri. Kansas. Oklahoma n Tex
MS. Texas, once supposed to be much
given to Government regulation ex-
periments. returned 90 per cent of I'M
favorable replies. Out u the pa edi-
tors replying from that state only
three edited Republican apers The
81 per cent opposition of the North
west. including Iowa, Minnesota. Mon
tans. Nebraska. North Dakota. South
Dakota and Wyoming, and the S3 per
rent veto OF the Far West group. in-
Guiding Arizona, California, Idaho.
Nevada. New Mexico, Oregon, Colo
RADIO, Utah and Washington. are sig
n%ifcant OF the prevailing conservative
sentiment on this question even In
the more radical sections.
Inc QUESTIONABLE closes with a re-
quest for the editors personal opin.
lDn Ou CtIldln NolNItis GhStS us IOl-
lows:
ID you personally believe tina the
Federal Government should own and
operate competitive Industries TO pro
vide: (a) Fertilizer (b) Clothingf
(c) Automobllesr (d) Farm lmple-
mentsl (e) Foodstufrsl
Substantially all the editors who
gave estimates OF their readers opIn-
ions also expressed their own by re-
plying 10 this last question. Proof of
considerable effort to svoid personal
bias is found In the fact that In many
cases the editor differed from the
The percentage of mos" ran: (a)
rs; (b) 81; (c) SO; Id 80; (e) 10.
while the questions were based on
general principles involved in the
Government participating In competl-
tive business. the so-cafled Muscle
Shoals Bill now before Congress was
used as a concrete example OF a Gov
eminent operation scheme. Under this
bill a Government-owned corporation
would be given broad powers to oper-
ate and develop Government plants
and properties. Z would produce at
Muscle Shoals various fertilizer prod
ucts and sell them in competition with
producers and merchants in the fer
tilizer business.
Tho strength Of the opposition TO
Government operation is indicated by
the replies from Alabama, where the
Muscle Shonls war plant is and where.
OF course. there Is Intense interest
and local pride in getting Its expected
peace-time operation under way Mt the
earliest possible date. Fifty editors
from that state replied, OF whom 9s
we're opposed to Government opera
ton. 8 in favor and 4 doubtful.