The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-10-29

three articles fOreCasting the trend
of next Tuesdays electoral vote for
president and analyzing the situation
In three fourths of the states OF the
union. visited by the writer during
the last two months)
The condition of the West and
South, which gave Woodrow Wilson
his victory in 1916. was p new com
bination of electoral vote, Previous
ly the big eastern states--Ncw York.
New Jersey, Indiana. ohio and Hi
noiS, together with New England
were sufficient to tell everybody on
election night that the race was over
The big question this year is
whether there Is any combination OF
votes whereby Gov Cox can win the
presidency. Senator Harding has
been picked by most everybody to
win, chiefly because of the tradi
tional habit of America to change
ADMINISTRATIONS every few years. But
the Democrats have managed TO
force the league of nations to the
front as an issue with remarkable
success in the last Is days, and any
calculations made by the writer or
anybody else as early as October I
are necessarily subject to rev.sion at
the last moment.
When this correspondent visited
every state west of the Mississippi
with one or two exceptions he re
ported after an investigation of 90
days that there were only a few
states-.Utah, Montana and Nevada
wherein the Democratic nominee for
the presidency had a good chance.
In order to determine whether these
states are still safe for Cox and
whether any others have been added
to the list, the writer has sent tele-
grams to almost every man in the
West whose Judgment he can place
reliance and has asked that the re-
plies be sent In a specified code. so
that fnen working on Democratic
newspapers or in the Democratic orr
|tganfsation. eor those employed II thc
Republican camp would have NO
hesitancy in expressing over the tele
graph wire their own confidential
and innermost Judgment.
These kilograms are coming In and
the results will be embodied in to-
morrow's dispatch. As for the stu
alton east of the Mississippi river.
which has been examined in person
=
eral factors stand out as eXtraordi-
nary:
First-The heavy registration Of
women has made 1t doubtful wheth-
er in some states every body wiz
have chance 20 vote I'm the limited
period that the polls are open. on
account of the congestion at the
polls, especially in states where no
provision has been made to handle
the crowds, many votes will not be
cast 0t all
Second. The negro vote in North
ern states is better organized than it
ever has been. In some Of the bor-
der states feeling is not altogether
pleasant over the way the negroes
have been modified by the Repub-
liCQns and 1t is not altogether Ger
tainty whether in cases where the
Democrats control the election ma
chinery there will he time enough
for the negroes To vote though in
certain cities where the Republicans
have control just the reverse is apt
to be the case and many whites may
not get a chance TO vote. The race
question. unfortunately enters into
the calculations of certain important
states.
ThirN The true effect ot the en-
franchisCmon. of women throughout
the nation is th' most uncertain
quantity in the whole situation. PO-
litcians profess tn know how the
WON = viii vote but they don't No
political leader in all the states that
tn" writer visited was able 10 pro-
duo" n canvass Of the feminine vote
which could be considered complete.