Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1920-10-20
Canvass of 5.154 Editors Shows
4,466 Communities Against
SociaIistic Experiment.
OPPOSITION WING
EIqhty-seven Per Cent In 1920 as
Against IS Per Gent In 1919
Think Public Is Opposed
to Radlcallsrn-


try Out Of 5.154 editors replying to
QUESTIONABLE sent out by the Press
Service Company OF New York. 4.466
| or sc per cent. gave II as their tudg-
ment that the people OF their commu-
mites we're overwhelmingly against
the Government competing in business
with its own citizens.
In 1919 the Press Service Company
conducted similar canvass OF editors
on the government operation OF rail-
roads. That QUESTIONABLE showed that
So per cent Of the editors considered
their communities against Govern
ment operation of public utilities.
Apparently. then, II editors estimate
public opinion accurately. that opin-
ion in a year, considered by commu-
mites, has swung 3 per cent farther
away from socialistic experiments
Eleven Million Circulation.
The combined circulation Of the pa.
pers whose editors replied is i1,42s.-
ST.. which means. according TO the
usual estimated ratio between circula-
ton and readers, a constituency OF at
least 100000 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 whole.
Another feature OF the result 10 its
evident lack OF partisan bias. The
major political affiliations OF the pa
pers represented are fairly evenly d.
vided. being 1857 Republican and
1880 Democratic There are also LASS
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, whore
replies came from IS Republican pa
pers and $50 Democratic, the per-
centage against Government operation
was IS: In the Great Lake section.
with conditions reversed, ATS Repub-
lican and l55 Democratic, the oppo-
siton was 81 per cent
Replies from the West, Middle West
and Southwest show that It is mis-
take TO consider those sections vastly
more favorable to radical Government
experiments than the East The rad
icals can get little comfort out OF the
50 per cent Of thumbs down. per
cent above the average-in the South
west, including Arkansas, Louisiana,
Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Tex
as. Texas, once supposed TO be much
given TO Government regulation ex-
periments, returned go per cent OF IN
favorable replies Out of the pa edi-
tors replying from that state only
three edited Republican papers. The
81 per cent opposition Of the North
west. including Iowa. Minnesota. Mon
tana, Nebraska. North Dakota, South
Dakota and Wyoming. and the SO per
cent veto OF the Far West group, in
Guiding Arizona. California. Idaho.
Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon. Colo
RADIO, Utah and Washington, are sig
niticant of the prevailing conservative
sentiment on this question even In
the more radical sections.
Judgment Apparently Unbiased.
The QUESTIONABLE closes with a re-
quest for the EDITORS personal opin-
ion on certain concrete cases as fol-
lows:
do you personally believe that the
Federal Government should own and
operate competitive industries TO pro-
vide: (a) Fertilizer (b) Clothing?
(c) Automobiles (d) Farm nipple
mentsl te) Foodstuffs7
Substantially all the editors who
gave estimates of their readers opln-
ions also expressed their own by re-
| plying TO this last question. Proof Of
considerable effort to avoid personal
| bias Is found In the fact that In many
| cases the editor differed from the
| opinion he credited TO his community.
| The percentage of mos" ran: (a)
rs; tb) 50; (c) So; I'D 81; (e) 10
While the questions were based on
general principles involved In the
Government participating in competi-
tive business. the so-called Muscle
Shoals Bill now before Congress was
used as concrete example of a Gov
eminent operation scheme. Under this
bill Government-owned corporation
would be given broad powers TO oper-
| ate and develop Government plants
and properties. II wonld produce al
Muscle Shoals various fertilizer prod
ucts and sell them In competition with
| producers and merchants In the fer
tilizer business.
The strength of the opposition to
Government operation is indicated by
the replies from Alabama. where the
Muscle Shoals war plant Is and where,
Of course. there is intense interest
and local pride In getting its expected
peace-time operation under way at the
earliest possible date Fifty editors
from that state replied of whom IS
we're opposed 10 Government ol.sra,
ton, In favor and doa0laL