The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-11-19
Canvass OF 5,154 Editors Shows
4,466 Communities Against
SOciaIistfC Experiment.
position GROWING
elshty.seVen Per Cont In 1920 40
Against 80 Per Cent In 1919
Think Public 10 Opposed
to RadlcaIIsn1.

try. Out Of 5,154 editors replying to
a QUESTIONABLE sent out by the Press
Service Company Of New York, 4,466,
or 81 per cent, gave it as their judg-
ment that the people Of their commu-
mites were 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
80 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 per cent farther
away from sociaIistic experiments
Eleven Million Circulation.
The combined circulation Of the pa.
pers whose editors replied Is laps.
SIT, which means, according to the
usual estimated ratio between circula-
ton and readers, 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 fair representation Of
the people as 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 1887 Republican and
1850 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, where
replies came from IS Republican pa
pers and $50 Democratic, the per-
centags against Government operation
was So; In the Great Lake section,
with conditions reversed, 4IS Repub-
ican and 1855 Democratic, the oppo-
sition was 81 per cent.
Replies from the West, Middle West
and Southwest show that 1t 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 ayerags-in the South
west, including Arkansas, Louisiana,
Missouri. Kansas, Oklahoma and Tex
as. Texas, once supposed to be mucn
given to Government regulation sx-
periments, returned 90 per cent of I'M
favorable replies. Out Of the 244 sdi-
tors replying from that state only
three edited Republican papers. The
50 per cent opposition Of the Nerth-
west, including Iowa, Minnesota, Mon
tana. Nebraska, North Dakota, South
Dakota and Wyoming, and the 50 per
cent veto Of the Far West group, IN
Guiding Arizona, California, Idaho,
Nevada. New Mexico, Oregon, Colo
RADIO, Utah and Washington. are sig
nifcant 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
onerats competitive Industries to pro-
vide: (a) Fertilizer? (b) Clothing
icy Automobiles (d) Farm nipple
ments? (s) Foodstufrs?
Substantially all the editors VINO
gave estimates Of their readers opin'
ions also expressed their own by re-
plying to this last question. PROOF Of
considerable effort to avoid personal
HAS Is found In the fact that In many
cases the editor differed from the
optnion he credited to his community
'Ths percentage of mos" ran: (s)
rs: (b) 50; (c) So; td) 81; ts) 10.
While the questions were based or
general principles involved In the
Government participating in competi
five business, the so-callsd Muscle
shoals Bill now before Congress wal
used as a concrete example Of Gov
eminent operation scheme. Under TILL
bill a aforementioned corporation
would be given broad powers to oper
ate and develop Government plants
and properties. 1t would produce q
Muscle Shoals various fertilizer proc
nets and sell them In competition VIII
PRODUCERS and merchants in ths fer
tilIzer business.
Tho strength of the opposition q
Government operation is indicated D!
the replies from Alabama, where th'
Muscle Shoals war plant Is and where
AZ course. there is intense interss
and local pride in getting Its sxpscts'
peace-tims operation under way at TN
EARLIEST possible date. Fifty editori
from that state replied. OF whom 3
were opposed to Government opsra
a =. u - AL