The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-06-20
M ADOO IS
THIRD IN
POLL
Golfers Weekly Test Vote OF
Z Presidential Sentiment
Has Surprises.

tCS Wi
NEW YORK, June 20.-With
sd64,514 ballots counted, in Golfers
face-to-face straw vote, Henry
Ford receives 54,257, while Presi-
dent Harding, his nearest COM
petitor, receives only 1924. To-
qgether they have considerably more
than half the total vote. Other
wise the lineup is practically I'M
AChanged, McAdoo being followed
Closely by Cox among the strictly
Democratic aspirants, with CAT
Smith a good third, while johns
son, Hughes and Hoover string
along a respectful distance behind
the President.
Ford Leads i'm Ohio.
Ohio and Pennsylvania seem to
furnish the sensation Of the week.
Harding musters only 3,163 votes In
tahis own State against 1850 for
Ford, while rock-ribbed Republican
Pennsylvania returns a 4 to 3
plurality for the most nonpartisan
and utterly nonpolitical candidate
ewho ever messed up American
.politics.
Leaving out the Ford vote for
the moment and considering only
the votes cast for candidates OF
known political affiliations, we find
that the total Republican vote is a
little over $4,000, while the total
Democratic vote falls short OF
10000. If Ford's vote were added
- Oy,Iu half hn noY1onCrafi0 Vnfa
it would make him a winner
against any candidate who could
muster all the Republican votes,
unless the dissenting Democrats
were to vote for the Republican.
Some of them would, to be sure;
but, on the other hand, the most
optimistic Republican dopsters do
not dream Of a candidate who can
unite all the followers of La Fol-
1ette, Borah, Johnson, Harding,
Hoover, Hughes and Leonard
Democratic nominee could not re-
tain more than half his party vote
10 quite untl1inkable to most Demo
gratis.
L Count on Opposition.
If popularity were the key tol
Winning a nomination. it would
|BCCIn ltIlS lCSL- lIIdL O10
would be handed the Democratic
banner without much ado. But
popularity Is only one of the keys.
The politicians are apt to be more
interested in how much opposi-
ton a candidate may be expected
to develop, Granted that Ford has
the greatest following, isn't it quite
as obvious that he would have the
greatest opposition? Bryan had the
following in 1895 and wisconsin"
was the issue in 1920.
Neither Mckinley nor Harding
were particularly prominent in the
national political thought of the
time, but they happened to be men
upon whom the opposition could
unite.
Could the opposition to Ford unite
on Harding? Would the politically
minded Democrats who have been
ridiculing his administration sud-
denly flock to the Presidents camp
in order to save the country from
the Ford menace?" 1t is hard to
imagine: and yet Fords political
heresies" are undoubtedly more
fragrant, in the eyes of those who
consider them heresies, than were
Organs in 1895.
Could Ford win on a third ticket?
On the face of these returns there
is nothing to indicate that he could.
Hughes and Hoover are in the
Presidents Cabinet, and their fol-
lowing would not generally be
classed as anti-administration. Pre-
sumably the President, If nominated,
could hold this following in line,
along with the Wood and Lowden
vote. Eliminating the Borah and
La Toilette following, and a good
ho1f IF hn
their preference for Johnson, a
Republican candidate might still
hope to win against a single-handed
Ford. 1t may also be questioned
whether Ford, running on a third
ticket, would hold ali the votes of
those who have expressed their
preference for him.
The President, to be sure, is not
elected by popular vote, and it would
be possible for Ford thirdparty
fans to figure from these returns
that he might capture the hitherto
Democratic South and enough of
the doubtful and the Western States
TO secure majority in the Electoral
College. Unfortunately for these
dopesters. Golfers simply asked it's
/. readers whom they preferred for
President; we cannot guarantee that
all these voters have no second
choice, provided their preference 10
not ratified at one of the regular
conventions. 1t is not mathe.
matically inconceivable, in fact, that
some compromise candidate" might
not secure large percentage Of
the Ford followers. 1t is not un.
thinka BILE; it just hasn't been thought
of yet Perhaps Hoover, being as
nonpolitically minded as any of the
tOther candidates exceptinp Ford