The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-30
CENSUS ON THE REASONS OF VOTERS

nor become blinded to human nature as he
 studies it in the mass will wonder as he goes along now many persons actually Will vote against their own best interests in order to
 preserve and promote principle. He will be forced time and again to ask himself whether consecration to principal is not a fetish toEbe exposed in the hour ofsdanget rather than garment to;te censtantly YQftAmid the cafk- ing cares of life M M &
 As again rend the book bk human nature during the fece5t cainpaign Hmong all sorts of persons iii all sorts of places, and, 1strust, with non-partisan eye, reached the con- clusion that comparatively small, in fact in- significant, things affect many persons and dictate their votes rather than importantsgr outstanding issues.s As have no means of knowing I0w large this number of voters may be, find myself wishing for q survey or a census of the reasons which caused persons to vote asSthey dids To instance, met one charming and apparently intelligent woman who told me she had been reared Democrat, but was going to vote for La Toilette because, to quote her, i've must preserve the Ameri- can hone.y I inquired what ,particular elattn
 the senator had over any one else ms, the guardian of our homes Her" response was quick and apparently sincere. La Toilette, she said, had taken up the defense of the home after Mir. McAdoo had .beens srobbed of that great privilege. ,@ <. F. &A .,> /, E I talked with workiRg woman, also reared as Democrat. She WAS going to vote for Mr. Coolidge and for young Roosevelt for governor of New York. Her reason was all sufficient. Though she, herself, was work Ting woman, she liked class and breeding in the official life of America. It seemed to her that public office ought 8lways to be held by cultured gentlemen descended from . lineage of cultured gentlemen. I ventured to ask her why not MT. Davis if that were her View of the qualifications for public office. She said Mir. Davis had made himself commonplace by making speeches to the masses of the people.
 On the other hand,a Republican told me he was going to vote for Davis because he did not approve of the Coolidge silence .ss He said Ia president ought not to be hermit. How ever. others favored the president because he had sense enough to keep his mouth shutt6I found persons who disclaimed any sympathy with the church controversy, yet who voiced concern over the poss7Ble danger of a papal bull being let loose in the playgrounds of America to the injury of our children. Some found who did not like Coolidge's reserve; others who insisted that Davis was too friendly to be true still others who were going to vote for La Toilette, not that they believed in the things he stood for, but in order to give him a chance. Any number of persons expressed discontent with both of the old parties and told me that each had called the other rascals so long that they were inclined to cry plague on the houses of both. so --.+, sG
 could multiply many times the reasons that friendly souls gave me for their proposed conduct on election day, but the few l. have related will suffice. These reasons, together with the post-election explanations, which T have heard, lead me to doubt the ability of political parties in the time of peace and fin the absence of a great moral question to draw a line of cleavage in respect to principles of government, which the voters will respect to the exclusion of personal ideas and minor con- alterations. However, the so-called contro- versy between principles is very apt to go on. against it next year. The divorce evil seems to have crept into the electorate so far as party loyalty until death do us part is con- cerned. E. - :.