Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-22
Straws in the North.

Massachusetts, has had its primary
nominated its candidates for governor
Senator and other officers; State anc
national. Both parties in the Bay State
are squared away for hard fight right
up to the eve of election, Much pre-
liminary campaigning has already beer
done. Heavy registration figures are
seen by both Republicans and Demo
Gratis as aids.
AS usual, there will be hundreds OF
thousands of votes cast in the general
election which did not figure at all il
the primary election. For one reason Oh
another voters do not take the keen in
terest in the primary elections they
take in the general elections, particular
ly in a presidential year. Nevertheless,
the volume of the votes cast in the re-
Spective party primaries may be con-
sidered as somewhat indicative of the
political trend in the State.
The Democrats can take little pleas
ure or encouragement from the show
ing made in point of numbers in the
primary vote last Tuesday. The Repub-
licans, on the other hand. may easily
take too much credit for their showing
in the primary. Both parties had con-
tests for the gubernatorial nomination.
In the Republican gubernatorial race
$4,000 votes were cast for the two
candidates, Lieut.. Gov. Frank c. Allen
and Frank A. Goodwin. The Democra. S
had two candidates for nomination for
governor, Gen. Charles H. Cole and
John j. Cummings. The total vote cast
for these candidates was 205,000. In
other words, the Republicans cast more
than twice as many votes as the Demo-
Gratis in their primary contests for the
nomination for governor. 1t is true that
interest in the Republican primary was
enhanced by three cornered race for
the senatorial nomination, while Sena-
tor David I. Walsh, Democrat, was I'M
opposed for denomination on the other
side. 1t is further true that the total
vote cast in the last presidential cleo
ton in Massachusetts, was in round
numbers 1,l25,000, as compared to the
total primary vote on Tuesday of 642,-
900 for the gubernatorial nominations,
showing that much of the voting
strength failed to materialize. When
Senator Walsh ran against former Sena-
tor William M. Butler two years age
Walsh won with vote of $4,000 to
100000 for the Republican.
But the feature of the primary vote
that is encouraging to the Republicans
lies in the fact that the total primary
vote was very large compared to other
primary elections in the State, and the
further fact that the Republicans were
sufficiently interested to go to the polls
in almost unprecedented numbers in Q
primary election, while the Democrats
although they made a considerable
showing, failed absolutely to compete III
numbers with the G. o. P.
In Massachusetts,, as in other New
England States, particularly Rhode Is
land and Connecticut, the Republicans
are relying on great reserve strength
in the rural districts and towns to offset
any gains which the Democrats, under
the leadership of Gov. Smith, may make
in the big industrial centers. The vott
in the primary in Massachusetts,, taker
in connection with the big Republican
vote rolled up in the Maine State cleo
ton on September 10, gives the impress
sion that the Republicans of New Eng
land are fairly aroused to the need o
voting this year If they are to defea
the Democratic national ticket and ar
ready.
The vote cast in Boston, Democratic
stronghold, in the recent primary show
that the Democrats cast in that cit,
more than twice as many votes for thei
candidates for the gubernatorial nom
nation than were cast by the Repub
licans in a similar contest. The vote II
Boston for the Democratic candidate
for governor totaled more than 10000
while the vote in the city for the Re
publican candidates was little NOR
than $4,000. These figures for Boston
taken in conjunction with the figure
for the entire State, give the primar
election still more color as real indica
ton of things political in Massachu
setts Had the Republican vote run any
where near equal to the Democratic vot
in Boston the totals might much NOR
easily be disregarded as a straw show
ing the way the wind is blowing.