The Daily Alaska empire., 1928-10-01
WHO WILL BE ELECTED?

WHO WILL BE ELECTED? The Ketehikan Chronicle says MT Hoover W efeat Gov. Smith by more than 1O,ooo'ooo ority Why the majority was limited 10 u modest figure was not explained.
 We'll, perhaps the Chronicle knows The ire does not. It has not discovered n determine how the American people expect -ote next November. Particularly, 1t does ,now how those millions who have not cached conclusion themselves will finally tide to vote.
 However, it has been said that misery lo' company, and there ether observers, as " IS The Empire, that do not know who Will ected We have before us the last issue 'lain Talk magazine. It is published by TWO ,ublicans and. while the editor, George Dan Eaton, says he does not yote,. he Is listed Who's Who in America as Republican and Methodist. In an editorial by MT. Eaton, Pli Talk says
 The general sentiment is Hoover will be elected but Smith will give h1m a real fight" Plain Talk is unprepafed to predict, but straws are bending In breezes that are stronger than zephyrs
 In the July number mentioned the fact that one-quartef or those Who Noteu for Smith in the Philadelphia primaries were Republicans. while less than hundredth of those who voted for Hoover were Democrats which would seem to indicate that Smith was losing few Protestant Democrats or Democrat drys and gaining great many Repub- lican vets or, perhaps, Republican Catholics. Either way, he is gaining votes and losing practically none.
 tafa uhi Hearst newspapers have made, Smith led Hoover two-to-one in thirty-nne cities and their suburbs. In Michigan, which is roek-ribbed Republican State, Smith led by almost three to one Straw votes indicate generally very little, but we must take into consideration that Hearst is not for Smith. The two men are inyeterate enemies.
 But the important thing is that, in taking the straw vote, the Hearst pa- pers asked each voter how he had bal loted in the 1924 elections, and these same persons who had previously voted three and four to one for Coolidge over Davis are now voting two and three to one for Smith. Another interesting fact in this straw vote is that about quar- ter of the voters did not vote at all when Coolidge was running against Davis
 Plainly Smith Is a vote-getter. He not only wins votes from his rivals but he makes people vote who are usually little interested in politics. and he makes them vote for him.
 These facts, we believe are signif- cant. Significant too. is the fact that Smith. in the straw vote in California, Hoovers own State, led the Secretary of Commerce two to one.
 Not as we have indicated, that we place great deal of stress on straw vote We hardly think that Smith will carry California. We do not believe that he will carry even a few of the prairie States where the farmers are supposed to be disgruntled. But. in spite of this and in spite of the possibility of his losing Kentucky Tennessee, Oklahoma and even North Carolina we think he still has an xcellent chance to win.
 In fact if Smith could win with the Northern States and some of the South States would turn Republican. we believe it would be a thing of great advantage to the country. It would break up the solid South without de- sroying the Democratic Party and thus putting us at the mercy of one party which has already shown strong lean- ings toward autoeracy. We regret that religious bigotry will change Southern votes, but at least the political bgotry in the South will be broken up, and one less blgotry below the Mason and Dixon line will not hurt things.
 After all, will Smith win? We do not know But we say with many others that he will put up a tremend- ously stif fight. He will put it up to some extent on his personality and achievements, but will put it up to a far larger extent on the Prohibition question. Many of the people in the big cities are tired. irritated and even angry at being dominated by the Anti-Saloon Leagues bloc of fanatics and the balance of power that they represent; they are tired and irritated and angry at having the country's thirst dictated by the rot ten-borough system and gerrymandering They believe that they have a right to drink; they have been drinking but they are tired and angry and irritated at the prices they pay. They want conviyiality and they are tired and angry and irr-