New Britain herald., 1928-11-07
Democrats Believe Fail
ure Of Sixth Ward to
Produce Expected
Support for Smith
Partly Responsible for
Defeat.
More Votes Cast in First
Ward Than Appeared
On Check List One Hour
Before Polls Are Closed.

The republican ticket carried this
city in yesterdays balloting. having
q plurality Of sS9 votes. which Ia
5,5S4 less than the G. o. p. candi-
dates had in the last presidential
elections. The result was: Hoover.
10.099; Smith. S,70S.
All voting records were shattered
during the day as :0,2o5 electors
passed through the polling places,
representing 94.7 per cent of the
eligible total of 1881.
In the first ward an hour before
the polls closed more votes had been
cast than the total Of names appear
tug on the checklist, this condition.
resulting from the issuance of an
inaccurate list. The names of elec-
tors who proved their voting right
were written on the official list in
longhand.
Sixth Ward Fails Democrats
The sixth ward which failed to
give the democratic ticket the sup
port expected and cost the party the
: election. had the largest number of
''stay-at c33 having failed
TO vote in the district. In the ward.
1909 Of the 4.64: listed went to the
> polls.
The fifth ward gave Smith 1901
ma jority, a considerably greater
number than had been expected.
. out OF 1892 eligibls. 3,222 came to
~ ptsAss -
checked.
But ia of the 1888 third ward
electors failed to vote. The fourth
ward had 2.2lS votes and 1870 alb
sentees. while the second ward re-
ported 1856 absent and 1853 voting.
Although at first inclined to re-
gard the tariff issue to have swung
tho election. the democrats now be-
lieve other issues determined the re-
suit. 1t is pointed out that the fifth
ward electorate is composed almost
entirely of men and women em-
ployed in industrial plants. yet this
district gave the democratic ticket a
plurality far beyond the expectations
Of either party.
Sixth Ward Conditions Changing
The failure Of the sixth ward to
come through with the expected
plurality OF from 1900 to 1000 is
attributed 10 the changing political
complexion Of the district which has
come with the development Of the
area to the north and east. That 1t
} is still rockbound democratic ward
is clearly shown by the large ma
jorities given in this and in the city
election. but the fifth ward yester-
day stepped to the fore as the BACK
bone Of democracy in New Britain,
an appellation which has been ap-
piled by spellbinders to the sixth
ward for many years.
Z Political analysts last night point
ed out that the democrats would not
have carried the city even II they
had brought out a 100 per cent vote
4 in their strong districts. The total of
absentees In the fifth and sixth wards
was 4os. Allowing the republicans
but a fraction of the average they
maintained through the day. the
= democrats would not have offset the
$50 republican lead. 1t was pointed
out.
More interest was evidenced In
. Yesterdays election than In any poll
ing in many years. At IL a. M. SO
per cent of the voters had been
heard from. and at 2:30 o'clock In
! the afternoon. an 50 per cent vote
had been recorded.
Confidence dominated the warning
political camps throughout the day.
When the returns Of the fifth ward
) we're received and the great demo-
cratic ma ajority became known. both
the republican and the democratic
headquarters considered the city
had given Smith a lead. but when
the sixth ward total was announc-
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