Evening star., 1928-11-01
REPUBLICANS HOLD
LEAD IN ARLINGTON
Combination of G. O. P. and
Anti-Smith Democrats In
diCateS Hoover Victory.
tContinued From First Page)

II expect the total vote this year ir
Arlington County will approximate
6,000" said Mr.. Spaulding. In the
last county election in the race for State
Senator the total vote was 5,881. New
registration should add about 1,0O(
voters-personS who have never before
voted in this county.
L anticipate majority for Hoover oi
1900 votes This estimate is based upor
the normal Republican vote, plus the
anti-Smith Democratic vote"
Next The Star correspondent went tC
see John T. Lyons of BallSton, chair
man of the Anti-Smith Club, which is
commposed of Democrats. who said
Arlington will go for Hoover by a
larger majority than it gave Coolidge
by a larger majority than any candi-
date for President has ever gained in
the county. We are not leaving any
stone unturned to elect Hoover"
Expect La Toilette Vote.
Prediction claims by opposing sides
usually mean very little, as observers
have found by experience, but they
disclose in this instance the degree of
confidence felt by each side in this
campaign and afford some basis for
comparison and analysis to determine
the real situation as nearly as 1t can
be determined.
The Smith Democrats feel rather con-
fident, it appears, that they will get
the bulk of the votes that went to La
Toilette four years ago. This is not
admitted by the Republicans and anti
Smith Democrats. Only election day
will tell this story correctly.
Arlington County even when 1t was
known as Alexandria County, has been
close in presidential elections for many
years. AS Alexandria County it went
Democratic in 1908, 1912 and 1916.
This year there is a big silent vote. "
As elsewhere in Virginia and Maryland,
where The Star correspondent has trav-
eled during the last two weeks many
men and women heretofore affiliated
with one or the other major parties SIM
ply decline to say how they intend to
vote Tuesday. They furnish the answer
to the question of who carries the
county.
COI0red Vote Doubtful.
The colored voters in the county pre-
sent an enigma. 1t looks as if more
than so per cent of them would vote
for Smith, which would be a distinct
gain, since they have heretofore been
almost solidly Republican. The oppo-
VI ltlC TAu AtaA kAid11 w N0AiAIlA
is believed to be the principal reasCN
for this reported change in the attitude
of many colored voters. The Klan. SO
far as this writer learned, is not max
ing an organized effort to carry the
county for Hoover, but individual men,
bers of the Klan are working hard for
him, and there is no doubt where the
membership of that organization stands
in this campaign.
Many of the anti-Smith Democrats,
but not all of them, will vote for the
reelection of Representative Moore,
Democrat. of the eighth congressional
district of which Arlington County and
Alexandria City are a part, and also
for Senator Swanson, Democrat. neither
of whom has. an opponent in this cam
paign.
The campaign issues that are sway
ing the people in the county are much
the same in Alexandria City, where,
however, the Democratic organization
is stronger and there has been less of
an influx of Republican home-seekers
from Washington. The Democratic
leaders in the city are very confident.
c. C. Carlin, jr.. chairman of the
Democratic committee of Alexandria,
while claiming the city as certain for
Smith, gives Arlington County to Hoo
yer as the result of information which
he has obtained both as political leader
and as editor of the Alexandria Ga
zette, a strong Democratic and pro-
Smith newspaper. He says Fairfax
County is very close, with leaning
toward Smith.
Alexandria Democratic.
alexandria City is safely Democrat
ic,," said Mr.. Carlin to The Star. 1T
is largely a question of being able to
get the voters out At the present time
it looks as if about 1000 votes will be
cast If this is done, the Democratic
majority here is expected to be at least
900, which is above our normal ma
jority of 519"
There is no question, declared J. r.
Cation, sr.. president of the Smith
Robinson Club of Alexandria, "that the
city will give fair majority for the
Democratic ticket"
John Barton Phillips is chairman OF
the Alexandria Republican committee,
He said: "The outcome of the cam
paign in this city rests largely with
the independent voters who have not
spoken. The local race is difficult to
size up and I will make no prediction
of the outcome 1 am hopeful, how
ever, that the Republican nominee will
carry the city"
That it is hard to predict the result
of Alexandria is also the opinion OF
E. E. Carver, president Of the Hoover
Curtis Club, who also believes that the
independent voters will figure impor-
family in the election.
Sees Hoover Victor.
Every day, according to G. H. Brown
president of the Hoover-Curtis Demo
cratic Club of Alexandria, that organi-
zation is getting new members and re-
ceiving letters from our citizens offer
ing their services in order that we car
do the job-which seems to me to in
dicate that the sentiment for Hoover
is certainly here"
Mr. Brown doubts if many can an
swer accurately the question, Who viii
carry Alexandria?
"As an individual" he said to The
Star, 81 can truthfully say that I be-
1ieve that we have mighty fine chance
to win"
These prediction statements and
claims serve to show something of what
is going on in AleXandria-how the
Democratic party is split there as else
where--and to indicate that the regu-
lar Democratic organization is appar-
entity much more certain of carrying
the city for Smith than the opposition
is of overturning the normal Demo.
cratic majority in Alexandria and Civ.
ing a majority there to Hoover. These
statements still, however, leave the
situation considerably beclouded, a!
those interviewed in most instances arr
the first to admit.
Alexandria City in 1920 gave Co,
1.417 votes and Harding 992. Foul
years ago the vote was: Davis, 1,136
Coolidge, 556, and La Toilette, 266.
The campaign in both Arlington
County and Alexandria City will prob
ably be kept up by both sides until thu
very day of election, and both side
%nla o. tho INnllifnf