Evening star., 1928-11-04
INDIANA EXPECTS
100000 TO VOTE
Republicans Feel New Regis
tration Will Take Them
Over the Top.
snecial pisnatch 10 The star.


INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. November s.
Probably 100000 voters will go to tbs
polls in Indiana Tuesday to express
their choice for President, and to elect
a United States Senator, 13 Repre-
sentatives and an entire State ticket.
If that number turns out, and political
managers are unanimous in their pre-
dictions. it will exceed by 250.000 the
high vote mark set in previous elec-
tions.
Although practically all observers
are agreed that Herbert Hoover holds
the inside track in this State, the ex-
pected outpouring of new voters has
caused the political managers some
sleepleSs nights. With each party
pretty badly torn up by the unpar-
alleled candidates. of Gov. Smith and
Hoover. these newcomers easily hold the
balance of power
Women to Help Their Nominee.
The Hoover leaders assert that their
nominee will be the chief beneficiary
of the new vote, and they contend
that it is largely made up of women
Who heretofore have not taken an in
terest in politics. The Democrats, on
the other hand, assert that it con-
sists of a vote-the man in the street,
for instance-to whom Smiths candi-
dacy has particularly appealed, and
they predict that the New York Gov
ernor will get the break on what has
previously been a stay-at-home voter
Discarding the ambitious claims of
the Republican leaders that Hoover
will sweep the State by upward of
100000, and the almost equally ex-
travagant claims of the Smith man.
ayers, the consensus among observers
holds Hoover down to around 100000
Some Republicans, noting the gains
that Smith has made in the last 10
days, assert they will be satisfied with
50,000 and there are few who will
venture a private guess that goes
sbove 10000. What few Democratic
guesses that are put forth in confidence
Ak Gov. Smiths ma jority around $4,000.
1t will be noted that all claims place
Hoover's estimated ma aiority below the
100000 mark achieved by Coolidge four
years ago and the $4,000 majority
obtained for Harding in 1920 In that
year $1,000 votes were cast for the
Socialist and Farmer-Labor candidates.
and in 1924 La Toilette and the Socialist
candidates polled 77,000 votes.
Followers to Scatter.
This year, however. although the Pro-
hibitionists, the Socialists, the Socialist
Labor and the Workers party have
places on the ballot, they are not ex-
pected to command much support, and
their former followers will scatter their
votes between Hoover and Smith. The
Democrats contend they will get the
edge IN this movement especially from
the II 900 who followed La Toilette four
years ago.
Inasmuch as Indiana has repealed
its registration law, there is no accu-
rate guage to what the turnout at the
polls will be. The only straw on which
to base an estimate is the 20-day poll
taken by the rival political organiza-
tions, and such a large number of
voters recorded themselves as doubt
full" that even that method is of little
avail. 1t is estimated that practically
one-third of the voters listed by the
poll-takers gave their politics as doubt
full"
That may mean, according to the
copesters, that large element of nor
mally straight Democrats are preparing
to bolt to Hoover, and again 1t may
mean that Republicans intend to go
over to Smith, and yet do not wish to
advise the poll-takers of their inten-
ticns. 1t is these puzzling facts that
have caused the politicians to pucker
their brows.
Reacts to Smith.
The religious bugaboo, on which the
Republicans relied for record-breaking
vote in favor Of Hoover, has reacted to
certain extent in favor of Smith.
There is no disputing the fact that
many Democrats will desert Smith be-
1f @1a - Iat- i...A
there are indications that the type of
campaign waged by the Ku Klux Klan.
the w. G. T. u, the Anti.Saloon League
and many Protestant ministers has
driven hundreds of Republicans to
Smith
Fertile ground for a rebuke to the
Klan and the Anti-Saloon League had
been prepared by Arthur L. Gillion.
Republican attorney general, in his
crusade to Gust the Klan and to i'm
prison E. S. Shumaker, head of the
league, for contempt of court. Many
Republicans who have openly pro-
tested against intolerance are for Smith
now. The dry forces and the Klan
have been voting with the Republicans
for years now, and it is not likely that
they made many converts in their drive
against Smith.
All that is necessary, therefore, is for
the Republicans to hold their normal
numerical superiority. Hopes that they
would benefit from a vast Democratic
Cesertion have largely been dissipated
and they are now fighting to hold their
own ranks intact. They are hopeful
that what Democratic deserters they
do obtain will Offset their losses be-
cause Of the religious and prohibition
angles. HAROLD c. FEIGHTNER.