The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-03-23
(Official City, State and County
Newspaper
Foreign Representatives
SHALL, SPENCER, LCVINGS
e. BREWER
UncorporatedD
CHICAGO NEW YORK BOSTON
How Poll OperateS

In an interesting letter to the edi
or Of the New York Times, William
3eavor Wood, editor of the Literar
Digest, answers the criticisms of tn
irys as to the manner in which tn
,traw votes In the Digest's poll on tn
liquor issue are being distributed. S.
,reat is the national interest In thi
,oll and so much confidence has al
Ways been placed in Digest polls o
he past, The Tribune considers tn
etter worthy Of publication in tote
t follows:
I note with much interest in
The Times this morning state
ment on The Literary Digest pro-
hibition poll from DR.. Daniel A.
Polling, chairman of the allied
forces for prohibition, in which
he admits that the poll is honest,
but. as you report, he "said the
poll was one of the city rather
than of the country and Of men
rather than women. and added
that the drys are not voting but
should do So"
I have the very highest respect
for DR.. Polling, who is one of the
notable religious leaders of Amer
lea, and for that reason I feel
sure that he wishes to have his
facts perfectly straight. The truth
is that the poll is of the country
rather than Of the city. I have
before me the figures Of our bal
lot distribution for the twenty
seven states classified as rural
by the United States Census Bu-
reau. These states cast 27.5 per
cent of the popular vote, but re-
ceived 1923 per cent of the total
number of Digest ballots in the
prohibition poll. This was not
done purposely, and We did not
realize it ourselves until critics
tried to make the point that it
was an urban rather than rural
poll. If they were right, then
New York State with it's big CT
ties would receive bigger pro-
portion of ballots than a rural
State like Kansas or Iowa. We
find, however, that New York
State cast 1911 per cent of the
popular vote and received only
9.86 per cent of The Digest bal
lots, while Kansas cast 1893 per
cent Of the popular vote and re-
ceived 2.33 per cent Of the Digest
ballots. and Iowa cast 2.74 per
cent Of the popular vote and re-
ceived 3.l6 per cent Of The Di-
gest ballots. More citations
would simply emphasize the same
point; the poll is distinctly more
rural than urban.
Now for the other criticism
that 1t is a poll "of men rather
than women" To ascertain the
truth of this we have taken a
complete poll of all names on the
list of registered voters for Port
land, Me-, one of the original and
strongest prohibition States. We
mailed 1856 ballots to these vot-
erS, OF which 1883 went to men
and 1883 to women. We re-
ceived 6,842 returned ballots, of
which 2,071 were for continuance
Of the Eighteenth Amendment,
and 4,771 for repeal. Both the
mems and women's votes taken
separately showed heavy MAORI
ties for repeal.
We are making no argument
for or against prohibition, and
are taking our poll with entire
impartiality, and all we desire is
due credit for the accuracy and
integrity of our efforts. Our only
suggestion to our dry critics is
that they would do much better
to accept the poll at its true
value, and shape their strategy
accordingly, rather than to try
to obscure its significance by
claims which do not stand exam
ination.