The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-11-04
THOMAS VOTE
FIGURED OVER
TWO MILLIONS
Socialists Confident That
Thousands Have Been
Won for Cause.
NATIONS VIEW CHANGED
Wild Notions of Program
Sponsored by Party Are
Corrected.
BY HERBERT LITTLE
Times stan Writer

Times STAN Writer
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4.-The
Socialists, who claim that theirs is
the. only party to offer specific
and adequate program to the voters
in this campaign, hope to roll up
100000 or more votes Tuesday as
a basis for a real national Socialist
organization.
They believe that the campaign
of their nominee, Norman Thomas,
has done much to break down the
indifference to their beliefs, and to
overcome the feeling of many vot-
ers the Socialists avoid haircuts,
have dirty necks, and are first
cousins to wild reds who would like
to redistribute wealth by torch and
sword.
Thomas comedies that Governor
Roosevelt will win Tuesday, and, on
this basis. the fulfllment of Social
iSt hopes depends largely upon
whether the Democrats in power
follow conservative or progressive
lines of action.
Depends on Democrats
The record of state and national
history in recent decades shows
that the La Toilette policies of thirty
years ago, attacked as wild and red,
have been largely put into effect by
both major parties.
If Roosevelt adopts the Socialist
policies of Democratic control of in
dustry on large scale to conquer
unemployment and depression, the
Socialists appear likely to continue
as political ineffectives in their own
persons.
The size of Norman Thomas vote
on Tuesday, however, largely will
determine whether either of the old
parties is likely to be frightened into
more drastic social remedies, and
whether enough Americans are
breaking away from the idea that
all voters are either Republicans or
Democrats to justify an extensive
campaign of Socialist party organ
ization.
The Socialists are making cam
paignS also in a few congressional
districts, but most of their money
and effort has been concentrated on
Thomas remarkable 45-state upper
berth" campaign tour.
Set 100000 Figure
Some estimates have given
Thomas a chance at 100000 votes
or more out of the 100000 ex-
pected to be cast. This is not at all
impossible.
Eugene Debs polled per cent of
the total vote in 1912, although, with
much smaller and exclusively
male ballot, his total was 897 900. In
1920 Debs got 919,799, his largest
total, but only 80 per cent of the
votes cast.
The Literary Digest poll final to-
day gives Thomas 4.84 per cent of
the 100000 votes collected from
telephone subscribers and automo-
bile owners. Socialists believe that
a larger percentage of Thomas
votes will come from people without
automobiles or telephones.
Thomas 1928 total of 267 900 votes
was a fraction of ] per cent above
the 1928 Digest poll figure. The
Digest percentage, however, applied
to a vote of 100000, would give
Thomes 100000.
Will Not Sway Election
The Ohio Scripps-Howard poll
gives Thomas SIS per cent of that
industrial states voters a possible
$4,000 votes out of approximately
100000 voters in the state. On a
national scale, Thomas. with this
percentage, would get 1900, 900
votes.
On the basis of the predicted
overwhelming Democratic victory.
there is little chance that the bal
ance of power potential in this
thlrd-party vote, would sway the
election one way or the other.
In 1912, Debs' large. percentage
would have made no difference in
the outcome. But in a close race
as in 1864 million votes easily
would throw the election. 1t has
been calculated that the Socialist
vote in two key states would have
gwen the election to Hughes.