The Washington times., 1932-09-15
FRAUD AND BIAS
BARRED FROM
HEARST POLL
BY COLE E, MORGAN

BY COLE E. MORGAN
The nationwide Presidential
poll of The washington Times
and other Hearst papers is as
unbiased and impartial as it has
been humanity possible to devise.
The facts as developed from
day to day in the ballot returns
of voters are presented to the
readers Of these newspapers just
as they come to light in the daily
tabulation of the thousands OF
post cards pouring in from all
sections of the country.
There is no attempt at any
time to distort these facts in
the interest of any party or can
didate. They speak for them
selves as a voluntary expression
of opinion by the individual
voters, assembled through the
medium of these newspapers.
Not a Reader Poll
This is not a poll Of readers
of the Hearst newspapers. 1t is
q, poll of a list of more than
3,500,000 voters distributed in
every county in the United States,
regardless of the individuals po-
1itical or newspaper affiliation.
To obtain an absolutely non
partisan and unbiased mailing
list, the Hearst newspapers set
up a special staff in Washington
last January to compile an orig
inal mailing list under the most
rigid supervision.
AS a preliminary step, the vote
for President in 1928 of each Of
the 48 States and each of the
more than 5000 individual coun-
ties was ascertained. A quota of
10 per cent of these State and
county vote totals was set aside
for canvass.
TwO-Thirds Men
These quotas in every instance
were, apportioned two thirds to
men and one-third to women to
give representation to the sexes in
relative proportion to their par
ticipation in national elections.
The best authorities available
agree that the participation Of
women in politics ranges some
where between 80 and 30 per cent
of the total number of voters, the
percentage varying to some extent
in different localities.
The SO per cent mark, therefore,
was regarded as a reasonable and
safe average.
Seeking an impartial and non
partisan name source that would
reach as nearly as available to
every point Of the social and eco
nomic scale, the telephone sub
Scriber list was accepted as meet
ing that condition.
Bell System COOperateS
The cooperation of the Bell Tele-
phone System and its widely flung
operating units, together with
scores Of independent telephone
companies, was obtained in as
gembling telephone directories COW
ering the whole range of phone
. users, from the large metropolitan
exchanges to the rural farmer
lines.
Several thousand directories,
representing telephone exchanges
in upwards of $4,000 communities,
were gathered.
From these directories the mail
ing list was built, county by
county and State by State, until
the entire country had been
covered.
Throughout the operation,
which consumed full six months
for a staff of Is persons, the 10
per cent apportionment to the
individual county and the two
and one between the sexes was
Eigidly adhered to.
The names selected from these
directories for canvass were taken
without any knowledge of the
political party affiliation or
views of that individual voter.
From the mailing list thus so
carefully compiled, the ballot
cards. are being addressed and
mailed at the rate of $4,000 a
day. The mailing, which began
eight weeks ago, has now reached
the 100000 mark and will con-
tinue at this $4,000 daily output
until aonther one and half mil
lion cards have been sent out.
Each days mailing is designed
to give a blanketing of each
State twice each week. There is
no opportunity for the larger
cities to be overemphaSized at
the expense of the sparcely set
tied rural areas.
Every ballot card returned by
q voter is checked at least half
dozen times before it is finally
put on record and included in the
published tabulations appearing
in the Hearst newspapers.
This is not left to the careless
handling of minor clerks, but is
done by a special staff of intel
aigent college-trained men and
women of the highest integrity.
The results of the half dozen sep
arate tabulations must agree be-
fore the figures are released for