Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-10-30

1t was about a year ago that President
Roosevelt in "non-political' speech
glorified mounting signs of recovery by
saying, I'VE planned it that way"
Whether or not New Dealers engineered
the present eloquent manifestations of
business upswing they couldn't possibly
have planned 1t that way more effec-
lively for their election purposes. Some
thing resembling a genuine trade squirt
heartens the Rooseveltians on the eve
of battle. 1t banishes the one danger
that would have blighted their hopes as
November. 3 approached-namely an
eleventh-hour slump that might knock
the prosperity issue into cooked hat.
That bridge having been crossed, the
Democrats feel the promised land now
lies Just beyond United States Steel,
Americas largest employer. reports its
highest earnings since 1880. Other major
branches of industry are doing a vol
ume of business rapidly nearing the 1929
level. Some have already passed that
peak. In certain lines there is eXpecta-
ton of outstripping every previous record
before December 81. Manufacturers
catering to the Christmas market are
swamped with orders, with actual Short
age of supplies alleged here and there.
A leading life insurance company regis
tiers new all-time high in total assets
and policies in force. These are straws
which undeniably attest recovery. They
fill the Democrats with rock-ribbed con-
fidence that Roosevelt'S feat in beating
the depression will outweigh all other
considerations on election day.
x
Anoariro' t,oncf ,,on hndv Of
political diagnosticians, the Washington
newspaper corps is apparently prepon-
derantly of opinion that Roosevelt will
be reelected. Their views find express
sion in a sweepstakes contest organized
on modest scale among a group OF
correspondents. The grand prize will
60 to the scribe who comes nearest to
estimating the electoral vote. Roundly
IS per cent Of the participants seem
to think its only question of the
dimensions of the Presidents triumph.
Most of them believe he will win by a
near landslide of no fewer than 300
votes. Some venture the bunch that
he will range up to anywhere from 400
to 500. Only slender minority of writer's
expect Landon to reach the higher
brackets around 200. The notion is
widespread in the reportorial brigade
that the Governor will make far hand
somer popular vote showing than in the
Electoral College.
X X X
Reports are brought into Washington
by eyewitnesses that Norman Thomas,
Socialist candidate for President has
had, with few exceptions, disappointly
small campaign meetings. In conse-
quence, the scholarly New Workers. hope
of rolling up record-breaking Socialist
popular vote would not seem to be very
brilliant. Thomas got $4,000 votes in
1882. result that fell far below general
expectations based on the depression.
Several months ago Socialist leaders were
talking about the possibility of 5000, 600
poll for Thomas next week. 1t looks
now as If he'd be lucky to receive 1000
600. To date, Eugene v. Debs' 1920 vote
OF $4,000 represents the Socialist presl-
dental high-water mark.
Well soon know whether the Supreme
Court is going to vindicate Mr.. Dooley's
famous wisecrack that its decisions "fol-
low the election returns" It just hap.
pens that the bench is in recess and Will
hand down no more rulings until after
next weeks battle of ballots. The court
will resume operations on November 9,
when it convenes for fortnights ses-
sion. Sooner or later, as Winter wears
on, the marble pile on Capitol Hill will
be the scene of momentous decisions
affecting another batch ofNew Deal leg
fs1ation Including the ev5n tiono1 labor