The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-10-30
80 ELECTORS
FOR HIM, 161 TO
ROOSEVELT
Kansan Given 1,293,-
$50, Against 972,897
Straw Votes
BY EARL GOODWIN


$40 electoral votes to RooSevelt'S
161.
This will be the trend of cleo
ton headlines if the Nations
voters line up as indicated by the
final report of the Literary Digest
Poll to be published tomorrow.
In the final count Landon re-
ceives 1,293,669 straw votes to
RooSevelt'S 972,897 and Lemke'S
$3.50.
The Digest Poll shows Roosevelt
slipping slightly since the publ
cation of its count two weeks ago
when it gave Roosevelt 161 votes.
Gets "Solid South"
The States carried by Roosevelt
in the Digest Poll are Alabama,
Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Ken
lucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mis-
Sissippi, New Mexico, North Caro-
lima, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wiz
ginia. This nothing more than
the "Solid South plus Utah and
Oklahoma and the border States
of Kentucky and Maryland
thrown in.
The Digest kills all Roosevelt
hopes for the big pivotal States
and kills these hopes with tremen-
dous percentages against the New
Deal, such as Illinois, where the
poll is a 5-to-4 count for Landon;
Indiana, nearly 2 to l for Landon;
Massachusetts, better than 3 to l;
Michigan, 2 to l. New York state
is given to Landon in count show
ing 1862, 260 straws for Landon and
1927 for Roosevelt. PennSyI-
vania, which the Roosevelt forces
are claiming even now, is given TO
Landon by a 5-to-4 vote.
In the face of wide variety OF
other results from other polls,
friends of the Digest poll point
out that in 1924 it was 1914 per
cent correct.
Forecast Smith Loss
In 1928 it was approximately SO
per cent correct. 1t certainly fore
cast the Solid South's split against
Alfred E. Smith, and it forecast
the failure of Smith to carry his
own State of New York.
In 1882 the Digest forecast 474
electoral votes for Roosevelt to
Hoovers 81. This was close to the
actual vote, which turned out to be
Roosevelt 472, Hoover SO. In fore
casting the popular vote on the
repeal of prohibition the Digest
poll was off by only 6-1O0 OF !
per cent.
This year other poll takers and
many partiSans declare the Digest
poll is wrong; that the result
should be almost entirely re,
Versed with President Roosevelt
leading Landon with even a
greater lead of States than Lam
don is credited with by the Di-
gest. The Digest statement an
nouncing the final result, says:
'Never before have we re-
ceived SO many different varie-
ties of criticism"
The Digest goes on to repeat
what it said in a previous year
that it makes no claim to infal-
libility and did not invent the
phrase "uncanny accuracy" so
frequently applied to the Digest
polls.
Changes Possible
The Digest speaks of last-min-
ute switches in previous cam
paignS, and there is certainly
every possibility of some serious
laSt-minute switches in this cam
paign. The Democrats are meet
ing serious trouble with the pay
envelope" propaganda which the
President attacked at Wilkes
Barre, Pa, yesterday.
At the same time the Digest
statement makes an interesting
confession:
eve say now about Rhode
Island and Massachusetts that
our figures indicate in our own
judgment too large a percent
age for Mr.. LandOn."
However, the poll directors do
not believe Massachusetts, or
Rhode Island will be found in
the Roosevelt column. They seem
to think that not enough Demo
cratic strawS have come back to
them from the large number
mailed out.
While the Roosevelt hackers
claim Pennsylvania by a series of
calculations involving every county,
the Digest poll declares it is not
only safe for Landon but that
there has been a reversal of senti-
ment against Roosevelt to a re-
markable extent in many Key
stone State cities.
LandOn Given Coast
The Pacific Coast is given to
Roosevelt by the political writer's,
but not the Digest poll. The poll
says:
"a State like California is al.
ways difficult State to get an
accurate opinion from by the
polling method, and we may
be far aStray."
However, the Digest poll pre-
dicted that Upton Sinclair could
not be elected governor in the
face of political experts to the
contrary.
The Digest close it's statement
with these words:
"The poll represents the most
extensive straw ballot in the
field-the most experienced in
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