Evening star., 1936-10-25
OHIO STRAW VOTES
FAVOR ROOSEVELT
State Otherwise InsCrut.
able, However, as Race
NearS Finish.
BY L. r. CONNOR.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, October 24.-As
the last few days of the campaign
draw to a close and the candidates
skip hither and yon over the country
to present their views. make their
charges and give their pledges, Ohio
remains inscrutable.
The Literary Digest poll continues
to give Gov. Landon comfortable
margin in Ohio. The Gallup poll
tends to make it safer and safer for
Roosevelt. What the real answer is
to the question of how Ohio will vote
no one knows for certain.
Gov. Davey, who seems to be hope
lessly beaten by every straw vote be-
ing taken in Ohio, now counts on
freak break to give him victory. He
believes, or so some of the people
close to him say he believes, that
with the indicated extensive scratch
ing of ballots in Ohio he may he able
to pull through by hanging onto
President Roosevelts coattails.
Failed to Mention Davey.
1t was significant, however, that on
President Roosevelt's campaign trip
through this State that, despite the
hundreds and even thousands of re-
quests made by telegram and letter
that he mention Gov. Davey once or
twice in his many platform appear
ances, he never once spoke the Gov
ernor's name. The Governor ap-
peared In several news photos with
the President, smiling broadly and
with every indication of friendliness.
but it was obvious that the President,
knowing how close the vote probably
would be in Ohio. didn't feel it worth
the price to risk an open Endorsement
of Ohio's widely criticized Governor.
The reaction to Gov Landon's
travels through the Buckeye State
has been favorable. His supporters
here believe that he made a deep
impression upon the electorate and
that he added considerably to his
strength in this, the so-called third of
the country's doubtful States. The
State Republican campaign head
quarters are keeping unusually quiet
during these last days, figuring, ap-
parently, that the dogs of controversy
are now asleep and that to arouse
them might do more harm than good.
The lineup, on the face of the
half-dozen or more straw vote polls,
still remains the same. According to
most of these figures, the victories will
go to Roosevelt and Bricker. But the
undercurrent figuring hasn't subsidized
by any means.
Urban Counties for Roosevelt.
Ohio has eight strictly urban coun-
ties and 80 practically rural counties.
The voting population is almost
evenly divided. The urban counties
will 60 almost solidly for President
Roosevelt. OF the rural counties, 27
are normally Democratic. The experts
hereabouts are saying that If the
President can carry seven of these by
small margins he will be lucky. With
that division, the plurality of the win
ner is apt to fall to a mere $4,000 or
less in a total Of almost 100000
votes. And so the forecasters are
wary. They're not saying.
The same situation holds with re-
gard to the Negro vote. Negro lead
ers who see their race courted for its
political weight and nothing else by
traditionally prejudiced Southerners
are working frantically to line up the
vote for the Republican party, argu-
ing the while that after the election,
If Roosevelt wins, the colored man will
be Immediately dropped as conces-
sion to the demand of the Demo-
cratic powers of the Southland. But
it Is difficult to convince the Negro
who has been befriended with job
and relief by the New Deal that the
Republican party means anything
more to him than a mere academic
status of freedom from slavery. And
so it is pretty certain that this year
for the first time since the Negro
had a vote he will split almost evenly
between Democratic and Republican
choices.