Evening star., 1936-10-28
Lincoln
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out to interview workers all over the
city and in other parts of the State
The interviews they bring in show
. substantial number of the workers
hostile to the plan to deduct money
from their pay envelopes. even though
it Is for old-age pensions in the future.
No one can say how effective this
attack Is going to be in turning votes
away from the New Deal President.
The Democrats have little time to
combat the issue or to engage in a
campaign Of education. The plain
truth Of the matter is that the workers
are coming to understand there are
to be these deductions from their pay
envelopes and they do not relish the
idea.
Democrats Present Views.
Democratic leaders say that labor
in Rhode Island Endorsed the social
security act; that it understood that
1t was to put up a very small amount
Of its earnings for old-age pensions
and unemployment insurance, and
that being the case, they see no
reason why the voters should now be
aroused against Roosevelt on this
issue. They may be correct. But the
interviews with the workers now being
published daily are causing these
leaders anxious moments.
Roosevelt carried this State four
years ago by $1,000 votes over Hoover.
OF the total vote in the State, 202, 900
were cast in Providence, and $1,000
in the other four counties. Hoover
had margin Of 5000 votes outside
of Providence, and Providence came
through with $4,000 lead for Roose-
welt.
The problem for the Republicans is
to cut down the Democratic majority
in Providence. II they can hold it to
10000 or $4,000. they may yet win
the State. Two comparatively recent
elections have buoyed Republican
hopes. A year ago last August. the
first congressional district held an
election to fill vacancy in the House.
To the amazement of all the poll
ticians, including the Republicans,
Risk, the G. o. P. candidate, won. He
not only won, but had more than a.
900 votes lead over his Democratic
opponent. The Republican victory
was big news all over the country. An
industrial district in Rhode Island.
including part of Providence, had
turned the New Deal down fiat. The
Republicans hailed it as forerunner
of wave which was to break the back
of the New Deal in 1886.
The second election took place last
March when the Democrats sought to
put through a proposal to amend the
State constitution so as to do away
with the so-called rotten borough sys-
tenn, under which each Of the smaller
cities and towns has member Of the
Senate, and Providence has q COM
paratively small number when its pop
ulation Is considered. The proposal
also sought to put into the State con-
stitution certain provisions which went
on all fours with the Roosevelt New
Deal. This proposal was defeated.
Workers Resented N. r. A.
A year ago last August, the workers
in Rhode Island were still sore over
the N. r. A. and the processing taxes,
which they had been taught to believe
played havoc with the textile mills.
The N. r. A. and the processing taxes
have passed from the picture, although
James Roosevelt, son of the President,
stirred the issue of the N. r. A. in q
speech recently in Massachusetts,, say
ing that it was his opinion-or the
President,s-that the N. r. A. or
like it should be revived.
It is the claim of the Democrats
that the Rhode Island textile workers
and business men have largely for.
gotten now about the N. r. A. and the
processing taxes, which the Supreme
Court tossed out of the window. The
Democrats say that Roosevelt himself
is the central figure and great issue
in this election and that all the work
ers are for him.
It Is on this Roosevelt personality
that the Democrats are basing their
hopes of victory In Rhode Island, as
they are in other States. Roosevelt,
the humanitarian, the friend of the
poor man and the enemy of the rich
1t is this personal popularity of the
President with the workers that keeps
the Republicans awake nights. It is
an imponderable factor they have no
exact way of measuring. They. and
the Democrats know that the Presi-
dent went through Providence early
one morning on his recent New Eng.
land campaign trip and that at $3.50
o'clock he drew the greatest crowds