Evening star., 1936-08-31

which is mostly registered in the DEM
ocratic party today, including a num-
ber of Communists, who openly
espouse that cause hereabouts, Is very
likely to be for Mr.. Roosevelt.
The business and professional men
and the white collar workers are
tending to support Gov. Landon, but
the key to the election here Is the
so-called progressive Republican vote
of yesteryears, which has lately been
following Senator Hiram johnson
into the bosom of the Democratic
party.
The registration figures just avail
able show the Democrats have
l,783. .028, in comparison with the Re-
publican registration of 1,198,550. This
is clear majority of more than
$4,000 votes.
Cite Upset Of Figures.
But will they all vote for President
Roosevelt? The Republicans point to
the fact that in August, four years
ago, the Republican registration ex-
ceeded the Democratic by 100000,
vet Mr.. Roosevelt carried California
by 477,000 over Mr.. Hoover.
If it be assumed that the tide was
running heavier for Mr.. Roosevelt IN
November, 1882, than it was in Au-
gust, 1882, and that the election re-
suit showed such change, then the
question is asked why, two years later
in November, 1934-did the Demo-
cratic registration exceed the Repub-
lican vote by only $4,000. The ac-
| tual registration in November, 1884,
was 1855, 7O5 for the Democrats and
1,430,195 for the Republicans. In
deed. the total combined registration
| two years ago was about 100000
larger than the vote cast for Mr..
Roosevelt and Mr.. Hoover in 1882.
The simple explanation is that Cali
fornia has been receiving a tre-
mendous influx of population from all
parts of the country. This is par
ticularly true of Southern California,
where the registration in Los An
geles County alone shows an excess
| of 800, 900 Democratic over the Re
publican this year. Take big north
ern county, like Alamada, and the Re-
publicans are ahead by only $4,000,
and in San Francisco County by about
$4,000.
Many on Relief.
The new population has been driving
into California by automobile from
all parts Of the country, but mostly
/ from the Middle West. Many tens OF
| thousands of these people gave up
the fight on the farm to seek the sun
shine of California, and large num-
ber of them have been on the relief
rolls. They naturally would register
Democratic as the New Deal lieuten-
ants tell all sorts Of stories about Re-
publican antipathy toward the con-
tinuance of relief. Many OF those
who have since gotten off relief feel
grateful for the help they got, the
assumption being widespread that the
money furnished came from the pock-
cts of Mr.. Roosevelt and the New
dealers themselves and not from the
Taxpayers of the country, among whom
st might be suspected are probably
more Republicans than Democrats.
They make little pretense of nom
|partisanship hereabouts in handling
relief. Government agencies of the
So called emergency character are run
on a political basis.
1t is significant that Republicans
have by no means lost hope of carry
ing the State. They refuse even pri-
vately to concede it is gone. This is
because they are counting on heavy
Townsend or third-party vote. The
Lemke- -Coughlin- Townsend candidates
will surely be on the ballot, as 1t takes
only about 10000 signatures for a
petition to be granted. If the Town
send vote, which is particularly strong
in Southern California, were to be
subtracted from the Roosevelt ticket
the State would be much closer, but
even so, the indications are that Mr..
Roosevelt would carry it unless the
johnson Republicans develop a fancy
for Gov. Landon, which as yet has
not happened. If Landon's speeches
take on a distinctly recognizable pro-
gressive character, he will win a
sizeable section of that Democratic
registration, but as matters stand now
the State as a whole seems heavily
pro-Roosevelt.
Copyright. 1866