Imperial Valley press., 1936-10-26
News Behind the News
GuessUOrk In Michigan The ROOse-
UeH ODafiOn Trend LandOn Needs
The State

DETROIT.-Michigan, where the Black Le-
gon has flourished and where most of the
automobiles are produced seemed slightly better
than even Republican bet before Landon and
Roosevelt came campaigning into the state.
Memory of tremendous crowds which greeted
Roosevelt in Detroit and other cities has col
ored all subsequent gueSswork. reorienta-
tion of political Judgment has led to many
private predictions of a Roosevelt victory and
has persuaded nearly everyone that Michigan
is just another of those large and very doubtful
states which Landon must carry to be elected.
Despite record of political independence and
a singular freedom from boss rule, Michigan
has gone for Democratic presidential candidate
but twice since LincolnS time.
Roosevelt took her 19 electoral votes by
plurality of 1872 900 in 1892 but there has been
backswing-especially in rural areas and small
towns-and in the Democratic landslide year
of 1884 Republicans elected Gov. Frank D. Fitz-
gerald by $4,000.
If Landon loses the state by small margin,
he can blame state organization which sacri-
ficed him to its candidate for governor, a band
wagon psychology arising from the unprecedent-
ed ovations given Roosevelt, or Landons own
course on his Michigan visit.
Republican billboards are plastered over the
state, but they say so much more about Fitz-
ferald than Landon that Chairman John Hamil-
ton is said to have protested
Roughly speaking Landon seemed to come
to Detroit as the candidate of the automobile
manufacturers and Roosevelt came as the
happen to be a lot more workers than manu-
facturers.
The president according to political experts
on pro-Landon newspapers in Detroit, scored
heavily by patting the former on the back and
mildly panning the latter
Top men in the automobile industry greeted
the governor. But the worst thing that hap
pened to him, one is informed, was his endorse
ment by Henry Ford.
Ford's labor politices are unpopular in Detroit.
o.
The Republican candidate was met by a
few hundred persons at the train and, with
bad weather break, pulled only from 5000 to
1000 people-estmates vary-for big speech
in a ball park which can hold $4,000. He did
much better upstate, but even at Lansing the
pro-Landon newspapers say the Roosevelt crowd
of $4,000 twice as large the Kansanis.
Police estimates of Roosevelt crowds seem
almost fantastic-450,000 to 100000 in Detroit,
10000 in Flint, many in Grand Rapids, and
25.000 to 10000 at minor stops.
All this may not be decisively important, but
ii explains why Of the most seasoned poll
tcal observers are betting on Roosevelt by
$4,000"
On the other hand, this is one state where
Roosevelt is definitely menaced by the Coughlin-
Lemke vote. If Jemke polls anywhere between
and 10 per cent of the total vote, the state
is more than likely to go for Landon.
The rural and small town vote usually just
about balances the big urban vote, making Mich
igan tough state to predict. Most polls aside
from that of the Literary Digest have slightly
favored Roosevelt, but may not have been suf-
ticiently weighted with rural ballots.