Evening star., 1936-10-24
Mindful of Factor.


IAN explanation-other than there
was no desire to participate in the
poll-was offered for the lower per-
centage in county returns. 1t was
pointed out that the mail collections
in rural areas did not permit a maxi
mum of secrecy and that persons may
have declined to ballot for this
reason"
This may or may not have been
true also in the cities, but it is most
regrettable that the poll was not taken
on a basis of every third or fourth
name, so as to confound the politi-
clans, and with a ballot that could
have been placed in a return envelope
to be marked and sealed in secrecy.
If one takes the Literary Digest poll
of Maryland, the indicated majority
for Mr.. Roosevelt is about $1,000. II
one applies 54 per cent as the per-
centage for Mr.. Landon in the rural
counties of Maryland, on the assump-
ton that the rural counties here
would be about the same as they are
in other border States, like Missouri,
1t still gives Mr.. Roosevelt about a
$4,000 majority in Maryland. This,
incidentally, is what a private esti-
mate, made by disinterested sources,
gives as the Maryland majority for
President Roosevelt.
But $4,000 is more like what may
be expected in Maryland this year,
and not 144,000, as there is no reason
to assume that the New Deal tide will
run higher in the border States than
in the Middle Western States.
u. S. Swings With Maryland.
Marylanders are saying that, as
their State goes, so goes the Nation,
and that at no time has an election
been won for so years that has not
followed the Maryland cue. This
used to be said about New York State
until 1915 shattered the myth and
elected Wilson without New York or
New Jersey or Indiana or Illinois.
This year, the border States are
rather solidly Democratic, but none
of them shows signs of approximating
the four years ago majority OF Mr..
Roosevelt, and, in my Judgment, Mary
land will diminish the Roosevelt
majority of 1882.
There has been some shifting of
votes going on since the Sun poll was
taken. Thus, for instance, workers
are beginning to react unfavorably to
the pay roll tax. Not only are they
discovering that the Roosevelt regime
has imposed a per cent tax that will
have to be deducted from their pay
envelopes. but that employers must
nay a tax of 2 per cent next year, 3
per cent the next and per cent the
next year for the social security pro-
gram. Strangely enough, the workers
are interpreting what the employer
has to pay as meaning that there can
be no raises in pay to the employees
for the next three years. Obviously,
q nay roll tax that the employer has
to bear, which runs from $500, 600, 600
a year up to more than 81 lao. .000, 900
at the end OF the third year, Is tax
the like of which American industry
has never known.
Pay Roll Cut . Possibility.
Unless the tax can be passed on to
the consumers, industry not only may
be compelled by circumstances to hold
up on any raises, but it may actually
have to cut pay rolls in order to give
Uncle Sam the necessary toll.
Employers are beginning formally to
notify their employees of the pay roll
tax that must be deducted from their
pay envelopes in less than 80 days
from date. This, in turn, is causing
al sorts of questions to be asked and
protests to be made. But employers
are refraining for the most part from
discussing the politics Of 1t. leaving II