The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-21
CALIFORNIA TO
INDORSE F. D. R.,
STOKES THINKS
Registration Figures Give
Democrats Big Edge
Over Opposition.
BY THOMAS L. STOKES
Times Special Writer

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 21.-Cali-
fornia in this year 3 N. D. New
Deal, of course) is compounded of
lots of sunshine and some of what
they call mist" out here, of Herbert
Hoover and Hiram Johnson and
William Gibbs McAdoo, of Upton
Sinclair and his dwindling Epics and
Doc Townsend and his old folks, of
satisfied farmers and disgruntled
business men, of Hollywood sheikS
and beauties.
Then there's young Harry Bridges,
car of the waterfront, and there
are reactionary blue stockings who
hardly know the Nineteenth Cen
tury is over. Everything runs TO
extremes except the weather.
But take them all, shake in a box,
q throw them down on the map OF
California, and every time you'll get:
Roosevelt in November.
Bases for Statement Are Many
This conclusion is based on many
things, the most practical of which
are registration figures which show
registration to vote Democratic run
ming farther ahead of Republican
registration than in either 1882 or
1894, when the state showed good
majorities for the Roosevelt Admin
iStration.
In San Francisco it's running. al
most 2 to l Democratic, recent fig
ures being: Democratic, 53,250; Re-
publican, 30780. In once rock
ribbed Alameda County, which en-
braces Oakland across the bay, re-
cent figures show: Democratic, &c.
928; Republican, 58,608.
In Los Angeles County, Demo-
Gratis are running about go to the
Republicans 40, with a lead already
of 100000 and prospects that this
may rise to 100000 when registra-
ton is completed.
Even in Santa Clara County,
where Mr.. Hoover lives, Democratic
registration is less than 100 behind
in a total registration to date OF
$1,000.
Theories Are Different
Republicans give you some in
volved local reasons for some OF
this, predicated partly on the Town
send plan strategy, but pratical poll
ticians say it merely means that the
Presidents popularity continues at
high tide in this state and that he
ought to carry it easily come No
vember. Some even predict he will
pile up more than his 476,000 ma
jority over Herbert Hoover in '32.
Due to the Townsend plan and
Upton Sinclair's EPIC movement,
which very nearly sent the novel
list to the Governors chair two years
ago, the Democratic standard out
here reaches out to cover all sorts
of left-wing fringes. Right now they
are squabbling for representation on
the Roosevelt delegation to the
Philadelphia national convention.
But they'll be for the President in
November.
Also helpful to the President is
the support of the popular idol,
Senator Hiram Johnson, who bolted
the Republican Party in 80 and has
announced he will be for Mr.. Roose-
welt again this year. Recently he
and A. P. Giannini, head of the
great Pacific Coast banking house,
organized a Roosevelt League.
Banker to Register as Democrat
Mr.. Giannini announced publicly
that he would register Democratic.
I had the novel experience of Wis
iting this banking house and hear
ing, from the lips of officers and
directors, very kind words for the
New Deal.
I pinched myself-and I wasn't
asleep.
Z Business is good in the state;
farmers are prosperous and build
ing is rapidly approaching boom
proportions, especially in Los An
geles, whose highways and byways
are poisoning with new and BIZ
zarre homes.
There's only one dark spot. That
is the recurrent controversy between
ship owners and ship labor, the lat
ter, led by Harry Bridges, head of
the Maritime Federation of the Pa
cific, which is now, with it's affili-
ates, one of the tightest unions in
the country. It's control extends into
every type of labor that has to do
with ships. They are now organiz-
ing clerks and other white-collar
workers in the industry.
Shin owners have about reach sri a