Evening star., 1936-10-19

street parade that has happened in
the campaign, but notwithstanding
this Mr.. Roosevelt may be lucky TO
get a $3.50 break in Cook County.
Should Landon's total downstate
come to Chicago with 100000 to 2O0,-
600 majority, the even break in Chi
eago would give the State to Landon.
The principal basis for my assertion
that Cook County Is not as strong as
the street parade would seem to indi-
cate Is the heavy registration in the
Republican wards Of the city and
reconsideration of the primary vote
Of last Spring in the light of the new
registration figures.
Primary Gives Clue.
It Is usually true that heavy reg
istration indicates q protest against
the party in power. This year. in the
primary, Mr.. Roosevelt received $751;
600 votes in Cook County. vote that
occasioned surprise at the time and
was indubitably a demonstration for
Mr.. Roosevelts benefit by the Kelly
Nash machine that it ought to be pre-
ferred to Gov. Horner in the distribu-
ton of New Deal favors in this Ncin-
ity.
But 831, 900 votes, it now turns out,
Is less than half of the recently tab
ulated registration in Cook County,
which is about 2,140,000. Mr.. Roose-
welt would have to get 259,000 more
votes than he had in the primary just
to get an even break in Cook County.
Experience shows that the party in
power usually casts just about its
primary vote.
AS for the street parade, a city that
has 84l, 900 votes for a particular
candidate can produce at any time a
street parade of 200 900. and that's a
lot Of people on the streets. There
is documentary evidence, moreover, OF
an artificially stimulated demonstra-
ton. Here is the text of facsimile
letter published in local newspapers
which shows that the union labor
leaders compelled attendance in the
parade:
Dear Sir and Brother: You are
requested to be in parade, Wednes-
day evening, October IA. 1886, at 6
pm, at jackson and Michigan Boule-
ward.
Fine Threatened.
This parade is very urgent, and
you are subject to be fined should you
not appear, by the Painters, Deco
rators and Paper Hangers of Amer
lea, Wood Finishers Local Union No.
81.
'Fraternally yours,
~. DHONT,
Recording Secretary"
This Is the first time, so far as Is
known, that union labor has endeav-
ored to coerce its members under pen
atty of fine for failing to appear in
O political demonstration.
Likewise, it Is reported that the
SC, 1000 holders of Federal jobs in the
w. P. A. and other agencies were each
required to bring five persons to the
parade. This alone would account
for $4,000 to 100000 people If only
one or two extra persons were brought
to the line of march.
Chicago newspapers are astir edi-
torially over the incident and are
pointing out that this kind of regi-
mentation is exactly that which is
used by Hitler to assemble the mass
demonstrations which are so often
pictured in the movies and in the
Sunday picture sections of American
newspapers.
Have 2 Per Cent Club.
Likewise, there is a decided amount
OF regimentation in the political
arena. They have here in Illinois, for
instance, a % per cent" club just like
Indiana.
The organizers in Illinois, however,
apparently anticipated that they would
be charged with corcion so they took
care of it in advance by asking the
State employees to sign cards virtually
saying II have not been coerced."
The membership card actually reads
as follows:
IT hereby voluntarily and of my
own free will and accord make apph-
cation for membership in the Iroquois
Illinois League"
Just as the Hoosier Democratic Club
in Indiana is not incorporated, but is
conducted like q social club, so the
Illinois leaders have used the club
idea and they have stationed collec-
tors in every district to get the month
ly payments.
$1,ooo,0 Fund.
The State government pay roll in
Illinois amounts to about SIS, 1000, 900
q year and in three years the per
cent levy is estimated to have fur
nshed a fund Of about $1,000,000
which is used for political organiza-
ton purposes.
The reason that so many observers