Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-10-28
BEHIND
The NEWS
BY Paul
MaIIon

Roosevelt IS scared. lnls may
not mean much. The President
always gets scared just before
election.
Two weeks before the vote
on the third term he grossly
underestimate his own victory.
This time he has been fright
ened into campaign touring and
speech making which are trying
to his magnificent endurance.
The touring may be doing him
some good, but each word he
adds 10 the debate is proving to
be fuel on Dewey's fire. There
is not much in the record of the
last few years to make sem
sational Democratic vote get
ting material. and no grand
promises could sound plausible
in the confused state of the
world. Silence worked his way
better than his later public
utterances.
/ would not vouch for any
story about Mr.. RS health in
campaign time unless il carried
affidavits from a disinterested
group of physicians VIII made
an examination.
The following one, borne
around Washington by authori-
tative tongues, is worth relat-
ing only as interesting, If true"
WIS said the Presidents blood
l. count is not high enough
to warrant exertion and his
physical advisers informed him
they would not be responsible if
he persisted in taking his cur
rent restricted campaign tour.
His supposed reply is the in
teresting part of the story,
something to the courageous eff
feet that:
eff have to go I would
rather 60 that way than any
other"
This is not a health story in
the usual partisan sense and
did not come from partisan
sources.
The Dewey people are genu-
inc in their conviction that they
will get at least 5 per cent more
than the polls show as their
vote-which would mean a Re-
publican landslide.
They reason that at least that
average number of voters are
concealed by fears - Go men
fearing Hillman. businessmen
fearing income tax or labor re-
taliation, sailors fearing the adj
mirals, etc.
Only a count of the secret
ballots will disclose this inner
balance of electoral power, they
figure. Their estimate does not
seem 10 be unreasonable.
do have definite information
that Mr.. Roosevelt will have
grave trouble with his electors
in some of the southern states
if the vote count offers any OPP
portunity for them to bolt.
If he gets an overwhelming
vote, they cannot do anything,
but if the results are anywhere
near close, there will be votes
for Senator Byrd cast by some
southern electors.
7 KNOW one southern state in
Il which two-thirds of the
Roosevelt electors today are
anti-Roosevelt and awaiting an
opportunity to express them
selves.
This election could become a
more serious national melee
than the Hayes-Tilden contest
II the outcome is close enough
to make each electoral vote of
consequence.
There are electors who think
they and their areas have been
dictatorily shanghied to support
Mr.. r., and they are capable of
action which would throw the
election into the courts, House
confusion or the Republican coll
umn, feeling as they do that
they have aggrieved justifica-
ton for nearly any step.
The extent TO which the
cheaper grade of politicians de-
ceive themselves and their
people in their frantic search
for any kind of argument to
win an election contest is less
noticeable this year than usual
but not entirely absent. Both
sides have behaved rather well
as a whole.
WORST Justification on either
w side 10 date has been the
left wing Democratic claim that
Dewey was trying to keep the
soldiers from voting.
For the balancing truth look
at the following incident, of
which l have personal knowl-
edge:
Two soldier citizens OF South
Carolina wrote for absentee
ballots in that Democratic
state. One was overseas; one in
this country. Both received
from South Carolina election
officials a Democratic ballot"
which events them from
voting for any one except
Roosevelt and the Democratic
ticket.
1t appears from evidence I
have that any soldier or citizen
asking for a ballot in South
Carolina receives a Democratic