Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1945-09-28
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With The
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elections. Most people haven't.
In fact, a great many of us
decide after we get into the
voting booth, not before.
But recalling to mind all
the predictions, results, state
ments and propaganda from
previous political contests, 1t
seems that those who are
pleased to call themselves
strategists' or political ana
lysts" have the matter pretty
we'll solved.
All you have to do Is give
these gentlemen your ad-
dress, and they can tell you
how you and your neighbors
are going to vote this Nov
ember. They don't even have
to know your name or
whether you are a registered
Democrat or Republican.
Now, don't get me wrong.
I'm not talking about you, as
an individual, or your next
door neighbor. The political
crystalgaZers can't tell exactly
how any one person has voted,
but sometimes they have a
pretty good idea. The law of
averages is the thing they rely
on--plus a few factors which,
sad to admit, sometimes enter
into the question of politics.
PREJUDICE
Two of thes factors could
be called "sectionalism" and
prejudice" Perhaps the folks
who figure out the election re-
suits in advance are not gull
ty of promoting such nom
sense. i suspect that a few of
them are not so innocent,
however, as politics is pret-
ty rough game and is not al
ways played in so simple and
direct a manner as the aver
age person would imagine.
The references made to
Polish wards, Negro wards,
strong Democratic or Repub-
lican wards should serve to
remind us how foolish most of
us have been in the past. 1t
should run against the grain
when we consider that people
can predict how we are 60
ing to vote even before we
are familiar with the candi-
dates who are running for
office. Maybe they can't, but
they think they can, and that's
no tribute to anyone's intel
ligence.
Oftentimes, the dopesters
are correct in their predic-
tions. At other times, the pre-
dictions are made in the hope
that scores of voters will jump
on the bandwagon of the sup
posed-to- be winner. There is
no denying that the candidate
who spends the greatest
amount of money for adver-
tising, if only for the pur-
chase of billboard space or
automobile stickers or hand
bills which fail to state plat
forms or vital issues, will
gather a certain amount of
votes because of his sup
posedly apparent popularity.
MINORITIES
This is not as it should be.
An informed, politically in
telligent voting public is
needed in Toledo and else
where If we are to have good
government. Race, religion
and nationality should have
no bearing in elections. Ger
tainly the war should have
taught us that repeated refer
ences to minorities as such,
and the pitting of class against
class, nationality against ma
tionality, and neighborhood
against neighborhood can only
prevent us from maintaining
and improving upon demo-
cracy in America.
To make my point more
clear, let's say that an Irish
man who votes for Tom
Burke, a Pole who votes for
Biniakiewicz, a Jew who
votes for Bame, a Northender
who votes for Millard, or a
South Toledoan who votes for
DiSalle-simply because of
similarity in race, religion or
ward and precinct, and not be-
cause the candidate is be-
lieved to be the best quail
feds the same type of per-
son who was taken in by the
politicos and warlords Of the
defeated nations.
When people vote for plat
forms and principles, con-
sidering the aims and qualifi-
cations of the candidates, then
and then only will we have
the right kind of government,
local, federal, or what have
you!
Let's not be deceived by the
Ad Thachers and the DR.. o.
Garfield Jonesses, who claim
that the PR system gives
"minorities" re presentation.
1t gives representation to men
like Thacher, who in the
opinion of a good many peo-
pie couldn't now get elected
to the post of precint dog
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