Evening star., 1948-11-21


Aside from indications that tn
did-vote their own convictions. the
returns also refute an argument
sometimes heard against granting
national representation to the Dis
trict: That Washington would al
ways vote for the predominant par
ty because so many persons depend
on the Federal payroll.
Results Are Proof
/ It can be argued that there was
no predominant party with a
/ Democrat for President and Repub-
licans in control of Congress. Yet
few will forget how nearly every one
thought the election would turn out
Despite this election view
three adjacent communities voted
Republican, another wound up In
the Democratic column and one was
practically tie.
A more detailed examination OF
returns shows that two precincts
where Government workers are un-
disputedly in the majority, voted in
harmony with the communities OF
which they are a part.
Berwyn District, precinct 3, OF
Prince Georges County-made up
almost entirely of the Greenbelt
community, voted for President
Truman just as the majority IN
that county voted.
Harrington precinct, Arlington,
gave it's support to Gov. Dewey as
did the majority in that county.
Income .Precept Holds
Some contend-whether correctly
or otherwise-that the Republicans
always receive the vote of the higher
income groups while Democrats get
the vote of lower salaried workers.
If this is true, the returns from
the two test tube precincts are no
exception to the rule.
| Charles M. Cormack, community
manager at Greenbelt for the Public
Housing Administration, said that
until about two months ago maxi
mum salary of $1,000 a year was
allowed families in that community.
BY contrast, he said, darlington has
families in much higher salary
brackets, including high-ranking
commissioned officers in the armed
services.
At least 10 per cent of the fam
lilies occupying the 1892 living units
at Greenbelt are represented by one
or more Government employees, Mr.
Cormack said. The Fairlington
management said q minimum OF
| IS per cent of the families in the
3,439 living units there are repre-
sented by one or more persons in
the Government or armed forces.
The Vote Was Close
Greenbelt voted for President
Truman 454 to 321 while darlington
supported Gov. Dewey, ATS to 308.
Prince Georges County voted for
President Truman 1854 to 14,718
and Arlington was in the Republican
presidential column, 10,774 to 1913.
The vote of other nearby areas
was: Montgomery County-Dewey,
23,174; Truman, 1896; Fairfax
ICounty-Dewey, 1929; Truman, s.
719: Alexandria-Truman, S,9l7,
Dewey, 1908.
At one point in this survey, a
reporter commented to Samuel
Wyvill, secretary of the Prince
Georges County Board of Election
Supervisors:
We'll, in view of the vote else
where, it looks like Prince Georges
will not prove. one way or the other,
whether the Government worker is
an independent voter"
Democrats Lose Strength
"On the contrary Mr.. Wyville
rejoined, this county shows as
much as any place that the Gov
ernment worker is independent. We
have a registration list showing
two-and -one- half times as many
Democrats as Republicans yet they
didn't vote for President Truman
by that amount.
The Democrats here who voted
against President Truman didn't do
that just because they thought Gov.
Dewey would win. Four years ago
Mr.. Roosevelt carried this county
only by about 200 votes"