The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1948-11-18
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sHXG.s.4

Well, this democracy of ours
works, greatly to the dismay of its
critics.
There was a time when, during
the regime of Franklin d. Roose-
welt, some folks said we would have
no more elections; he would just
declare himself in for life.
But we kept right on having
elections. The only reason Roose-
welt was elected for four terms was
that enough folks wanted him-and
voted for him.
So now, Harry Truman has been
elected, when so many folks said
he wouldn't be and couldn't be. 1t
was just because enough folks
wanted him-and voted for him.
What the people want-if they
want it enough-they get, sooner
or later.
Sometimes the people m a k e
pretty hammy decisions. So do in
dividuals. But, in the long run the
people, in the mass, make fewer
mistakes than do folks and individ-
uals.
Just why the poll takers went
so far wrong on the election is diff
fcult to understand. They couldn't
have been much more wrong.
Some are saying that this ends
polls. One big newspaper already
has thrown one of the pollsters out
of its pages.
1t doesn't seem probable that any
such sweeping or hasty conclusion
should be correct. Moreover, there
may be lot of difference between
political poll and a poll to deter
mine the market for a new com
modify. 1t seems reasonable to say
that this remains to be seen.
But clearly there was some ele-
ment of opinion, or of decision, left
out of account in the presidential
campaign poll. 1t may be some
thing that doesn't enter into other
polling jobs.
Perhaps opinion was more vola-
tile in the recent campaign. Per,
haps an unusual number of persons
changed their views at almost the
last minute, although most author
tiles say that few votes are chang
ed by campaigning. But maybe a
lot were changed this time. Truman
did a tremendous job of campaign
ing.
Now in this column mailed Oct.
l15, | said, Il think Harry Truman
will be elected.
Well, | was right. l didn't take
any poll. | didn't count any noses.
1t simply seemed to me that
things were going along in such a
manner that Truman would be
elected.
Dewey was ducking and lodging.
His crowds weren't too big. He
seemed to be making every effort to
play safe.
Truman was in there punching.
He hit the issues on the nose. He
drew huge crowds.
True, the Dixiecrats seemed
then to be more of a possible men
ace than they turned out to be.
Wallace was a sure down-and-out-
er.
Now, your good reporter can
take one slant at a crowd and give
you a fairly accurate estimate of
the numbers IN that crowd. So can
good cops.
Just in that way it seemed to me
that it was sure for the election Of
President Truman.
However, be all these things as
they may. 1t is-to me anyway
worth putting in the record that |
did call the turn on the election.
And | didn't have a dime staked on
the outcome either.
| think time will show that ]
came close to hitting the nail on
the head about the Dixiecrats and
the Wallace crowd.
So, here we go, into the future.
We face tremendous issues. Some
of them will be settled, for good or
bad, during this presidential term.
The question of world peace or war
probably will be settled during that
period; and quite probably in the