PRESIDENT OF AMERICA

Kaikoura Star, Volume LVI, Issue 88, 9 November 1936, Page 3

PRESIDENT OF AMERICA

MR ROOSEVELT RE-ELECTED BY HUGE MAJORITY MR LANDON WINS ONLY TWO STATES NEW YORK, November 4. The final returns in the presidential election show that Mr Roosevelt has won 46 states with 523 electoral votes. Mr Landon won two states with eight electoral votes. Mr Roosevelt’s full majority will possibly reach 8,000,000, or 1,000,000 in excess of 1932. He carried huge majorities in virtually all the principal cities, notably New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston. Mr Landon’s defeat was decisive, and in many respects humiliating. Mr Roosevelt’s landslide in 1932 was so great that even with losses to-day his victory will go down in history as one of the greatest in American presidential elections. Mr Landon’s home state (Kansas) was reckoned safely Republican, but late returns appear to have robbed Mr Landon of the state, Mr Roosevelt’s majority being approximately 20,000.

Mr Landon, at 1.40 a.m., conceded that it was Mr Roosevelt’s election, and telegraphed his congratulations to Mr Roosevelt. He said: “The nation has spoken. Every American will accept the verdict and work in the common cause for the good of the country. That is the spirit of democracy. You have my sincere congratulations.” Mr Roosevelt replied: “I am grateful for your generous telegram. I am confident that all of us Americans will now pull together for the common good. I send you every good wish.” Mr Roosevelt, surrounded by his family, was greeted by hundreds of his townsmen of Hyde Park. The village gave him a plurality of 33 —28 votes in excess of 1932, but the county remained Republican.

As formerly, the President made no speech, but the National Democratic chairman, Mr James A. Farley, made the significant statement that the victory had cleared the way for Mr Roosevelt to continue the economic leadership of the nation for four more years. He predicted that this leadership would clear away the remaining effect of the depression, and make impossible a recurrence of a similar crisis.

Mr Farley added: “In spite of the bitterness during the campaign of Mr Roosevelt’s opponents, there will be no reprisals. The United States is in safe hands. No individual, no corporation that plays fair with the people, has anything to fear from the future actions of the Government.” PRESIDENTS OF THE PAST RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS The electoral votes won by the chief parties in the last three Presidential elections were: — 1924 Republican (Calvin Coolidge) . . 382 Democrat (Davis) .. .. .. 136 Progressive W. L. La Follette) . . 13 1928 Republican (H. C. Hoover) .. 444 Democrat (Al. Smith) . . . . 87 1932 Democrat (F. D. Roosevelt) . . 472 Republican (H. C. Hoover) .. 59 In the 1928 election the popular vote was:—Republican 21,392,190; Democrat, 15,016,443. In the last election it was:—Democrat, 22,821,857; Republican, 15,761,841.