AMERICA’S DAY

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 292, 7 November 1928, Page 7

AMERICA’S DAY

VOTING FOR PRESIDENT.

UNUSUALLY HEAVY POLLING,

CHICAGO UNUSUALLY CALM,

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright). (Australian Press Association). Received November 7 9.20 a.m. NEW YORK, Nov. 6. Bearing out earlier predictions, the first election reports indicate an usually heavy polling in all parts of the the United States. There has been an exceptionally large vote on the part of women. The first intimation of disorder came from West Virginia, where the Governor ordered the State troops to the mining area to forestall possible mob violence.

Chicago, however, despite its 15,000 special guards, remained calm for the first three hours, which almost constitutes a record for that city, while New York’s 9000' guards were also not called upon to quell any disturbance. An amazing incident occurred in one New York village, which indicates the intense interest the campaign has aroused. The authorities sounded the firo alarm at short intervals after daybreak in order to make sure that the voters would take advantage of the six o’clock ojrening of the jjolls. Chicago, perhaps, presented the most picturesque features many kinds of apparatus being utilised for parade purposes, including a miniature locomotive drawing a steam organ. In the meantime, President Coolidge, having cast his vote at Northampton, Massachusetts, spent the remainder of the day supervising the unloading of the first consignment of furniture and personal effects from White Houes, preparatory to his removal later.

IN NEW YORK CITY.

(Australian Press Association —United Service.) Received November 7, 11.5 a.m. ‘ NEW YORK, Nov. 6. New York City had polled 50 per cent of the registrations at noon.

MR HOOVER FAVOURED,

YVALL STREET SPECULATION

FINAL SPEECHES BROADCAST

(Australian Press Association). NEW YORK, Nov. 5.

The American Presidential election campaign is over, and the indications are that Mr H. Hoover, the Republican nominee, will be returned by. a considerable popular and electoral college majority. It is interesting to note that the betting odds have lengthened in the last twenty-four hours. Tlie last minute definite movement toward Mr Hoover is clear from the betting alone. . Ten days ago considerable money was being wagered at three to one favouring Mr Hoover. To-day it is rumourd that one noted speculator on YVall Street wagered a million dollars to 200,000 on the Republican nominee. It is discernible now that the Republican issue of prosperity, the relig.ious belief of Mr A. E. Smith, the Democratic nominee, and dissensions in the Democratic Party in the south over the religious and prohibition issues are the chief factors working for the defeat of the Democratic nominee. Messrs Hoover and Smith made their final speeches to-night over the radio in a last minute appeal to the voters. Politics this year have been brought into every home in the nation by means of the radio, since every speech of importance was broadcast, with forty million listening. Mr Smith made nearly three times as many addresses as Mr Hoover. It is announced that Mr Smith, who is the Governor of New York State, consumed twenty-two and a half hours on the national radio, the cost of which to the Democrats was 125,000 dollars. | Deaths that have occurred among members of Congress during the past fortnight have somewhat changed the position as.concerns the present party control in the Legislature, and it is possible that there will be changes due to the election. The Senate has 47 Republicans and 46 Democrats, one Farmer-Labourite, and two Republicans elected but not seated. Thirtyfour Senators will be elected on Tuesday, and the Republicans have a betchance to make gains in the Senate because most of those States choosing Senators this election are nominally Republicans. lit is likewise 'expected that the House control by a considerable majority will also be vested in the Republicans —unless the unexpected occurs, and Mr Smith is selected by a landslide that carries with it Democratic officials throughout the nation. CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURE.

The major political bodies have filed returns of campaign expenditure showing that the Republicans have disbursed five million dollars and the Democrats four million, the association agninst prohibition 300,000 dollars, and the Anti-Saloon League 610,000 dollars. These figures, it is estimated,represent only part of the total sums expended on the election by the various groups, since the campaign funds listed are only those which came under the control of the National Party heads. It is believed that the final total mav be five times as great, Conservative estimates, based on the extraordinarily large enrolments, indicate that the total vote cast will possibly'reach thirty-nine millions, or ten millions more than in 1924. It is known that the increased enrolment is due chiofly to the fact that women are now participating in the suffrage about equally with men. It is reckoned that only 50 per cent, of the potential women voters exercised the franchise in 1924. The increased female participation is ascribed to greater maturity wtili politics, this being only the third Presidential contest in which they have been able to vote; and there is great interest in the present campaign, which has been the most strenuously fought since 1912. The “get out and vote” movement this year was, moreover, strikingly successful in the South, where the elections are usually perfunctory because they are solidly Democratic, the election this year is a controversial matter, thus resulting in an augmented enrolment. It is expected that if the weather is good the rural vote will be unusually large, thus favouring Mr Hoover, because Mr Smith’s strength is avowedly in the urban areas.

America elects a President every leap year, and for twolve months before the final polling date a heated battle is waged throughout all States, arid world-wide interest is displayed in the contest. Tho system upon which tho President is chosen is exceedingly complicated. Actually, the people in each State appoint electors to a “college of electors,” and this college in turn votes for the Presidency. Theoretically, tho college possesses unlimited powers of choice,' but in practice its members only reflect tho voice of the people, because they are appointed to the college on a pledge to support a definite candidate for

the Presidency. Long before the election a “straw,” or preliminary, ballot is taken throughout the country on behalf of the parties, and an indication —usually fairly accurate —is gained as to how tho people will vote when the election date arrives. Those “straw” ballots are surprisingly informative and are implicitly relied upon by the people as indicative of tho result. In the present contest thero are two aspirants to America’s highest administrative office — Mr Herbert Hoover, tho nominee of tho Republican Party, the “Grand Old Party,” originally formed by George Washington, and Mr Alfred (“Al”) Smith, the Democratic Party’s candidate. Tho parties differ very slightly in their fundamentals, though on this occasion the questions of tariff, prohibition and religion have assumed grotesquo proportions in the fight and have separated tho peoplo into two distinct groups. Since 1920 thero has been more than ordinary significance in the fact that the Presidential elections are held in leap year. Approximately 58,000,000 peoplo are eligible to vote,'of whom 28,500,000, or 49 per cent., are women, and it is forecasted from tho various States that the exercise of tho women’s suffrago on this occasion will reach an unprecedontedly high figure —particularly bn the prohibition issue. The President, who must bo elected by a majority of 266 college votes to retain office, receives 75,000 dollars (£15,000) a year, and an allowance of 25,000 dollars a year for expenses. Each Minister —called a secretary—receives 12,000 dollars (£2400) a year.