University of South Carolina Libraries
/ I McCORMICK MESSENGER, McCORMICK, SOUTH CAROLINA Thursday, November 23, 1944 — wmmmmmam m H ’ ] McCORMlCK MESSENGER | mbllshed Every Thursday f Established Jun«» ft, 1M* | EDMOND J. McCUACKEN, r Editor and Owner Entered at the fust Office at Mc- ( Cormick, S. C., as mail matter of > the second elass. ( EDBSCKIPTION KATES: f (One Year lUJO ' Btx Months .75 ’ Three Months .50 £ POLLS Success o o o i The repeated success ot election polls, such as those conducted by Dr. George Gallup and by Fortune magazine, point the way for our government to become a “govern ment of the people” in fact as well as in name. . During the past four years there have been many occasions when congress and the president seemed ito pay little attention to the will of ,the people. This was particularly noticeable in regard to the unwill- jingness of our government le>iers ;to take any strong action to out law strikes during wartime. While Ipublic demand for strike control jwas strongest, public opinion polls [showed that a great majority of !the people, and even a majority of ,1a bor union members, favored strong action. But it was possible that no ade quate action was taken because Jcongress and the president did not 'believe the polls and knew that a llot of the public looked upon them >with suspicion. There wasn’t [enough faith in public opinion polls !for the government to consider the ,’results to be a mandate from the (people. Therefore, although the polls were closely studied in Wash- 'ington, they were not generally 'used as a basis for legislation. The fact that IJr. Gallup and For- itune eiagazine came very close in predicting the presidential election ^will give them somewhat greater acceptance, from now on. There is iano doubt, because of the wide pub licity given to presidential polls, Xhat they are more respected to- <lay than they were on November 6. OPINION . . . Accuracy * Dr. Gallup claims to be able to ^predict election results within a jlhree to four per cent margin of er ror. A check-up of the predictions iie made the day before election show that he was within this mar gin in almost every state. As far !as the total vote went, he predicted dt within 2 per cent of the final re sults. > I don’t see how anyone could ex pect a prediction more accurate |than that. When you consider the {facts that some people interviewed jrobably didn’t tell the truth about low they would vote, others shifted leir decisions between the time icy were interviewed and the le they went to the polls, and, ithers didn’t vote because of bad jWeather conditions, it is -apparent jthat no poll-maker, except through heer luck, could hit the nail right the head. The consistent close results ob- lined in polls of elections con- lucted by the Gallup method leave ittle doubt that such polls do ex press public opinion almost as ac- rately as the election itself. In some research men argue that poll is the more honest of the ;two—for a poll expresses the opin ion of a cross-section of all of the !people while many millions fail to show x up to vote on election day. VOTES . . . Clarification i I do not think the time has come Jwhen congressmen should just be (rubber stamps who will wait for :the Gallup figures on the public’s attitude toward legislation and then vote accordingly. But I do think the Gallup poll, and any other poll which has been ' proven accurate, can be used to great advantage in giving the people an opportunity to clarify the votes they cast in the election. One great objection among voters who are not entirely satisfied with •either candidate is that they have ,110 opportunity to express their rea sons for dissatisfaction. Many a voter in this election, for example, voted for the reelection of Presi dent Roosevelt because he felt that the president could do the best job of handling foreign relations or bringing the war to a victorious conclusion. But that same voter may have been greatly dissatis fied with the president’s handling of domestic affairs. If so, he un doubtedly wished there were some way he could make the voting ma chine register this fact. He would like to have been able to make it clear that, although he was voting for the president, his vote did not imply full approval of the presi dent’s policies. It seems to me that Dr. Gallup and Fortune magazine could per form an invaluable service right now, before the next congress con venes, by taking up, one by one, the things the president stands for and finding out on which questions he has the backing of the majority of the people and on which he does not. By doing that the people would at least have a chance to give full meaning to their votes. , f x: YOU NEE^WM! he ^m%YOU! iijjj rw n-TT • miiiiii f .1 • V 1 * />. ' ff .«*;* A ! , -vr * jfv v .v * ■?tv ‘iMk ! : »r : 'O I ' • $>&****■■ ■> Echo that Our boys won’t quit until they’ve reached their goal. Let’s not stop buying Bonds until we’ve reached ours! In this 6th War Loan Drive, the Nation’s goal is $14 billions . . . our individual job is to buy at least an extra $100 Bond ... ’I ' ' ,V ‘ ' ' ‘ another and then another ... let’s keep on going... i 'fc •Vj ^ let’s keep on buying... 4 let’s keep on saying it with Bonds..."On to 8fW At LEAST AN M ■ rr- Tokyo! » EXTRA *100 WAR BOND! HOLLYWOOD THEATRE McCORMICK, S. C. M. G. & J. J. DORN, INC. McCORMICK, S. C. This advertisement contributed by HUGULEY’S STORE McCORMICK, S. C. McGRATH MOTOR CO. McCORMICK, S. C. BEN FRANKLIN STORES McCORMICK, S. C. THE DORN BANKING COMPANY McCORMICK, S. C. STROM’S DRUG STORE McCORMICK, S. C. BROWN’S INC. McCORMICK, S. C. BUSSEY’S MARKET McCORMICK, S. C. J. J. COLLIER PLUM BRANCH, S. C. j. L, BRACKNELL PLUM BRANCH, S. C. GALLANT-BELK CO. GREENWOOD, S. C. J. CHARLES TALBERT (OUT AT SANDOVER) R. 1, McCORMICK, S. C. H. DRUCKER McCORMICK, S. C. WHITE HARDWARE McCORMICK, S. C. PATTERSON CLO. CO. McCORMICK, S. C. ih PEOPLE’S DRUG STORE McCORMICK, S. C. I- fTP! J. R. CORLEY * McCORMICK, S. C. ^ GULF SERVICE STATION McCORMICK, S. C. McCORMICK DRY CLEANERS McCORMICK, S. C. f{ “T McCORMICK SERVICE STATION McCORMICK, S. C. J. S. STROM McCORMICK, S. C. WALKER LAGROON McCORMICK, S. C. v ■77 • STONES’ GROCERY MODOC, S. C. This is an official U. S. Treasury advertisement—prepared under auspices of Treasury Department and War Advertising Council L I