"The proposed poll of Harvard students as to their choice for the Presidential nominations has my hearty approval. Polls of this kind are really the only way in which the people's choice for president can be discovered. And, of course, when the candidate is preferred by groups of educated young men such as the student bodies of our Universities, it is all the more convincing." Governor Alvan T. Fuller was expressing his opinions to a CRIMSON representative in his office in the State House.
Raps Delegates
"You see, the present delegate system is hardly an expression of true democracy. The men who will represent Massachusetts in the coming Republican convention, for example, have no idea whom they will vote for. They pay their own railroad fare to get to the Convention and they will east their vote so as to get the best possible return from it. The delegation should really be a group of errand boys who have been delegated to vote a certain way by the people of the state, and who will do it. If you were to take a poll of a deaf and dumb society you would find out their opinions more easily than you would learn those of a state delegation to a national convention. It was Joseph who had the coat of many colors, wasn't it? Well, the Massachusetts delegations to the coming convention will be much more vari-colored than Joseph's coat ever was.
Hoover Logical Candidate
"Herbert Hoover is the best man for the Republican nomination, in my opinion. He has the heart, the mind, the experience, and the education to fill the position. But he lacks the means properly to articulate his power. No doubt he is the popular choice of the Republican party, but it does not follow that he will receive the nomination. His position is analogous to that of Leonard Wood in 1920; he is too good for the nomination. The situation which developed in 1920 may yet be repeated in 1928. You remember that at that time, after much wrangling, Harding, a practically unknown politician was nominated. Then in the interim between the convention and the election, a reputation was brewed up for him. A great many, of course, will always vote the straight Republican or Democratic ticket because their fathers did before them, and the party leaders are rarely disappointed in counting heavily on this group. Of course if a Harding is preferred to a Hoover, well . . ." The governor shrugged his shoulders sug- gestively, leaving the conclusion to the imagination.
"A very interesting supplement to the CRIMSON poll," he continued, "would be to take votes at various other places such as the Harvard Square subway station from 8 to 9 o'clock in the morning, or a corner drug store, or a popular cafeteria. The net result of these different polls would represent a cross section of public opinion and would be a real service to democracy.
"Another suggestion that I would make is that the candidates on the ballots be reduced to the smallest possible number. If the field is so broad and unrestricted that the winner has less than half the votes to his credit, the result is not very convincing.
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POLICE LOG