Show What People Think I Millions for Wallace Poll Rumors Axed By Elmo Eimo Roper This is about a poll which was recently taken by Rumor Rumor not not by Roper In any presidential election year political candidates newspaper reporters and the public itself look ook to public opinion polls for Information information in- in formation on how their favorite candidate candidate or or their feared candidate candi candi- date date is is faring This year curiosity about polls seems to be assuming larger proportions proportions proportions pro pro- portions than ever A A. few weeks ago this pollster was even accused of making a nonexistent poll Since rumor is something more potent than truth a statement of the he facts in this case may be of ot interest Over a month ago two responsible sible ible newsmen called me mc on the ph ne from Vash Washington to ask me mea a el election survey e I was re reported p ported rt d t to J have ave ju just t concluded conclude They said that they were l lady arly interested in the he heavy vy 0 fOlloWing fallowing II oWing th the i poll oll was supposed sed to sho show w for Henry Wallace The They Told Rim Him Then they proceeded to tell me that they had heard Wallace had polled 11 to percent of the popular vote tote in a secret poll I had taken faken for tor H Henry nry Luce of Time magazine I I assured both gentlemen that we had tal ta taken en no poll on W Wallace and in tact fact our faces were red bec because use in the last political l survey survey sur sur- vey we had taken taken last last December we we had not included Mr Wallace Wallace Wallace Wal Wal- lace doubting at that time that he would actually run After as assuring assuring as- as suring the newsmen they had a false story tory by the tall tail I assumed that theirs vas was just a case of election year jitters in which every rumor rumon becomes becomes becomes be be- comes a straw in the wind But a few tew weeks later the In Inquiry Inquiry inquiry In- In of the two newsmen had turned into a a. called so-called inside story by two Washington correspondents correspondents corre corre- of The Peoples People's World a a. west coast version of the Communist Communist Com Corn Daily Dally Worker This time the 11 percent for Wallace had jumped to 11 million votes 11 percent of ot a possible 60 million million mil mil- lion votes is a little over aver six million mil mu- lion Enter Winchell From the Communist Peoples World in San Francisco the elusive elusive elu elu- elu- elu sive rumor about Ropers Roper's secret poll on Wallace for Luce jumped across the desk of Walter Winchell Winchell Winchell Win Win- chell who reported L Luces Luce's I he didn't did it poll say Bay Roper I showed Wallace Vallace to have 15 million mil mu- lion Hon votes Here was the strange sight of the anti Communist Winchell Win Win- chell chelI outdoing the Communists in exaggerating Wallaces Wallace's strength From Mr Winchell's Broad Broadway ay column the rumor fell back again into tho the Communist press this time appearing in The Daily Worker In New York where it w was s reported that It w was s reliably reported that Roper h had d done dorie the poll pon on Wallace Vallace for Luce and when U Luce e s saw the results he told Roper Roperto to go back and do another poll And the second poll pon according to The Daily Worker showed Wallace to have more than 11 million million mil raIl lion votes An example of admirable admirable ad ad- mirable restraint restraint for for The Daily Worker Yorker to nut ut the strength of the candidate it suppo supports t at less th than n Mr Vinc Winchell's elIs elI's figure v Ho It Grew By this time the story had reached the V Washington hington gossip gossip- round go and v various rio to letters-to- the editor pages of papers in New NewYork NewYork York and Chicago Chicago and and the figure cited as that which Roper had given to Luce who had given It back to Roper who ho in turn gave it back to Luc Luce who was finally alleged to have buried it in Fortunes secret files was not 11 percent not 11 million not 13 mill million mil raIl l lion n not 15 million but 18 million votes By this time I fe felt t that this alleged child of Roper sired by rumor out of ot Washington had grown big enough I wrote to The Daily Worker and called caned Mr Winchell to to tell to-tell tell them that no I s such uch poll on Mr Wallace had ever been jeen taken by me that if it and when any such poll were taken neither Henry Luce nor any anyone one e else lse either would or could suppress suppress suppress sup sup- press it As a matter of fact tact In more t than han 10 years of ot the Fortune survey neither Mr Luce nor any anyone anyone anyone one else has ever tried to suppress any of ot our polls pons despite the fact that Mr Luce has has' not always l liked their results Furthermore any attempt to suppress one of our polls would be ineffective for forI I still have this column and now nowa a radio program on which it could be aired These Arc Are Facts Fact For those are interested in what actual facts facts we have about Mr Wallace in our tiles flIes from past surveys ther there is this ito to re re- re re- re port Our most decent ece t question about Mr Wallace Wallace Wallace-asid aside t from om a small six city poll which had nothing tto to to do Vi do with ro measuring the tho strength of any was candidate candidate was asked as far back as July 1947 In that poll we did not inquire into his c chances an cs for tor the presidency at all However the results of one question showed that 36 percent of the people thought they would be worse off oft personally if Mr Wallace were elected president Another question showed a maximum of 99 percent who favored his attitude attitude attitude atti atti- tude toward Russia But th those se results result were obtained and published long before Mr Wallace Val Wal Vallace lace declared his candidacy on the third party ticket and long before before before be be- fore the thc survey conducted by rumor There Is a survey on presidential candidates in the hands of our interviewers in the field at the them m and ment-and and this one really reany is being conducted ed by Roper for Fortune Mr Wallace Vallace is included in it Its It's going to be interesting to see if those who so eagerly be believe believe believe be- be lieve Mr Winchell and The Daily Worker will wUl as willingly accept these results a few weeks from now Copyright 1948 New York Herald Tribune Inc The |