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Show Salt Lake Writer Predicts Close Contest in Cache Elections Bennion, 39; undecided, 21. For governor: Maw, 22; Lee, 60; undecided, 18. For First district congressman: Granger, 32; Stringham, 46; undecided, un-decided, 22. If the sample is arbitrarily adjusted ad-justed to bring the 1940 Roosevelt and Willkie supporters into the 60-40 ratio which the county actually ac-tually voted four years ago, Dewey moves slightly ahead of Roosevelt among those who have made up their minds on president. Inasmuch Inas-much as five-sixths of the un-(Continued un-(Continued on page Eight) Editor's Note: The following article was written by O. N. Malmquist, Salt Lake Tribune political analyst, following a survey made in Oache county last week. The number one problem of the Democratic party in Utah is clearly posed by the results of a political survey in Cache county. That problem, which is being recognized rec-ognized by candidates and party leaders, is to restore a party consciousness con-sciousness which will impel the member to vote the ticket straight in November. Cache, like most of the other counties visited, displays a substantial sub-stantial shift of 1940 Democrats to the Republican side. If the sample sam-ple collected in -Logan and two other representative communities of the valley accurately reflects the present state of mind of the entire electorate the shift is strong enough to make the county doubtful doubt-ful on the straight party division. On top of this the Democratic segment of the cross-section shows a strong tendency to "scratch" Gov. Herbert B. Maw (D) for J. Bracken Lee (R) ; a somewhat lesser but still strong disposition to "scratch" Rep. Walter K. Granger, Democratic incumbent, for B. H. Stringham, his Republican Repub-lican opponent ,and Sen. Ellbert D. Thomas, Democratic incumbent for Dr. Adam S. Bennion, GOP senate candidate. The percentages shown by the sample, which was overweighted with voters who backed President Roosevelt four years ago, follow: For president: Roosevelt, 48 per cent; Dewey, 40 per cent; unde- j cided, 12 per cent. j For U. S. Senator: Thomas, 40; WRITER PREDICTS CLOSE CONTEST IN CACHE ELECTHON (Continued from page One) decided group were Roosevelt supporters sup-porters in 1940, the Democrats can reasonably expect to get the large share of them when they do make up their minds. But if the disposition to scratch turns up as strong on November 7 as it did in the sample, Gov. Maw would certainly lose the ounty; Rep. Granger would have no better than an even chance of carrying it, and Sen. Thomas could lose it if as much as a third of the undecided group should decide de-cide to vote for Bennion. Democratic observers in the county confidently predict that much of the indicated September , "irregularity" will disappear when the "chips are down" on November Novem-ber 7 and the party members are confronted with a choice of losing the state administration or seats in congress or of falling into line. This is entirely possible and some of the Republicans rather expect a trend in this direction. But four years ago Cache county voters I ''scratched" Gov. Maw to almost the exact degree they said they would in a pre-election sample taken by the Salt Lake Tribune. The important thing for the Republican party is to hold their present lines and win over as large a segment of the undecided group as possible. Chief difficulty of the Democratic Demo-cratic organization in combatting the threatened disregard for party vovtins is the inet nf who can exercise control over party members who appear to be leaving the party reservation. They seemingly do not constitute an organized or-ganized group which oan be led. On the surface, at least, there is no such organized effort among Democrats to defeat specific Dem-ocratis Dem-ocratis candidates as there was four years ago. It is more nearly a case of a large number of in-dividuall in-dividuall party members threaten-inf threaten-inf to "walk off on their own." And there is an attitude of "I don't give a hang what so-and-so thinks about it or does about it." The diff3rences between the present pres-ent situation and eight years ago, when it was the Maw forces that were threatening to "scratch" a Democratic candiate into defeat, was that Gov. Maw was in a position posi-tion to call the purge off. |