European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 25, 1964, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Post 4 the stars and stripes sunday october 25, 1964. Americans thinking but not talking reporter Soyi voters reluctant to discuss politics in Public editor s note up re Porter Lowry Bowman has jut completed a a Day i,6n-mile tear to Sample Ameri Ca s need in this election year. Be fend they Are tasking and thinking deeply abort seme provocative is sees by Lowry Bowman Washington up americans generally simply do not discuss politics in Public. They win give an opinion often cynical when asked. But u would be possible for foreigner to visit each state of the Union and not be aware thata presidential election is com ing of if be did not read the newspapers or listen to Tele vision. This is the main conclusion reached by this reporter after a it state  tour by bus train and plane that lasted almost four weeks. It was inno sense a poll to determine whether president Johnson Orsen. Barry m. Goldwater is the voters Choice in  aim was to find out what the american voter is thinking about bothered about and talk ing about in election year 1m4.i talked to scores of people on buses in ban. Re tyrants Coffee shops and Barber shops and in a plane Over the Gulf of Mexico. All were Chance encounters except for deliberate Calls on local political Leaden. Each had an opinion on Gold water and or. Johnson. Each Wai willing to defend his Opin Ion if Pretie. But in m Days of eavesdrop plug on America Public conversations Only once did 1 hear the name of either candidate come up spontaneously. That one time was in a drug More in Concord n.h., where a Young Man sat Reading the con Cord Monitor Over an afternoon cup of Coffee. He tossed the paper downard Laid to no one la particular presidential  10  Ramiv Orvii in niimbtowini170 old watch where the votes Are Tab map a bowl the in brr of electoral Vole from each slate the tame bomber As each slate s Congimi local delegation Phu three for the District of Columbia. A majority of Ibe i Vole-1�is needed to win. 3 times the loser9 got presidency by Barry Ferguson Washington up three times in our history men who appeared to have won the presidency have loot it. They Goethe most Voles but the cumbersome process of the elector Al College denied them the  each such incident an Gry demands were made to re form our system of choosing a president. Those demands still Are being made but tradition and entrenched Power make i seem unlikely that our electoral process can move from horse and buggy Days into the Jet Era. The most notorious ease of a Winner being denied Ike presidency occurred la1171. Beat Salty the Choice of the chief executive swung on the vote of to Man Aad feel ing around the nation ran Sokul Aad so matter that for a wine u appeared the civil War won be reopened. The democrats nominated gov. Samuel j. Tilden of new York. The republicans chose Rutherford b. Hayes of Ohio. It was one of the dirtiest campaigns in american history. The passions of the civil War still inflamed men and the wounds of Pride had not healed completely. Tilden was accused of being sympathetic to slavery of being a puppet of the Railroad magnates and a immoral creature. As so often happens Hayes stayed out of the Gutter throughout the Campaign putdown at the City and Ward level partisans of both nun threw mud in All directions. The popular vote Tilden,4.284 million. Hayes,.4.031 Mil lion. Two Days after the elec Tion Hayes said i am of the opinion that the democrats have carried the country and elected  he would have been Well advised to have kept his Mouth shut. Some professional Republican politicians were Busy with a plan to convert defeat into Victory. Returns from three state South Carolina Florida an Louisiana were close. With out them the electoral vote stood Tilden 184 Hayes 1m. If Hayes could be certified As the Winner of All three states the electoral vote would be hayes189. Tilden 184. It seemed unlikely that Sucha thing could happen because All three states belonged to the democratic South. But presi Dent Grant had other ideas and began mustering Federal troops to go into the South an enforce a Republican Victory at the Point of bayonets. The democrats countered by re forming Confederate regiments and advising tilde they were ready to March on  All three Stales the certifying boards for the election were solidly Republican and to the suprise of almost nobody they announced Hayes had won the electoral votes of sout Carolina Florida and Louisi Ana and therefore was elected president. The democratic fury Rose Towar pitch and one word from Tilden would have plunged the nation into another conflict. All sorts of arbitration plans Rutherford b. Bayes were proposed including the drawing of lots Between Hayes and Tilden. But Tilden declined i will not consent to raffle for the presidency and aboard of five senators five House members and five judge was set up to decide the matter. It consisted of seven democrats and seven republicans with one of the judges ostensibly Neutral. He turned out to be a Republican and Rutherford. Hayes became president. As the years passed and Pas Sions cooled Many republicans conceded that the will of the voters had been thwarted. Among them was Gen. Williamt. Sherman the Man president Grant chose to Lead the Federal troops in the South and to re Sist rebellion if one developed. Late in life Sherman said it appeared to me or. Tilden had been elected but it never had occurred to the old Soldier to question a command fro the commander in chief. The other two incidents of the Winner losing the presidency Are better illustrations of the imperfections of our elec toral process because they did not involve Force and coercion. In 1124 there were several candidates in the Field and the men with the two highest vote were Andrew Jackson popu Lar vote 1w.87j electoral vote and John Quincy Adams popular vote 109,311, electoral vote m. But neither Man had the required majority of the electoral College and the Deci Sion was made by the House of representatives. Adams was  1888 the democrats nominated Grover Cleveland an the republicans chose Benja min Harrison. Popular vote Cleveland 5.million. Har Rison 5.444 million. But again the decision of the electorate was frustrated because the popular vote when translated into electoral votes stood like this Harrison 233, Cleveland Cleveland came Back fou years later and Defeated har Rison by winning both the pop ular and electoral Voles. Sometimes i Utlek ills Gold Waler is right that we ought to Bemb them and be done with  then he walked out. Luke Burns cutting Hilr Ina Barbershop at Marshall tex., gave what May be the Best explanation of this curious void in America s Public Conversa Tion. Re said it was a standing Rule in his shop that customer were free to give their views on politics and religion but the Barbers would Only listen. A political fanatic is jus like a sports fanatic Burns explained if his team loses he figures the referee is crooked. Bad for  despite their Public silence the voters indeed Are concerned about Many of the is sues raised by or. Johnson and Goldwater. And some limited generalisations can be drawn the old political lines Are shifting and changing. Republican new England now cannot be considered Safe for the gop. The democratic South displays More Goldwater signs than any other area of the nation. The negro vote seems almost solid for or. Johnson. Goldwater has become identified among the nation s bus riders at least As a Man who would involve the United states in a nuclear War. This was reported time after time even by those who professed no love for or. Johnson. The one phrase heard Over and Over again was the Man scares  there is a widespread senti ment among both democrats and republicans that the fed eral government employs too Many people at salaries that Are too High. Another recurring phrase was we Money going Down the Washington  George Mcconnell of ,va., a Farmer said a takes two men working full time to support one Man on the govern ment payroll these  d. Blackwell Prosper Ous wholesale furniture Deal Erin Kansas City mo., said the nation could begin an unprecedented economic Boom if the government would let the Busi Nessman keep some of his Money and use it to provide the jobs instead of hiring govern ment workers to talk about  americans of All classes particularly in the East Are worried and confused by Jove j Nlle crime and Street violence the entire Community of Independence mo., is fighting Tif problem with a u . Curfew for Feen agers and a prof rata of supervised recreation. K Kansas teen Ager on his Way to join the Marine corps Wai eve Sjef 5 heard telling two companion of his exploits with a fast can he made this revealing stent there s one old i Down there that when catches me he always let s i go. Don t know Why. He Ibe a crooked  Street violence to not in scarily connected with civil rights struggle. Tom far res of Bristol va., said. Yea Don t hardly Ever hear of a t in kid getting in trouble the Law  in Clev Elthe Rev. John Bruere has i criticized by civil rights Jand Many of his fellow p Terian ministers for fat against sit ins and racial i ont rations. Bruere whose  presbyterian Church located in a neighbourhood  95 per cent negro recruits negro youngsters to play games in his Church clean. The neighbourhood with Boa hand mops and fight Juvene crime by the weight of opinion there is a vague twang that Many old and Long a celled american values Arr being lost in the modern crush. Vic Carrelra who runs a serv ice station on the town wharf at Plymouth mass., Laid it Best we re living too fast i like to make a Dollar As Wen As the next Man. But look Al to this Way what Man is really Worth 140iso a week we keep on the Way we re Goias " our Money won t be Worth any  Tom Fitz Simons Carver of Manchester said it another Way  s after a Dollar. Why i even getting that Way in Mont. And people Are i a mess of this country