The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-10-16
EVERYTHING SAFE
BUT GOVERNORSH|P
Republicans Will Carry Ev-
erything Else In
New York
TAMMANY FIGHTING
ONLY FOR SMITH
Not Certain lie Will BE Reelected -
Wordsworth Sure of Large Majority
National Situation Almost Hopeless
for Democrats, Lawrence Says.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

| BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
! Especial Despatch to The RefOrmer
Copyright 1920
| SYRACUSE, n. Y, Oct. Ex-senator
! Harding will carry New York state by
decisive majority. Senator WadswOrth
will BE- reelected by many thousands
of votes less, and at this writing there
* serious doubt whether Al Smith, the
pride of Tammany's heart, will be re-
elected governor.
! That's the situation in the Empire
state. and a variety of reasons or factors
are contributing toward the result. First
and foremost, the hold which Republican
ism has had on New York voters has not
been weakened but strengthened since the
day four years ago when New York state
gave Hughes a 10000 majority.
| Second. the tide of discomfort over the
absence of a reconstruction policy at
Washington runs just as high here as in
other states along the Atlantic seaboard.
Third, Tammany whose votes at the
San Francisco convention helped to nomi-
nate Governor Cox. and achieved a notable
victory over the Wilson forces, seems to
have been satisfied with the vengeance
Wrought against William Gibbs McAdO0,
for his audacity in eudeavOring to purify
the Democracy of this state, and since the
nomination Of Cox. Iammany has done
little or nothing on the national ticket.
All effOEt is concentrated on the re-elec-
ton of Governor Smith
!, Fourth. so deeply is Tammany inter
ested in the gubernatorial race that it is
not only throwing Cox. but also seems
to have completely forgotten Walker, the
/ Democratic nominee for United States
| senator.
J And everywhere one goes, there * talk
Of how well Tammany likes Jim Wads-
worth. The latter is wet" enough to
satisfy Tammany and his views on many
other questions are not particularly hos
tile to Tammany desires. Now it so hap
pens that while Judge Miller, the regular
Republican nominee for governor. is pop
ular and has a personality that makes
him an outstanding candidate, there are
certain Republican leaders who would not
lose much sleep or bemoan their fate if
he lost to Al Smith, whose maneuYres
with the Republican legislature have
stamped him as a flexible person. who
recognizes that bipartisan transactions
are not only satisfactory to himself but
the two parties concerned,
I Fifth, Tammany is suspected Of being
ready to trade Democratic votes that or
dinarily would go for Walker for the sen
ate and votes on the Republican side that
might possibly be cast for Miller. the
gubernatOrial candidate Thus Al smith
might be elected governor again while
Senator Wadsworth might be returned to
the senate The situation is just a bit
complicated by the fact that State Sena-
tor Thompson, who was unsuccessful in
the Republican primaries. has STAYED in
the gubernatorial race and has the en-
dorsement Of the Anti-Saloon league.
! Moreover. New York state. which is still
SO old-fashioned as to furnish religious
/ issue in almost every campaign is eXpe-
I riencing an undertOw of Catholic Protest
4 tant prejudices. which seems to make
/ Thompson the beneficiary of the one and
! both Miller and Al Smith. the other
/ However,. as usual. this sort of thing bal
ances itself and the election will be de
cided on other issues entirely. Al Smith
/ is popular and in a normal year would
carry the state by 100000. Judge Miller
/ has splendid chance of slipping in by
narrow margin. s..=-..
i Sixth, the national situation is almost
! hopeless for the Democrats. The Cox
/ campaign has not turned enough votes
to cause worry to the Republicans. The
speech of Senator Harding at Des MOnes'
on the league issue in which he said he
sought rejection" not interpretation. .
has driven out of the Republican party a
\ number of intellectualS who cannot follow
the gyrations of political expediency in
any party or individual. The defections
are few but notable.
The current of Republicanism is so
strong that even Senator Wadsworth's
opposition to woman suffrage viii not cost
him his seat The weakness of the can
didate the Democrats put up and the
lapathy of Tammany viii help Wadsworth
offset the certain loss of woman votes.
What chance have even the women
against the bipartisan understandings
which for years have controlled elections
in New York state? In the general up
heaval Bill Barnes on the one hand
and a Charlie Murphy on the, other can
still run things and Mr.. Murphy is far
more interested in the election of Al
Smith for governor than he is in the sue
cess of the Democratic nominee for the
presidency of the United States where
fore the reader may put New York down
in the Republican column. and at the
same time make up his mind that the YER
dict will reflect no affirmation or negation
lOf the present league of nations, or any
4 other kind of a league but thoroughly
local situation plus grievances on purely
domestic affairs as managed at Washing
ton.