New-York tribune., 1920-10-05
Smith Favors
5Liberalized'
VOlstead Act
Governor, Answering Miller,
Says He Is for Dry Plan
Republican Legislature
Decided Upon i'm April
Attacks Judge on Issues
Declares Opponent Should
Discuss State Questions
and Not Nations League

Governor Alfred E. Smith in a state
ment givensout last night at the Hotel
Biltmorc in answer to questions pro-
pounded by Judge Miller, Republican
candidate for Governor, said that he
wants the Volstead act "liberalized" on
the lines the Republican Legislature
called for last April. He charged that
Judge Miller is concerning himself too
much with national issues and not with
issues of direct interest to the people
of New York State
The Governors prepared statement,
in part, follows:
II had supposed when Judge Miller
was nominated that we would discuss
the great state issues so that the people
could elect a Governor on the basis Of
an intelligent discussion of policies af
fecting the things with which Governor
has to do. Instead of that all ! have
heard from Judge Miller is demand
to know how I stand on the League of
Nations and whether I believe that the
st. Lawrence River should be widened.
"My record for the last two years as
Governor speaks for itself. | have en-
deavored to carry through a tremendous
reform in the organization of the state
government by abolishing dozens of
useless bureaus, departments and posi-.
tions, and organizing the state govern
ment in the way that any decent bust
ness would be organized. In this
have had the support of great upstand-
ing Republicans like Judge Hughes. In
deed, Judge Miller himself supported it
by going on the executive committee of
the citizens committee which was formed
to carry through this program.
81 WOuld like JudCa Miller tO RI Iiec,1ca
this particular issue before the people
with which he Will be concerned if he
is elccSed to the Governorship, and
with which certainly shall be con-
cerned if l am elected.
Attacks Miller on Welfare Bills
"Then there are the questions concern
ing the so-called welfare bills which
have to do with the protection of the
life and health Of working men, wom-
Ell and children. ! have struggled for
years, and successfully, to place part
of this program upon the statute
books. Judge Miller says his oppos,-
tion to this program is that he cam
not have laws like this on our statute
books because it is paternalism. He
defends the proposition that it is much
better to have manned men, sick wom-
en- and exhausted children than to have
on our statute books laws for their
protection which may be paternaistic.
On this point he and I are squarely a.
issue, and he cannot protect the work
ing people of this state by destroying
the League of Nations or widening the
st. Lawrence River.
eff had TO defend the Saratoga
platform and the conduct of the Re-
publican majority in the Legislature
in the last two years, which is repre-
sontative7 neither OF the people gem
orally nor the far-seeing forward look
ing element in the Republican party,
would sooner speak about Brazil,
China, or the Argentine Republic, than
about the affairs of the State of New
York
Il am confident that before COM
pletc my trip there will be a wide
spread demand by the people Of all
parties that Judge Miller declare where
he stands on the highway question, the
care of the insane, the Development of
our institutions for mental detectives
and the management and care Of our
prisons. am certain that the people
of this state will require that the Re-
publican candidate say clearly and
specifically whether or not he stands
with the platform of his party, which
seeks the abolition of the direct pri-
mary system, and whether or not he
stands with the platform of his party,
which places himself in the ridiculous
position of being in favor of an ex-
ecutive budget at Washington in the
interest of economy and against it in
Albany'