New-York tribune., 1922-11-05
'sI'n Be Back on Old .Jol,
Jan. L. Says Former Ex-
ecutive, Summing Up
Issues Before Voters
Opponents Regime
Dissected as Failure
Welfare of People, Not
of Interests, His Own
Aim, Ayers Candidate

AIM, Ayers Candidate
Summing up his case before the
voters jury, former Governor Alfred
E. Smith, Democratic candidate for
Governor, in the last speech of his
campaign at the Lexington Opera
House last night. expressed serene
confidence in the election returns
Tuesday and declared that he expected
to be back at his old post in Albany
on January i.
"Great interest in a campaign on the
part of the people," he said, ais one
Of the safeguards Of democratic rep
resentative government, and no matter
how much the record may be distorted,
no matter how the facts may be
twisted, no matter what false light
may be turned upon the performance,
the people can be relied upon in the
last analysis to make the right selec-
tion. 1t is that fact, we'll grounded in
my mind, that, above all others, gives
me SO much confidence in the success
OF our ticket on Tuesday next"
Speaking of his own record as Gov
ernor, the candidate said:
Gave State All, He Says
ain my two years as Governor I
gave myself to this state as COM
pleteiy as man can do it. had
no other interest. had no other bust
ness, had no other obligations. ASIDE
from the time spent with nv family
] devoted, without stint and at the ex-
pense of my own health, every bit of
energy that | could bring to my COM
mand. regard the election figures of
1920 as a public approval of my two
years as Governor. did everything
] possibly could do to make the gov
ernnient responsive to the wishes and
the needs Of the plain people of the
state. bettered every activity that
the state is engaged in. I turned q
willing ear and an open heart to every
proposal that had for its purpose the
promotion Of the welfare of all the
people"
The former Governor summarized
the issues as he has presented them
throughout the state, including home
rule. traction, labor, public welfare,
water power development, direct pri-
marles, state hospitals, agriculture and
markets, publicity for campaign contri-
buttons, highways, the Lusk bills, re-
organization Of state government, ex-
ecutive budget, education and economy.
On all these subjects the former Gov
ernor's arguments were made to show
that Governor Miller had failed.
"What have we been debating, and
what are the real facts 2" he asked.
"Let me lay them before you in plain,
homcly, everyday language. Study
them for yourselves over Sunday. Let
them sink into your mind, and il you
can get the opportunity place them
side by side with the long, compli-
Gated, involved arguments that Gov
ernor Miller has been putting forth
and which nobody, even himself at
times, can understand.
Miller Failed, He Charges
II propose to show you tonight that
Governor Miller failed. propose to
block progress in government, but he
sent us backward. I propose to show
you from the record that legal mind
without an understanding of the wants
and needs of the people is not the only
requisite to make good Governor. I
feel sure that the record when dis
closed to you will convince you that
Governor Miller has lifted the govern
ment of the state SO far above the
heads Of the plain people that they
have, under him, been denied the pro-
lection that it was the intention they
should have from the state. 1t can
never be charged to mistakes. Mis-
takes of the mind are easily cured, but
the mistake Of the heart fingers. AS
the twig is bent the tree will grow. II
Governor Miller had started out on the
1st of January, 1921, to deliver the
of government into the
hands Of the few and forget the many,
he could not have made better job of
it. The whole record Of his admins
tration bears out his statement that it
is not the purpose Of the government
to make life easier for anbody."
The speaker then took up home rule,
declaring that he had always stood for
it and fought for full measure Of it
for the Municipalities. Governor Mil
Ter, he contended, had taken it away
from the cities through his transit
legislation and the public service COM
missions, stripping the cities Of all but
their constitutional power over their
own franchises and paralyzing the arm
OF local government. Referring to the
five-cent fare he said:
Urges Return Of Transit
AIf Governor Miller is sincere in
tho promise he made on Monday night
to preserve the fiye-cent fare in New
York City he can only do 1t by return
ing to the city the control she previ-
ousIy exercised over her own fran
chises and her own contracts. This he
says he will not do. have promised
(coninusd on nsxt psss,