Evening star., 1922-10-13
SMITH AND MILLER
|B0TH VOTE GETTERS
Democrat Beaten by Only
$4,000 in G. O.P. Land
slide Year.
By N. O. MESSENGER
stan Correspondent Of The Star.

Stan Correspondent Of The Star.
NEW YORK. October 13-While the
two opposing candidates for governor
are floundering through the mire Of
personalities and bespattering each
other with volleys of II did and you
didn't" you are a faker" and "You
Of past elections and see how closely
the candidates ran in the balloting.
You see, these sane two men. Al
Smith and Gov. Miller. have opposed
each other at the polls before.
In 1918. when Alfred E. Smith was
elected governor, he beat Charles s..
Whitman by about $4,000. He received
1.o09. 200 votes to Mr.. Whitman's $50. .eoo
Then, in 1920. when Mr.. Smith was.
In turn. defeated by the present Gov.
Miller. the republican majority vas
1900. But. as indicative Of Mr..
Smiths great popularity in the state,
he ran 100000 ahead Of Cox, the demo-
cratic candidate for President of the
United States.
So 1t is needful to bear in mind
that with the prestige which the re-
publican gubernatorial ticket took on
from the presidential ticket in the
great Harding landslide" Mr.. Smith,
the democratic candidate for governor,
in a vote Of 2,SoO,000 was beaten by
only $4,000.
Basis of Democratic Hope.
This condition is really the founda-
ton Of the democratic hope Of success
this fall. They are counting on Mr..
Smith retaining the hold upon the
voters which he demonstrated as pos
sessing In 1920. whose effect would be
increased by the absence Of republican
presidential landslide features this
year. They are also depending on a
certain amount of expected disaffec-
ton among the republicans. growing
out Of dissatisfaction with Congress
and on account Of the new tariff law.
Furthermore, the democrats think
that their "wet" plank in the state
platform will draw votes from re-
publicans in the upstate Industrial
cities, while admitting that 1t will
hurt them in the rural districts and
the small, non-industrial towns. In
this connection 1t will be Of note that
in 1920. the republican enrolment in
the state, outside of greater New
York, exceeded the democratic enroll
ment by $4,000. The way this vote
goes in November will decide the gov
ernorship contest.
the political representations Is the
falling of In registration this week.
1t is evident that a much lighter vote
will be polled than Two years ago.
, The decreased registration aff1icts
both parties. however. and sure line
cannot be obtained until the figures
of the last days registration, next
Saturday, are in and analysed.
Main Issues Not Touched.
Thus far neither of the two candi-
dates has dwelt upon any of what
might be termed the policy features
Of the campaign: that Is to say, the
wet and dry issue. the socialistic
features OF the democratic platform,
or the tariff. They are at the present
devoting themselves to a squabble as
to who made the best governor and
who is therefore likely to make the
better one If elected.
There is a good deal Of what the
politicians call bunk" in the wet
platform. 1t merely calls upon Con-
gress to do what Congress already
has the right to do. to modify the
Volstead act to permit the use of
light wines and beers. under reguIa-
tions to be prescribed by the state.
A story gained currency yesterday
that DR.. Copeland. the democratic
candidate for United States senator,
would repudiate the wet plank. He
came out In carefully woried state
meIit today, which you can analyze
for yourself. He said: -
IL accepted the nomination by the
democratio party. I could not have
doue that had ! not been substantially
in accord with the, planks- Of that
PLATFORM, Ono will note the use Of
that word Substantially:
Presessie. Aids can,aisa.
DR.. Copeland has been the butt Of
some good-humored "jollying" be-
cause a doctor should run for the
Senate. It seems that his profession
is likely to be a source Of strength
to him, on account Of his wonderful
work as health. commissioner Of New
York city and the great dement's he
has brought to tho children and
women.
Tho democrats intend to mako .
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