New-York tribune., 1922-09-11
,lrio(sr t)Olrle(l
I'm WI @ We to
SslleIve Smith
Banton and Craig Found
in Company With Wag-
ner in Murplay's Plot for
Compromises Candidate
Three Named Are
Friends of Foley
Ex-Governor's Backers
Insist Only Small Part of
Tammany Is Included

AaIaiaIlany us 4EacAu0eO
Friends OF former Governor Alfred
e. Smith last night declared that all
talk Of compromise candidates for
Governor was scheme engineered by
small group in Tammany Hall which
is openly hostile 10 him to kill him
off politically.
Following publication in The Tribune
on Saturday that Supreme Court Jus
tlce Robert +. Wagner had been hur-
riedly summoned from Europe, where
he was passing vacation, to discuss
the governorship with Tammany Lead
ers, the supporters of Smith began a
survey of the situation and found two
other so-called compromise candidates
being groomed by the same group.
The other two are District Attorney
Joab A. Banton and City Comptroller
Charles L. Craig.
Craig, before his election on the
Tammany ticket five years ago, was
law partner Of Surrogate James A.
Foley, who is son-in-law of Charles F..
SAoAP Pitys IiS lSt4dci Ol oLiiudlJ 1l6iis
Schneider Directing Banton
Bantons pre-convention campaign is
being directed by Benjamin Schneider,
who is now one of his $4,000 year
assistant district attorneys, and who
was managing clerk Tor the law firm
of Foley & Craig
Justice Wagner not only has Foley's
Endorsement, who aided in getting
him the nomination IoI Supreme Court
justice, but it is said to have the ap-
.proval of Murphy, whose intimate he
has been for years.
Friends Of Smith declared last night
that while they were personally friend
ly to all three compromise candidates,
yet they regarded the selection Of the
three as due to the Vaccinations Of
the small bat powerful element in Tam
many Hall who want to destroy Smith
so that they can have Murphy's som
in-law, Surrogate Foley, step into the
leadership Of Tammany Hall when
Murphy quits, as he is expected to do
shortly because Of his age.
Smiths followers will fight any at
tempt to shelve him, either at Syracuse
or in Fourteenth Street. and are max
ing theil plans accordingly.
Justice Wagner, who cut short his
European Grip in response, it is
said, to cable messages from his
frisnds In Tammany Hall who are
behind his candidacy, as they are
behind Craig's and Banton's, already is
laying out his campaign, according to
his friends. His trump card will be
the decision he rendered in the strik-
ing cloakmakers' case, where he held
that employees had the SAME right to
an Injunction that employers have.
This is known to Smiths friends, and
one of them has repeatedly charged
that the ill-feeling between Tammany
leader Murphy and Smith, which ex-
listed for nearly two years, was due to
statements made by Wagner before he
was elected to the bench and when he
was one of the Delmonico directorate
which ran Tammany Hall.
Smiths friends do not look upon
Wagner, Banton and Craig as compro-
mise candidates, but as anti-Smlth
candidates. They point out that the
injection of these men as candidates
means that Smith, instead of having
only Hearst and Hylan to fight, will
have five others to fight.
Try to Dissipate His Fire
Smiths friends declare that the only
purpose, so far as "Al" is concerned
of the alleged compromise candidates
will be to dissipate. his fire, which ne
had originally intended to concentrate
on Hearst and the Mayor.
Said one of Smiths friends last
night: ;a-,.u, will have
the surprise of their lives when the
convention meets in Syracuse. Al Is
on record as prepared to go before the
convention to denounce Hearst as ne
did in Carnegie Hall, when he declared
the editor-politician was coward, WIN
liver whittier than the driven snow
and characterized Hearst as loyal 20
no one, not even to his own Hearst
can prevent that speech being mace
only by withdrawing formally from the
race. If he withdraws it means Smltn
nomination. If Hearst doesn't with,
draw Smith will make that speech. and
after he finishes he will be such an
outstanding figure in the convention,
in fact the only big fgure--that ne VIII
be nominated practically by acclama'
ton. Ali that will be needed Will pc
for some one TO present his name and
the convention will be stampeded toi
him."
The firm belief of the Smith faction
is that If the loyalty due. NM py
murphy were dlsehaiseu t 80,
many leader would announce that Tam
many Hall was practically unit for
Smith for Governor, as it is. But they
recall that four years ago Murphy was
not aggressively for Smith; in fact, It Is
said BY friends of both men that Muir
ply advised him not to run Tor Soy.
ernor And they are fearful now That
the Tammany leader may enter into
one of those mysterious deals Tor
which he is notorious and try to nom
mate any one but Smith.
-w n