Evening star., 1923-06-02
NATIONAL POLITICS
NJ UPSET BY SMITH
Choice of Candidates and
Making of Party Platforms
in 1924 MuddIed.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Gov. Al Smith of New York has
completely upset the national political
situation not only with respect to the
choice of presidential candidates for
1924. but the making of the two ma
tional party platforms.
Going back to the historic doctrine
of states rights. which the democratic
party has held so dear for century.
but which was temporarily obliterated
by the necessities of the world war;
the Governor of New York has issued
an appeal to tie people of America to
preserve the sovereignty of the states
of the Union as guaranteed them by
the Constitution.
Issue I'm South.
States rights is a fundamental is
sue in the south. the stronghold OF
democracy. When tied up to the pro-
hibition question it becomes liVe
issue in the north and east Gov.
Smith did not embrace the extreme
wet side of the controversy. nor did
he recede one step from the obHga-
tion of the citizenry of the nation 10
obey the laws of TIE federal govern
ment. But he did present construc-
tive program whereby each state can
regulate the liquor question accord
ing to the wishes of its own people
Home rule, local regulation. states
rights-all these slogans Will be
heard from in the next twelve month S
as the advocates of a modification of
the existing situation with respect TO
the Volstead law press for change.
Whether AL Smith wins the democratic
nomination for the presidency on the
platform of his memorandum, written
as he signed the repeal of New York
states prohibition enforcement law is
for the moment an open question and is
complicated by the merits of other cam
didacieS and other issues, but the bold
step taken by the governor OF state
where the democratic party rolled up
its biggest majority will have definite
influence on the making of the demo-
cratic platform. 1t would not be sur
priSing if the Smith memorandum form
ed the basis of the democratic plat
form in the nation.
Many Want Smith.
Naturally AL Smith is the man eastern
democracy would want to see nominated
on that kind of platform, as his fame
has spread to Massachusetts. New Jer-
sey and the eastern seaboard. where
enough electoral votes might be mus
tered to add to the votes of the solid
south and a victory achieved without
regard to the dry west. The south
would stick on the doctrine of states
rights because prohibition could still
be enforced as rigidly there as it was
before the eighteenth amendment was
adopted
Indirectly the influence of such a
move would be felt in Congress. Mem
bers from the south uphold the Vol
stead law because they are committed
to the dry side in their own states.
but if the democratic national plat
form revived the issue of states rights
and way was pointed out whereby
the traffic in liquor could still be regu-
lated by each state, the delegations
from southern states would be deeply
impressed and possibly swung to the
ranks of the group wishing to amend
the NolStead law.
Religion Complexities.
AL Smiths own chances for the
nomination are complicated by his re-
ligion. Traditionally, the politicians
have always maintained that a Catho-
lie could not be nominated by either
party because he would not have a
never been tested out, but many SINH
lar conjectures have gone by the
boards. One was that a southerner
would never be nominated for the
presidency after the civil war. 1t
took many years. but Woodrow Wilson
native of Virginia, finally was nomi-
mated and elected, thus breaking that
tradition. Another argument of the
have a chance to become governor in
populous state But AL Smith has
shattered that theory. And so have
prominent Catholics in other states.
When it gets down to brass tacks
in the democratic convention, there
fore, the Likelihood is that AL Smith S
stock Will be weighed on an entirely
different basis. 1t will be. first, wheth-
er he can carry enough states to win,
whether his stand on prohibition will
be an asset or a liability. and whether
men like William Gibbs McAdoo
James NJ. Cox, Senator Ralston of In
diana or John w. Davis of New York
can approach the electorate from an
other angle and win
New York'S politicians especially