Evening star., 1924-09-13
SMITH IN QUANDRY
OVER MAKING RACE
Politicians Battle to Break
Down Determination of
Governor to Retire.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


SYRACUSE, N. Y, September 13.-l
No better opportunity is usually
afforded to get a line on Empire
State politics than the State Fair
especially on Governors day.
The writer found the new State
political problem wrapped up in Gov
Al Smith. On whether he runs or not
depends the fate of the national
ticket of the Democratic party.
So the natural thing to do was to
find out if possible from the governor
himself what he intended to do. He
was sitting in the grandstand pre-
sumably watching the trotting races,
but alongside of him were Norman
+. Mack, national committeeman, and
William II. Kelly, State committee
man, who engaged the governor III
debate. on the subject of whether he
should run for another term. Messrs
Mack and Kelly ably defended the
affirmative. while the governor force
fully argued in the negative.
Norman Mack beckoned and the
writer was invited to join the discus
sion.
1t wouldn't be proper to disclose
what was said, but, even SO, a solution
OF the perplexing problem would be
no nearer.
Know Smiths Value.
The leaders, especially those to
whom ii means much to have the
State ticket pull through. know Al
Smith can help them. They fear no
other candidate can. They do not
profess, incidentally, to know how
much AL Smith could help the ma
tional ticket, but they think he would
help it some.
Now, as for the governor he owes
much to his party and wants to con-
tinue to be of service to it. But he
h h,I
three vigorous campaigns. There is
no glory in the governorship which
he has not already enjoyed. And there
is a prospect of much more toll and
tedium with a legislature not entirely
Democratic. Besides, the Governor is
anxious to get back to private busi-
ness. Public service is not remunera-
tive to the honest official-it is usually
a burdensome expense.
It's no secret that the governor
doesn't want to run again. He has
told many people that. He is sincere
about it. If he has his way, he will
make speeches for Davis and retire
from the governorship.
Politicians Pleas Vigorous.
But will he have his way? The
practical politicians are pleading
with him. Would he put himself
in the position of refusing aid to
the State and County tickets all
along the line in an hour of dis
tress? If he hopes for political ad-
Tancement later on, will he receive
the same wholehearted support from
the organization that he now enjoys
or will there be resentment because
he did not make the fight this year?
Could he hope to be leader of party
which might harbor the thought that
1t would be in power but for his re-
tirement?
AL Smith is a creature of almost
unparalleled popularity in politics.
The people who are for him love him
and those who are against him are
numerically smaller than any Dem
ocrat in New York State has had in
generations. But this is presiden-
tial year, when straight tickets are
voted. And New York is normally
Republican State. Four years ago
AL Smith made a remarkable run
He was only 10000 behind Harding,
who carried the State by a million
votes. But he was behind, just the
same. Some Republicans well in
formed and unprejudiced conceded
today AL Smiths strength to be so
great that he might even win the
governorship this time, even though
Coolidge carried the State.
Sees Chance for Trouble.
And there's the rub. Would the
politicians of other States accuse AL
Smith and Tammany Hall of bad
faith if the State ticket won and the
national ticket lost? It's a risk for
any one to take who may want to
be In the good graces of his party
If, on the other hand. Coolidge car
res New England and other neighbor-
ing territory by a uniformly heavy
vote and New York shows, lesser
margin as between the State ticket
and the DavIs-Bryan ticket, it would
be apparent that AL Smith had helped
the national cause by making the race
10 that extent would he ingratiate
himself with the party moguls as hav-
ing played the game irrespective of
whether he wins or loses the governor
ship.
Many Republicans are mistakenly
assuming that AL Smith doesn't want
TO run because he fears being defeated
What he really fears is that if he runs
ne may be elected, and that means two
more years of hard work, with the
possibility that two years hence the
chleftalns OF the party may be after
MIN again to make the race for United
states senator or something else to
help the local tickets.
So AL Smith hopes to escape from
1t all. But will he?
Inc State convention meets in a
fortnight. The Democrats have not
agreed upon any one to run if Smith
does not. If he is drafted he will run
ahead of Davis without doubt. 1t is
TOO early to say how much. The La
roiiette vote is going to be heavy. AL
Smith would recapture MANY Of the
Democrats who favor La Toilette. for
IN their anxiety to make sure of a
vote for AL Smith they would forget
La toilette. Unless John w. Davis
can make whirlwind campaign, he
VIII be badly beaten in central New
York by President Coolidge. for there
seems little doubt, even in the minds
of some well Informed Democrats. that
were the election held tomorrow the
regular Republican ticket would win
overwhelmingly