Evening star., 1924-10-19
SEES SPLIT TICKET
NNEW YORK STATE
"Why Change" Version in
Coolidge Campaign Applied
by Smith Supporters.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.


whether Republicans or Democrats.
are agreed. The one exception is the
hard boiled partisan, who processes
to see nothing but certain victory for
his side, despite the overwhelming
minority in which he finds himself.
President Coolidge is more certain to
carry New York State than
Smith is. But the odds of 31a to l on
Coolidge and to on Smith faily re-
fleet the prevalent state of popular
opinion.
If the Empire States As electoral
votes go anywhere but into the Re-
publican column. and if Young
Teddy" overcomes AT Smith for the
governorship. either event would
represent the totally unexpected The
Presidents plurality over Davis, on
present-hour indications. will be
substantial one. What his majority
over Davis and La Toilette combined
will be is more problematical Re-
publican enthusiasts are talking
about another Harding majority OF
a million for Coolidge. but they are
reckoning without a La Toilette vote
that some authorities predict may
run to 100000 in the State at large.
No Easy Smith Victory.
While Gov. Smiths reelection is
widely conceded he will not win in
A walk. He will. for one thing, not
remotely approximate the 100000
majority by which he humbled Nathan
L. Miller in 1922. If Smith defeats
Roosevelt by anything from $4,000 to
$4,000. Democratic leaders will be
content and happy. They are GER
tain his lead will not run below those
figures If Col. Roosevelt could count
upon the full Coolidge tidal wave
vote, his own cause would not be in
danger. But it is apparent on all
hands that thousands of Republicans
are going to support Gov. Smith.
They will do so more or less from
the same motives that inspire the
Republican party to call for President
Coolidge's perpetuation in the White
House Keep Coolidge" runs the
q. O. p. slogan. Keep Smith" runs
the Smith slogan. Why change"
ask Republicans. referring to Cool
idge why Cnange?" ask the Demo-
Gratis of New York. meaning Smith.
In Smiths case, countless Republicans
will withhold votes from Roosevelt
solely on the ground that Smith has
made a good governor, has a firm
grip on the problems of the common
wealth and has done nothing during
his present term to merit defeat.
To date, evidently realizing that
meritorious, Col. Roosevelt has been
campaigning mainly on national is
sues and the Republican cause gener-
ally.
Wndsworth Strnte&ist.
He is pursuing the strategy dictated
by Senator James W. Wadsworth, jr-,
now the uncrowned king of New York
Republican politics, and whose ac-
Quaintance with local conditions has
necessarily been closer than that of
Col. Roosevelt. AS the campaign
tapers to it's finish during the next
two weeks 1T. r." will delve into
purely State affairs, though he has,
of course not ignored them thus far.
That he is making an impressive, ef-
fective campaign is acknowledged by
both friend and foe. He has success
fully emulated the long-victorious
tactics of al" Smith and Stalked the
stump language of the plain people,
with heavy reliance on the vernacu-
lar. The Teapot Dome issue is not
counting against Roosevelt to any ap-
precia BILE extent.
What is working in Young Teddy's
favor is his insiStence on soft pedal
ing the famous father stuff" and his
determination to stand on his own
feet and be judged entirely on his
own personal merits. The New York
World, which began the campaign by
savagely cartooning the colonel in
the Rough Rider uniform of his
father. and making it half a dozen
sizes too large for him, has aban-
doned that particular caricature. but
is now depicting him an civilian
clothes which fit him far too gener-
ously. too. The plain implication is
that Roosevelt is trying to fill role
for which his political stature does
not equip him. In Greater New York,
where the bulk of the Worlds circu-
lation exists. this ceaseless pictorial
pounding at ct. RS alleged 'inade
quacy" has undoubtedly hurt him.
Up State. where the bumper crop of
Republican votes is always harvested
and where the colonel is now cam
paigning, it has done him no harm.
1t has probably done him good.
Call Smith "Old Story"
Rooseveltians take heart from their
belief that al" Smith has become
a pretty old story as a gubernatorial
candidate. This is his fourth success
sive campaign for the governorship.
He was first elected in 1918. defeated
in 1920, reelected in 1922, and is now
trying again. Some Republicans
think the gild is a little bit off the
lily, and that Smith may be headed
for the fate of many a man who did
not stop when stopping was good.
They believe he himself was con-
scious Of such possibility when, a
month or six weeks ago, he was do
ing hesitation waltz with regard to
denomination.
Smith enthusiasts counter that ar
Eument by declaring that, because of
the governors deseat in the Demo-
cratic national convention last Sum-
mer, they are going to roll up a
''vindication majority" for him on
November 4. They are out, they say,
to show" the Democrats thing or
two about AL. Smith. They mean
to demonstrate that whatever the
Democratic party nationally may
think OF the governor, he is still the
darling and the idol of his own peo-
pie. They know that President Cool
idge's strength in the State is enor-
nous. but are entirely confident that
it will not be heavy enough to do
what the Harding landslide did to
Smith in 1920, when he was defeated
by $4,000 votes.
There is no more eagerly debated
question in New York politics TODAY
than the quality of the loyalty which
Tammany Hall and Smith Democrats
generally are going to exhibit toward
Davis and Bryan. On the surface,
the Loyalty 100 per cent Olvany, the
new Tammany boss, is apparently
working tooth-and- for both
Smith and Davis. But it is every
body's secret that the Smith de-
mocracy" is still smarting under the
rebuff it suffered in Madison Square
Garden. 1t is a companion in misery,
on that score, with the "McAdoo De-
mocracy." Cynical souls on Manhat-
tan Island saw something of a CO.
incidence in the fact that Smith took
cold and had to break OF his recent
New ENGLAND SneakiDU t0ur for