The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-10-06
BY II. N. WICKS.

/ by IL. NJ w 1OhG.
THE presidential campaign Of 1925
was launched at the state repub-
/ lican convention at Rochester last FIJI
day when Theodore Roosevelt de-
| livered his vitriolic broadside against
Al Smith, the Tammany governor of
New York. So incapable are the Wall
Street organs supporting the Smith
| candidacy Of re1uting the charges
made by Roosevelt against Smith that
they are trying to minimize it by try
| ing to create the impression that even
old-time republicans consider the
speech political blunder.
Particularly ludicrous was the re-
action of the New York Times to the
Rochester convention. l sat in the
convention hall and listened to the
speech and the demonstration. I'm
questionably it was a well-staged af-
fair with the heir OF the Roosevelt
t tradition playing the stellar role.
From beginning to end it was ap-
parent that Roosevelt was chosen to
deliver the keynote speech because
the national republican machine has
imposed upon him the task of de-
feating Al Smith.
1t is not at all unusual for the
capitalist press to distort the facts
regarding a convention of labor, but
it was somewhat Of a jolt to see the
deliberate distortion of the repub-
lican convention as it appeared in the
Times and the World the next morn
ing, 1t was quite evident that a
hasty policy had been arrived at by
Tammany, and the editorial scaveng-
ers of the two democratic morning
papers of New York had received
| their orders to refrain from a defense
of Smith, but to assail Roosevelt as
an irresponsible and impetuous
youngster who embarrassed his as
| sociates.
In the first place let it be said right
here that Roosevelt is no laundering
imbecile as the Tammany press would
have US believe, but typical spokes-
man of the most viciously fascist ele-
ments in this country and is fully
supported by the republican party
His every act, his speech and senti-
ments, fit him for the role of fascist
tyrant At the same time he has
learned the art of demagogy that
made his sire, in spite of his blatant
ignorance, the foremost political
figure of the first decade of this
century. By nature and training
Roosevelt is fitted to serve well the
imperialist banditti in their plots for
ravaging the world and crushing la
Dor at home. No one who heard his
keynote speech can doubt that he is
scheduled for the second place on the
next republican presidential ticket. The
Rochester speech was only nominally
intended for the state convention. 1t
was national effort and is to be
used as the opening gun in the ma
tional campaign. 1t is based upon
the assumption that Al Smith will be
the democratic candidate for presi-
dent.
WHAT was the particular crime
" of Roosevelt that so aroused the
Tammany press of New York? The
ICSb tAieiG Vic opGdhtI DIONCu lIldI Lll6
tiger had not changed it's stripes;
that the wigwam on Fourteenth
Street was still doing business at the
same old stand in the same old way;
that graft and corruption was
rampant; that the state machine, like
the New York City machine, had it's
roots deep in the slum proletariat,
that offal of all classes of society
usually to be found aiding the black
est reaction; that. the fred light" dis
trict had crept up to the steps Of the
state house at Albany. All of the
Roosevelt charges were facts that
cannot be denied and that can easily
be proved. 1t is common knowledge
that Albany is haven for the very
scum of the earth and that Tammany
has encouraged that condition. 1t has
acquired political debts and must pay
them by permitting organized graft
and vice to run rampant. The re-
spectacle Times and the World hide
behind that convenient d Tense
mechanism of the thoroly rotten bour-
geois society by declaring that such
things should not be mentioned in
polite circles, but should be concealed.
This is surely ground on which the
capitalist politicians Of the old par