Evening star., 1927-09-16
DEMOCRATS IN OHIO
OPPOSE AL SMITH
Donahey's Willingness to
Run Seen as Party's Sole
Hope for Success in 1928.
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN.
STAFF Correspondent of The Star.

| COLUMBUS, Ohio, September 15.-
Ohio has a potential Democratic nomi.
nee for President, Gov. A. Vic Don.
ahey. But getting Gov. Donahey to
say that he is candidate for the
presidential nomination or for any
| other office in 1928 is no easy job
about as easy as getting President
Coolidge to amplify his Il do not
choose" statement.
As a matter of fact, he says fatty
| that he Is not a candidate for the
presidential nomination. He says it
| over and over again. Yet Democrats
in Ohio and out of it are urging him
to permit his name to be used. The
governor may not permit his name to
go before the voters in the primary
for the election of delegates to the
Democratic national convention. Un-
der the State law delegates are elected
to the convention after declaring their
first choice and second choice for the
presidential nomination. In announc-
ing their first and second choice. how
ever, they are restricted to the candi-
dates who have given assent to the
use of their names. So If Gov. Dom
cratic presidential preferential pri-
mary here will be something like
Hamlet" with Hamlet left out.
Anxious to Present Name.
The Democracy Of Ohio. with few
exceptions, is anxious to present the
name of the governor to the national
convention next year, It Is anxious to
present the governors name because
it believes 1t has strong candidate in
Donhahey. because a ruction in the
| hind the governor, and because there
| is strong opposition to Gov. AL Smith
Of New York., and Donahey Is wanted
as a man to "stop" Smith In the 1928
| convention.
| Donahey has been elected three
times governor of this Republican
State. He rolled up a plurality of
176.000 against his Republican oppo.
nent while President Coolidge was
carrying the State by many more than
half a million votes.
Democratic leaders say that he can
have anything he wants in the way
Of delegates to the national convention
or the nomination for governor again
or the nomination for the Senate
against Senator Fess, If he should de.
sire to go to the Senate.
| Want Smith to Quit.
| Democratic politicians out here in
Ohio, as well as Republican, figure
that the Democratic nomination for
President in 1928 may be worth very
\ little. They see a chance for a
| Democratic victory only in the event
that Gov. Al Smith shall take a leaf
out of President Coolidge's book and
announce that he does not choose to
run for President next year. Indeed,
they would prefer to have the Gov
ernor of New York use an even
stronger and more explicit phrase to
take himself out of the race. Fur.
thermore, they would have Smith de.
clare himself in favor of the romina.
ton Of Gov. Donahey or some other
Democrat not unlike the governor of
Ohio in his position on various issues.
The withdrawal Of Smith and hard
times, they say. are the only hope of
the Democratic party nationally and
in Ohio.
No one really expects Gov. Smith to
withdraw from the Democratic con.
test for the presidential nomination.
But very few expected President
Coolidge to take himself out of the
picture. Yet Mr.. Coolidge issued his
statement from the Black Hills with
the nomination and election practi.
cally within his grasp.
Miracles DO Happen"
Miracles do happen. now and
then, and perhaps Gov. Smith may
decide to step out in the interests
Of his party" said one of the most
prominent Democrats of the State
today.
Whether with the consent Of Gov
Smith or not, Smith workers have
been busy in Ohio recently seeking
to line up the voters for a Smith
delegation to the national convention
1t is said they have made some little
| (Continued on Page & Column ~