New Britain herald., 1927-08-03
RI7CHIE VS. REED
 FIGHTING STARTS
Democratic Presidential Aspir-
 ants Move in Campaign
4Y GEORGE Fl. MANNING

battle is on between Governor AL bert C. Ritchie of Maryland and Senator James A. Reed of Missouri for the votes of the southern and middle western delegates to the 1928 democratic national conyen- tion.
 Both of these democratic presi- dental aspirants. apparently have concluded that the eastern demo- crats are solidly lined up for Gov crnor Alfred Smith of New York, and that their hope Is to capture the other two large blocs of votes the southern and the middle west ern, both of which are usually con- sidered as opponents of the New York governor. Of course. both Reed and Ritchie are as wet as Al Smith, but they are being as quiet as possible about this in the south and the middle west.
 Ritchie's Bait
 Governor Ritchie has just made his big bid for these two blocs of Notse.
 His bait for the southern dele gates consisted of his widely herald ed suggestion that House of Gov ernors'' be established to protect states rights. which he and other democrats and New England repub- licans see constantly encroached upon by the federal government.
 His states rights protection plan was very cleverly devised. Without attacking any specific federal law. such as prohibition. federal aid for road building, federal aid for mea- sures for the promotion of educa- tion in agriculture. vocational train ing. and the welfare of maternity and infancy. Governor Ritchie pro- posed to the annual conference of governors held in Michigan that the governors of the AS states organize an unofficial League of States" or House of Governors" to defend the states against federal encroachment.
 Now Senator Reed has been barn. storming the south on this very is- sue. attempting to inculcate in the minds of all southerners the idea that he is the intrepid and outstand- ing champion of states rights. But he gets specific, and expresses him. self in vitrolic terms on certain federal laws. It is very likely that among his listeners in the south are those who approve of some of the lawes he inveighs against as cre- ative of a federal bureaucracy.
 Governor Ritchie made no such mistake. He did not mention pro- hibition and-here is 8 significant difference between him and the fiery Missourian-he did not men, tion any other laws. He merely de- elared that half the issues that now eventuate in federal legislation ~could and should be handled by the states.
 "House of Governors"
 His proposed House of Govern ,ors' would meet. discuss, consult, and agree or differ on measures it considers the proper province of the states rather than the federal gov ernment. In such matters as it agrees upon. the conference of state executives could determine upon uniform legislation in the several states, if uniform legislation would help in carrying out the purposes of the proposed legislation.
 And thus Governor Ritchie of "the Maryland Free State' was head p%r ),o champion of states rights, while Senator Reed is getting himself headlined as making attacks on this or that federal law.
 It must be admitted that Governor Ritchie really needed some head lining in the south, if he expected any support in that quarter. He is not well known in the south. Texas politicians, for example, are hardly aware of his existence. and have been exhibiting a rather heartless unconcern with his presidential as pirations.
 He recently visited some of the Atlantic seaboard southern states, Y, md is reported to have made a .ood impression there, however.
 Governor Ritchie's bid for the middle west was equally clever. Out Ut the governors conference the middle westerners unanimously de- clared that farm relief will be a leading issue in the next presiden- tial campaign and revealed large support of the McNary- -Haughen bill.
 On Farm Bill
 So Governor Ritchie got up and said:
 .''The government should take whatever sound action it can to bring about what is called the equality of agriculture.
 There are five essential activities of American life: Agriculture, finance. labor. industry and the railroads.
 "Goyernment helps industry through the tariff. It helps labor through immigration laws. It helps finance through Federal Reserve Act. It helps railroads through a guaranteed return. Not unnaturally the farmers ask, Is it not time to do something for us?'
 That is the same line of argu- ment middle western governors, sen- atone and congressman have been making in favor. of the McNary- Haugen bill.
 When asked what, in his opinion. will be the outstanding issue of the next presidential campaign, Gov ernor Ritchie said:
 There is no other way to get the democrats of America except on a platform of general opposition to centralizating of authority at Wash ington."
 He refused to state any prefer ences for a candidate. and former governor of Florida was the only one who mentioned RitChie as d possible