Evening star., 1927-04-06
GLASS TELLS SMITH
/. TO DROP DRY ISSUE
Virginia Senator's Statement
Held Pointing Way for
Southern Support.
RN DAVID LAWRENCE.

Ii Al Smith wants the support of
! the Democratic delegates from the
South he must "let the prohibition
issue alone" This is the true signiti-
cance of the statement by Senator
Glass Of Virginia. who brushes aside
the religious issue and says that a
Catholic can OF course, be elected
President
Reading the Virginia Senator's re-
marks. the politically minded folks
here saw 1t as clear-cut definition
on behalf Of Southern leaders Of what
they want to elicit from Gov. Smith
before they will agree to support him.
Mr. Glass went so far even as to
give the New York governor a cue by
pointing out that a President cannot
change the Constitution and that
change in the Nolstead act is some
thing for Congress and not the excel.
tive to decide Mr. Glass also point
edly recalls that the last Democratic
President vetoed the Volstead act,
which would presumably make him
wet" in the eyes of many people,
but this did not prevent Congress
from overriding the veto by a two
thirds vote. In other words. Senator
Glass is not asking Al Smith to
change his personal views on prohibi
from making it an issue.
Await Word From Smith.
Some statement from the New York
governor now is expected. If he says
that he will be guided by the plat
form of his party in convention as
sembled and that If elected he will
of course enforce the laws on the
statute books, this probably will go
wi xrytEaY
Southern support at this stage.
Mr. Glass remarks are really
turning point in the campaign. They
mean that the predetermined leaders
of Southern democracy are not going
to make intolerance an issue, but that
they will stick to their guns on the
prohibition question. The chances are
that All Smith will make the kind of
a statement on this point which while
not satisfying some will at least bring
into his camp good many Southern
Democrats who are waiting for his
pronouncement before coming out in
support of his candidacy.
IT, on the other hand, the New York
governor insists on making prohibition
an issue, the fight against him will be
begun on those lines rather than on
supposed disqualification on religious
grounds.
Has No Organized Campaign.
1t is important to note that Al Smith
really has no campaign under way
and has selected no managers. Even
Franklin ID. Roosevelt, who managed
his campaign at the Madison Square
convention, told the writer that he was
answering letters from interested
Democrats by saying that neither he
nor any one else is in any sense man.
aging the New York governors can
didacy.
Mr.. Roosevelt, like many another
advocate of Gov. Smiths candidacy, is
spreading the gospel OF Al Smiths
work in New York State, and there is
no question about the spontaneous ma
ture of the support he is getting in
Democratic circles.
While the New York governor is
not seeking delegates there are hun.
dreds of friends who are trying to do
il for him, which makes the whole
movement one of the most remarka-
BILE in political annals.
When the history of the present
preconvention campaign comes to be
written it will be found that the state
ment of Senator Glass on the neces-
sity of letting the prohibition issue
alone and the reply that AL Smith is
preparing to the inquirer in the At
lantic Monthly who has asked him
TO define his future allegiance on re-
ligion and government will be found
to be the two pivotal factors in the
increase or decrease of the AL Smith
strength.
fCouvright 1897