Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-10-01
SMITH SENTIMENT
IN IOWA OUTRUNS
MERED|TH'S POWER
Former Secretary May Find
Self in Minority if He
Persists in Fight.
LAW ENFORCEMENT SEEN
AS AID TO GOVERNOR
Reed Is Second Choice in Tall Corn
State, but Donahey Is AL
most Unknown.
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN,
Staff COrrespOndent of The Star,

T. T. Meredith, former Secretary OF
Agriculture and sometimes mentioned
as the dry Democrat who is to head
off the Al Smith boom in the next
Democratic national convention, may
find himself in a minority in his own
home State in his crusade against the
New York governor.
Not only is it doubtful that Mr..
Meredith can win the delegation, or a
majority Of it, but it begins to look as
though Gov. Smith may receive the
support of the Iowa Democrats in the
national convention. The smith
strength Is developing here in spite
of the fact that Iowa is dry State.
His gain is due, not so much to the
fact that the governor is opposed 10
Nationwide prohibition, but to the
fact he is recognized as the outstand-
ing figure of the Democratic party TO-
day.
Iowa Friends Shudder.
When Mr.. Meredith recently in New
York issued his defy to the Sihlth
forces and suggested a natlonal con-
ference of Democrats to find some
one to head off Gov. Smith Tor lne
presidential nomination he sent a
shudder down the spines of some of
his own friends and former support
ers Of McAdoo in Iowa.
"Why start a new fight against
Democratic" is the way one OF the
most prominent leaders Of the party
who aided the McAdoo cause in 1874,
nut it to me- 1--WE would rather hght
a Republican. We are pretty sick OF
strife within our own party.
The fact of the matter is that some
of the leading Democrats who fought
Smith and took sides with McAdoo
in 1924 are willing to accept smith
"for the good Of the party rather
than because they particularly cotton
to the governor. They take the view
that he has stood for law enforce
ment in New York and they believe
that he would stand for law enforce
ment in the Nation if he were in the
White House.
Backed strongest Man."
"He wouldn't appoint former
owner of a big distillery to head the
department which must enforce the
prohibition law, either" another dry
Democrat said, who is leaning toward
Smith at present.
The former McAdoo men who are
now talking of the possibility OF the
nomination of Smith say that in 1924
they supported Mr.. McAdoo because
they believed he was the strongest
Democrat in the country at that time
and had the best chance to win If
nominated for President. They are
only logical, they say. when they &C.
cept Smith for the nomination next
wear if he is the strongest man In
the party.
Like their Republican brethren in
Iowa, the Democrats are apt to find
themselves engaged in a contest over
the control of the State delegation in
the national convention and the State
organization. One faction, repre-
scented by Wilbur Marsh and John I.
Sullivan Of Waterloo and Mike Healy
Of Fort Dodge, is for Smith for Presi.
dent and has been for long time.
This is the faction which was ousted
from control four years ago, when the
McAdoo men, under the leadership
of Clyde Herring (the present Demo-
cratic national committeeman, Mere
dith and others, came into the ascend
ency. The Marsh faction would like
to control again, and means to do so
if it can, but the Herring faction is
for holding on. The Democrats in
Iowa, under the control of Marsh for
many years, had become FESTIVE under
his dictatorial rule and that was one
reason he and his group lost out.
Road Could BE Easier.
The progress of the Smith move
ment in Iowa would be made consid-
erably easier if the New York Gov
ernor and his friends would undertake
to recognize the Herring faction as
we'll as the Marsh faction. 1t will be
the harder and more difficult if the
Marsh faction is allowed to claim ex-
elusive recognition from Smith and to
seek to come back into control of the
State politics on the Smith band
wagon. Under proper handling, it is
said, almost the entire delegation
might be counted on to be for Smith.
But if the old row between these fac
tions flares up it may result in cut
ting down materially the number of
Smith delegates, and might even
cause the favorite son candidacy of a
man like Claud r. Porter, one of the
strongest Democrats in the State.
Mr.. Porter was the party nominee for
the Senate last year. He has run for
governor, and always has made
good showing, though he has not
been elected to office. In Iowa, as in
the case of other Western States.
where the Democratic party has been
rather hopelessly in the minority for
years-many Of the party workers
are of Irish extraction and many of
them Catholics. There is no prefer
entail primary for President and the
delegates are picked in party conven-
ton. This makes 1t comparatively
easy for the leaders to control the
selection of the delegates. It Is an
added reason for supposing that the
Smith supporters will be able to OBJ
tain a fair share of the delegates next
year, If not the whole delegation. In
1894 there were Smith men in the
Iowa elegation-though most Of them
stood out for McAdoo. 1t Is esti-
mated that 40 to so per cent Of the
Democratic voters in the State are
Catholics. and still others are wet.
IF Mr.. Meredith should enter the
lists for the Iowa delegation to the ma
tional convention he would have prac-
tically the same solid opposition Of
the Catholic Democrats. 1t Is said that
he has offended the Catholics several
times, on one occasion taking up the
fight for the movement against
parochial schools. Some of his friends
think he would be unwise to enter a
fight for the delegation, which would
bring on an ugly contest, particularly
as his health has not been of the
best. The opinion seems to be gaining
ground that Mr.. Meredith will not un-
- C.Y,.,~-