Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-15
SMITH AND HOOVER
GAINING IN OREGON
Lcwden Also Arouses Senti.
ment of Organized
Farm Group.
erecisl nlsrstch to The Star.


PORTLAND. Greg. January IA
Oregon. Overwhelmingly Republican.
has strong leGnines toward Herbert
Hoover. While among an apparent
majority Of Democratic leaders y
Smith u New York is the faNoritc,
One Of the reasons why Oregon senti
men; is swins.ng to Hoover is the
fact that he passed part Of his boy
hood in this state, living ON farm
However. among the farmers, or
rather the organized farm group.
such as the State Grange, there Is
considerable sentiment for Frank ..
Lowden. because Of Lowdens cham
pionship of farm relief and the
further reason that he has visited
here and been an exhibitor TO the
Pacific international Livestock IN
position. thus gaining contact with
stoCkmen Only here and there are
found advocates 81 Vice President
Dawes.
Oregon has presidential preferen-
tial primaries-as the first State to
institute this method Of pledging dele
gates 10 national convention. AT
this writing ii IS not known whether
any 81 the tentative presidential as.
pirants Will so into the Oregon prj-
MARES. II is believed. however, that
EooVers name Will so on the ballot
and that either Dawes or Lowden
will also appear. hut the understand
ing in Oregon is that there is A work
ine agreement between Dawes and
Lowden and that their respective
supporters here will see that only
one or the other opposes Hoover for
Oregon's Is delegates.
Lowden Scouts Busy.
Scouts for Lowden have visited
Oregon. They were here months ago
and have been resurveying the sit
uation in recent weeks. No one
speaking for Dawes has put in an
appearance. A Hoover agent has
been quite active and during the past
week. has been searching for the
right type of man 10 manage the
Hoover primary campaign in this
State.
The task of looking after Hoover's
interests in oregon will be light I'M
less the farmers grow more interested
In Lowden than at present. Oregon
farmers have been strong for farm re.
lief and they feel that Lowden is
sympathetic toward them. whereas
Hoover is more OF a business man.
The Republican State committee will
take no hand in the presidential pri-
naaries. but il is safe to say that a
majority are sold on the Hoover idea
and VIII do what they can for his
cause as individuals.
II d straw vote was taken today
Smith would lead among the Demo
Gratis his only opponent is Senator
James Reed Of Missouri. Backing Sen
ei0r Reed is former Coy. Oswald
West. newly elected Democratic ma
ti0nal committeeman. If West can
deliver the oregon delegation 10 Reed.
he VIII so do. They were in confer.
ence in Portland last Summer when
Senator Reed was here. ostensibly for
q rest, yet found time 10 have Demo.
cratic leaders visit him from Washing
ton California and Idaho.
Neither West nor Smith supporters
want an instructed delegation. Each
Huston convention. Mr. West, in a
s1aiement. said that he believed
Smith would make a fine President.
but because Of Smiths religious be
lief and supposed mo:stness. the nomi-
nation Of Smith would split the party
wide open. II Smith is nominated,
however. West says he will support
the New Yorker. but without hope Of
winning in November.
Democrats Switch.
Among the ardent Smith advocates
are Democrats who four years ago
were fighting Smith and backing vii
Lam g. McAdoo. Some Of these Smith
nlEn Of today were active members of
the ku kluX Khan when IL was viru-
lent in Oregon in 1922. These. of course
are Democrats. But there are Demo
Gratis in sections wpere the Khan still
exists IN small Oregon communities
VINO are very opposed 10 Smith and
yet DO not want Reed.
Most Of the Democratic leaders OF
Oregon were admirers Of Wilson and
the riff between Wilson and Reed has
not been forgotten, which ig another
reason why Smith has the edge
JOHN W. KELLY.