The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-06-20
KEEPING UP
With
THE NE WIS
BY LuDWELL DENNY

This ~ the dope from the "in~
siders" close to the candidate. 1t
sounds reasonable. 1t means two
things.
Smith would rather not run at all
than be defeated in the November
election.
If the convention is to result in
what amounts to a burial Of the
Democratic party, he prefers to let
someone else be the grave-digger.
All this is a roundabout way OF
saying there is only one supreme
issue before the convention opening
here June 20. That issue is unity.
This cry for harmony is some
thing more than the clever ruse Of
a candidate who needs more dele
gate votes to swell his present ma
jority to the necessary two-thirds
for nomination.
Most of the anti-Smith politicians
feel the urgency Of this need just
as much as does the New Yorker,
That explains the withdrawal last
month of Senator Tom Walsh OF
Montana, the Teapot Dome in
quisitor.
No one would accuse Walsh OF
being party to a "Tanmany plot.
He was the candidate picked by
McAdoo and the drys, after careful
search of the field, as the strong
est to stop Smith.
They chose their own battle-
ground where McAdoo had the most
power, and there in the California
primary they lost to Smith. Where
upon Walsh withdrew, with the ex-
PLANTATION that Smith clearly was
the choice of most of the Demo-
Gratis of the country.
Now in almost identical language,
Governor Ritchie, Marylands IA
vorite son candidate, withdraws.
He asks his delegation to vote for
Smith.
1T has become increasingly evil
dent that the great majority OF
the Democratic party in almost
every section of the country are
ready and want to align themselves
behind the leadership of Governor
Smith" says Richie. "GovernoE
Smith embodies far and away the
best chance to win" He goes on
to plea for party unity as "the one
and only thing needed"
Il II
CERTAIN extremists are in
~ terpreting Ritchies withdrawal
as a wet frame-up between the
New York and Maryland Governors,
This is far-fetched. Tammany, in
fact, wanted Richie to accept a
courtesy vote of his State on the
first ballot, for purposes of conven-
ton strategy-not to mention the
bare possibility that the vets might
want to use him later as a candis
date.
In every contested convention. the
decision as to whether the leading
candidate is to be pushed over the
line, or remain in deadlock lead
ing to withdrawal, depends on what
the politicians call "the break" The
break for Hoover came in the early
hours of Tuesday morning just be-
fore the opening of the Kansas
City convention-and after that the
only thing left was a ratification
meeting.
Since Smith can not be nonli-
mated on the first ballot his
strategy is to go over the top on
the second or third. This will
necessitate a break" Immediately
after the first ballot.
To be effective a break must be
of large enough proportions to con-
vince the doubters, the traders and
the bandwagon boys that every
thing is over but the shouting-and
punishment by the new boss of
those on the losing side.
On the first ballot, Smith is ex-
pected to get about $50 votes of the
total HOO. For nomination he
must expand this bloc to 1884, He
claims, with Marylands 16, roughly
700, but almost 100 Of these are
disputed by opponents.
On the second ballot, Ohio and
Nebraska are expected to break,
throwing probably forty or more OF
Pomerene's forty-Seven favorite son
votes to the New Yorker, as we'll as
the sixteen Hitchcock delegates.
Soon after Tom Taggart's Indiana
crowd of thirty are expected to
jump from their favorite son, Evans
WOODEN, to Smith, in the hope the
Hoosier candidate will Inherit
second place on the ticket.
That will drag in few stragglerS
at least and bring Smith the
nomination-or mighty close to it.
MYTH an almost two-thirdS
w lead, it would be virtually
impossible to stop Smith. But, as
indicated, Smith will not be salts
fed with nomination. He wants
nomination with fair amount Of
party unity, or he wants nothing
If the early break is not sufficient
to push him over the line, and the
fight stretches out beyond the sixth
or eighth ballot, the convention will
then be on the verge of turning Sam
Houston Hall into another Madison
Square Garden.
This would mean bitterness and
division from which the party could
not recover during the campaign,
and perhaps not for years. This is
the judgment of most politicians
and press observers.
Unless Smith wins ON an early
ballot, which would give him party
harmony and an equal or better
chance to carry the election. His
closest friends believe he will turn
away and let the party factions
strange in their own blood"
Standing between Smith and
nomination are three groups; Ro-
man Catholic opposition who claim
it would be the supreme national
calamity, to have an alleged "papist
president"
On-the-fence politicians like Sem