Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-29
Smith Is Nominal ted.

The Democratic party has elected 10
win or lose with Gov Alfred f. Smith
Of New York next November, Gov.
Smiths nomination on the first ballot
at the Houston convention was a trib-
ute 10 the most outstanding Democratic
leader of the day. -Four times governor
Of the Empire State, he has demon
Strated his vote getting ability many
times. running far ahead Of his ticket.
To fail to nominate the New Yorker
at Houston would have been to defeat
the will of a majority of the Democrats
Of the country.
Smiths nomination. however, leaves
behind it some sore spots. 1t will be
the objective Of the coming campaign
Of the Democrats TO wipe out those
sores. Upon their ability TO do so viii
rest largely the chances which the New
Yorker has for victory at the polls in
November. His nomination was accom-
plished largely through the desire OF
Democratic leaders throughout the
country to bring harmony back to the
party which was so badly rent at the
Madison Square Garden convention
four years ago. So earnest were the
leaders in their concerted effort to pre-
vent another such convention as that
Of 1924 that many gave way on issues
which have been fundamental in latter
day politics
The underlying bitterness. however,
manifested itself in outbreaks on the
floor of the convention itself. Fist
fights and struggles over the possession
Of State standards several times inter-
rupted the harmonious proceedings Of
the convention
The Democratic party, although 1t
has written into its national platform a
strict law-enforcement plank and men
tened the eighteenth amendment there
in, has now nominated wet" It has
nominated a Tammany man. For the
first time in the history Of this coun-
try one Of the major political parties
has placed a Catholic on its national
ticket
The Smith nomination will be hailed
the country over as q victory for the
vets It viii be call to battle for the
drys. The Republican party has as its
standard bearer dry, and dry pro-
nounced acceptable to the dry elements
Of the country. A victory for the Smith
ticket in November. If it happens. will
be regarded as wet triumph. All the
law-enforcement planks in the world
would not make 1t otherwise. The issue
in the coming campaign was made de-
cisively between the vets and the drys
when Smith was nominated last night.
THE candidates the thing" as George
z. Brennan, national committeeman
from Illinois and q "wringing vet" de-
clared when he arrived in Houston.
The candidate is the platform in this
instance.
Gov. Smith as a presidential candi-
date has undoubted assets to the Demo-
cratic party. He has widely recognized
ability as an administrator He has had
great experience in governmental af-
fairs. He has established a reputation
for honesty in thought and action. He
has winning personality.
he win make a tremendous appeal 70
the millions Of Americans who. like
Smith, have been the products Of the
sidewalks of our cities He has political
acunen in a marked degree. He Is
finally 'the happy warrior" a debo-
uair figure. whose brown derby VIII be
the orifame about which the Demo-
cratic hosts in the political battle now
10 be staged viii rally.