Evening star., 1928-06-08
Convention Alliances.

Politics makes strange bedfellovS. In
Kansas City today the allied Hoover op-
position Is proof positive Of the saying.
on the one hand are the supporters Of
Frank O. Iowden, Vice President Dawes,
Senator Watson. Senator Charles Cur
It's Of Kansas and other candidates who
favor the McNary- -Haugen farm bill.
They are put forward as the candidates
Of the "embattled farmers of the Mid
west and the Northwest And these
farmers, If reports are 10 be credited. are
fec up with the East On the other
hand ere the Coolidge drafters, men
like Eilles Of New York and Rorabsck
of Connecticut. powers in the Repub-
lican organizations of their States The
in6uStrialsts Of the East and the farm
ers Of the West! They are bent first
Of all, upon preventing the nomination
Of Herbert Hoover. Secretary of Com
rerce.
Suppose the allies should be success
ful during the national convention. tying
knot Who is going to cut the knot?
More important still, whom will the
allies nominate? II they pick Mr.
Lowden or Vice President Dawes. they
repuoiste the leadership Of President
Coolidge. Yet the leaders of the So
called revolt of the Midwest farmers in
s.st that a supporter of the farm bill
and its equalization fee must be nomi-
mated. II they pick President Coolidge.
they repudiate Mr.. Lowden. Vice Presi-
dent Dawes and the other candidates
for whom the farmers are reported to be
ready In fight. bleed and die
Boiled down. the present alliance
against Mr.. Hoover is an incongruous
affair. Like most Incongruities, 1t is arti-
fetal in character. Furthermore. II has
no firm ground and may be up
rooted At any time. President Coolidge
himself may bring the whole alliance
topnling down by a simple statement
THAT he will not have the nomination
i'm any event
The allies unite in one thing at least
They say and repeat that If Mr.. Hoover
Is the nominee Of the Republican party
he cannot carry the country next No
vember against Alfred E Smith OF New
YORK. who is regarded as the probable
nominee OF the Democratic party. The
ps1alanx from the East insist that he
will lose New York. New Jersey, Massa-
ol3usetts and other sesooard States.
The farm leaders Of the Midwest say
that ne viii lose Illinois. Wisconsin and
even Kansas and Iowa. States which
have gone Republican since Hector
vas pup
The strength that MFR. Hoover has
shown during the preconvention cam
psign, however. does not bear out such
foreoooings IN Western States where
Mr.. Hoover has been a candidate In the
presidential preferential primary votes
have been rolled UP for him which over
SHADOW the votes polIed by Gov. Smith
IN the same primaries py two to one In
Michigan. In California, IN Oregon this
has been true. Mr. Hoover has received
more votes In similar primaries in Mas
sachusetts and other Eastern States
A strange feature Of the preconven-
ton campaigns, both Republican and
Democratic, Is the fact that the op-
ponents Of the leading candidates for
the presidential nominations insist that
neither Hoover nor Smith can be elected.
II is perfectly OBVIOUS that IL the Re
publieans name Hoover and the Demo-
cra.s Smith. one of them must win.
No tnnd parties Of magnitude are IN
sight
II may De said with al least some
show q justice that both Smith and
EooTe, are weaker IN the West and
stronger 81 the East. Smith. with his
Tammany label and his vet record doeg
not appeal 70 the Westerner That the
Wes. viii support Smith On show
down rather than Hoover does not ap-
pear ~ be In the cards. Notwithstanding
tre cefestlst talk " the allies