The Daily Alaska empire., 1928-09-10

w w Jermane Washington editorial cC spondent and associate editor of the Seat' mse, a Republican and supporter or Herpe ,over, in recent editorial correspondence to [ attle paper from Washington arraigned the 10 assail the character of Gov. Smith and W pose him on account of religion. His artit id:
 What will disturb far-minded peo- pie most when they think about the dry revolt against Governor Smith in the South is it's ecclesiastical color. En- gineered by two of the stong ministers of that scetion-Bshop Cannon of the NJ. E. Church, South, and the Rev. Dr. A. J. Barton one of the most energetic and capable men among Southern Bap- tists-who have as large part of their following the rank and file of ministers of these denominations, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that what the country is now witnessing is an injection of religion into politics, with view to controlling the agencies of Government
 This will be denied, but the facts speak for themselves. If anything of that kind had been done, or even at tempted by the Catholics, the country would be infamed from one end to the other, and the followers of Senator lief lin would believe the Pope was getting ready for triumphal march up this city's historic Pennsylvania Avenue. As has been said previously in these dis patches, we have had since 1924 some thing more closely resembling control of our politics by religion than the Ameri can people ever have known; and it isn't Catholic control, either.
 How many scores of thousands of votes this will make for Smith-votes that otherwise he would not get-it is fynp to ba should be close, and Smith should win, it will probably be due more to the revolt of the intelligent and independent part of the electorate in the North than to any other one thing. Even the strong Republican newspapers are be- ginning to see the danger
 One of these pastors-the Rev. Dr. Thomas Rosser Reeves, of the Union Methodist Church, Richmond-said to his congregation a few Sunday nights ago: Smith has the blackest political record of any politician in the history of the country. He is as crooked as Fall, Daugherty, Sinclair & Co.,, in their palmiest days" l quote from a report of this part of the sermon that has ap- peared in number of Virginia and Maryland newspapers
 Said the Rev David Hepburn, Vr- ginia, Superintendent of the Anti-Saloon
 
 "A vote for Gov. Alfred E. Smith is vote against the Constitution"
 Another Richmond preacher of good standng told his congregation last Mon- day night that Smith had elevated the brothel to the level of business" News papers quoting him say his words did not provoke a word of rebuke from anybody in the audience on the plat form.
 And says the leading article in the June number of The American Issue official organ of the Anti-Sa loon League Virginia edition: ''The leaders of the moral and religious forces cannot be in- different to the critical situation that confronts the Nation in the present Presidential campaign
 Not only does it appear that the leaders of the moral and religious forces cannot be indifferent toward the Smith candidacy, but it appears also that some of them are quite ready to achieve their moral and religious ob-