Evening star., 1928-11-04
BY WILLIAM HARD.

The presidential game Is at Cne
eighteenth hole with Hoover trying to
putt out from about feet ana smith
from about 20. Hoover now needs per-
haps only to roll, and he Is good roller:
Smith now must play, and he Is good
PLAYER. Hoover has virtually no last
minute strategy. Smith is full OF 1t.
The final stroke of the Democrats Is,
and will be, determined attack upon
Hoovers personal record. An immense
circulation Is under way for reprint OF
a letter by a British official reviving the
allegation that Hoover's name Tor
long time appeared on an election
list in a borough in London, England.
Our State Department reiterates It's
statement, issued when report con-
corning this list was broadcast two weeks
ago, that the so-called list OF voters was
a list of taxpayers and not hst OF
voters.
The British government has been
drawn into the controversy and Is caus-
ing an inquiry to be made into the mo-
tive of the letter by the British of1cial
and into the circumstances surrounding
the securing of 1t from him by agents
from this country.
Hoover's record In England, In AUS
| tralia. in China, has been scraped 10
| the bottom for evidence of unethical or
un-Anerican conduct. The last nours
| of the campaign seem likely to be nileo
with the results of these Investigations.
They illustrate an accumulating lact
in the Anal nature OF the struggle. Inc
personalities Of the contestants are De.
rinning to lift themselves more ana
more above the issues.
Many grand old issues are now seen
to be tagging and ailing badly IN TINS
campaign.
| raised only in connection with Nicara"
ouans. II has fallen perfectly nat, be-
cause an instant review Of recent history
has restored to everybody's memory the
obvious fact that the Democrats unoer
Wilson intervened in more Latin Ameri-
can countries than the Republicans un-
der Harding and Coolidge.
has been equally debated Hoover owed
nothing at Kansas City, for his nomina-
ton, to any support from Manhattan
island. Smiths demonstrated fairness
at Albany to the New York business
Community has enabled him rightfully
| to acquire much wall Street" strength.
/ Neither party today is peculiarly the
wall Street" party. That issue
temporarily, at least--is dead,
Not even water power" has been able
really TO revive It. Hoover and Hughes
call Smith a state Socialist; yet smith
continues to receive the undeterred con-
fidence and backing OF many OF tne
largest power people In the counVIy'
such as John D. Ryan, Nicholas braoy.
Robert McCarter and, above all. owen
! D. Young, who, through the General
Electric Go. and the Electric Bond &
Share Co., was at the very origin OF all
those intricate interlacings Of power In
terests commonly and extravagantly
called "the power trust"
This partition of big Business" sup
port between Smith and Hoover mas
been accentuated by Smiths outright
registration of himself as guest IN the
American-plan protective-tarih hotel,
which hitherto has been the very
"citadel of privilege" The Republicans
assert that at this hotel Smith has no
charge account and will have to be
watched closely by the house detectives.
Smith stoutly asserts that he will pay
on March 4 next, and there you are!
Neither Smiths friends nor his enemies
can effectively paint him as menace
to the money monarchs."
He again--and similarly-has wholly
evaded all such portratture In the mat
ter of farm relief.
Smith, in sum, as an economic up:
riser and upsetter, like Bryan, wears
some of the costume of the part, but
will not say the lines. The utmost that
can be stated about the economic issues
in this combat Is as follows:
Hoover is quite thoroughly satisfied
with the American vineyard. He thinks
that "the American system" is good
and vitality sound vine. He thinks that
1t needs little Arm pruning here and
there, but that principally its only great
need Is the erection of new trellises on
which 1t can magnificently grow and
expand.
Smith. on the other hand, while
really equally fond Of the American
vine, maintains that 1t is blotched all
over with the blight of corruption"
and he talks much less of trellises than
of insecticides. He sets himself UP more
as a vine doctor than as vine grower
Additionally, and along the same line
of thought, he inclines toward the be-
be improved by grating onto the vine
few shoots Of different stock, such
as a slip or two from the theory OF
governmentalized public utilities and q
tentative twig from the theory Of
governmentally obliging all farmers to
pay all private losses sustained In the
exporting of major crops.
Many voters will be Swayed by these
facts. Hoover will beat Smith In the
business" vote, which likes "expan-
sion." Smith will beat Hoover In the
reform" vote which likes remedies"
| " n y %
1t has become perfectly clear, how
ever, that this economic difference be-
tween the two men Is not proving sum-
cient to obscure their more personal