Evening star., 1928-05-20
HOOVER AND SMITH
FACE FINAL FIGHT
Opponents in Desperate e.
fort to Head Off Impend-
ing Nominations.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

In desperate efforts to headoff the
nomination for President of Gov. AL
Smith of New York by the Democrats
and Secretary Herbert Hoover by the
Republicans, anti-Smith Democrats and
anti-Hoover Republicans are threaten
ing revolt and even third party move
ments.
The protest against Smith comes from
the strongly Democratic South, which is
dry, Protestant and nti-Tammany.
The protest against Hoover comes
from the strongly Republican Middle
West and Northwest, which are aroused
over the farm issue.
Leaders Discount Threat.
Third party movements, as measure
OF protest against old political parties,
are not new in the United States. In
the past they have had vital effect
upon the presidential elections. An
anti-Smith party in the South, If 1t
gained real headway. might take away
from the New York governor great
block OF electoral votes upon which he
and his supporters are now counting.
An anti-Hoover party in the Middle
West and Northwest, reaching real pro-
portions, might lose To the Republicans
many electoral votes In those sections.
The Smith and Hoover leaders are
discounting threats of revolt and third
party movements. They insist that il
the end the Democrats and the Repub-
licans are likely TO be controlled by
party lines, and by fundamental issues.
The Smith people declare that the
South will not break away from the
Demcratic party because Of the race
issue. The Hoover people, on the other
hand, insist that the Republican farm
| erS OF the West will not vote for Smith
because he Is wet. Tammany and Cath
olic.
The politicians, however, do not have
| TO grope far into the past for instances
| of third party movements which have
attained large and vital proportions.
Four years ago the late Senator Rob
ert M. La Toilette of Wisconsin headed
an independent progressive ticket, after
| the Republicans had nominated PreSs
dent Coolidge and the Democrats John
W. Davis This third ticket rolled llp
some 5,000000 votes, though the La
Toilette ticket received onl l3 elec-
toral votes, those OF Wisconsin.
Bull Moose Revolt.
A dozen years earlier. however, Theo-
dore Roosevelt lead the Bull Moose
revolt against the regular Republican
organization, which nominated Chief
Justice Taft, and so split the Republic
can party that President Woodrow
Wilson was elected.
Significant of the feeling in the South
against AL Smith was the meeting OF
the Southern Baptists in Chattanooga,
Tenn, yesterday. when their convention
adopted resolutions asserting that their
| 3, 10000 Baptist voters In the South
would disregard party lines and oppose
u known wet II he were nominated,
Hiram Vrooman, brother OF Carl
Vrooman. Assistant Secretary OF Agri-
culture In Wilson's administration, has
issued plea to all the Protestant
churches OF the South to rise against
Smith and for political union of the
SOUTH and the West against the North
and the East In the general elections,
The nomination of Mr., Hoover by the
Republicans will bring down upon the
| Republican party the wrath of the
| farmers In North and South Dakota, ac-
eordng 10 Senators Nye and Norbeck
and other Republican leaders In the
| Northwest and Middlewest. Assertions
/ that some OF these States may go tui
Smith as a protest against Hoover have
become the order OF the day
| without the organization OF third
party movements. or single third
party movement. however, the chances
are that the electorate In these Sec
tlons OF the country will ruA true to
form, the South going 10 Smith and
| the West To Hoover. II they are the
party standard bearers,
| What will come out OF the animosity
| aro,,sad In hath Dnrtieg bV these
nominations, II they be made next
month, remains to be seen, In the
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