Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-24

at Lorraine, urging the Methodists to
support Hoover and to oppose Smith.
While these addresses of the Assistant
Attorney General in Charge of Prohi-
bition Cases caused an uproar in the
East, they did not have any appreci-
able effect in Ohio, 1t is said, for the
! simple reason that the drys already
were set" to oppose Smith and vote
for the Republican national ticket. For
the most part, Protestant ministers have
made no attack in this State on Gov.
Smith because of his membership In
the Catholic Church, but have confined
themselves to campaigning against ths
New York Governor on the prohibition
issue.
Ohio has a very considerable negro
vote. AS rule. this vote has been
overwhelmingly Republican, but this
year, because of Ku Klux Khan activi-
ties In the State in the past and the
opposition of that organization to Gov.
Smith and because many of the negroes
are wet" in sympathy. many of them
have been off the reservation" This
has been indicated in some of the polls
taken in districts where they live. In a
close election the detection of the negro
voters might be a determining factor,
but 1t is predicted here that the defec-
! ton Of the colored voters, even though
1t be of large proportion, will be only a
drop in the bucket and will only result
in reducing somewhat the lead which
Hoover will roll up. 1t is reported here
that Marcus Garvey, radical negro
leader, who is now out of the country.
has sent word to the colored voters to
|, support Smith
Farm Aid Not Issue.
The farm problem, as such, does not
cut much figure In the election in this
State. In the first place, the great ma
jority of farmers are Republicans, they
are dry and they are Professionals. Here
and there Republican farmers are re-
ported to be in favor of Smith, but on
the other hand some of the Demo-
cratic farmers are against him.
Gov Smith has no more elements of
strength in Ohio than any other Demo-
cratic nominee would have Further, he
has elements of weakness which other
candidates would not have, including
his affiliation with Tammany. which is
not popular In this part of the coun-
try. The Democratic party in Ohio is
recognized as the party of the vets.
Any other Democratic nominee would
have their support. He has the sup
port OF labor, which probably would go
to any other Democratic candidate,
though labor does not vote solidly as a
rule here or elsewhere.
When the records are examined and
the huge majorities rolled UP by the
Republicans In national elections are
taken into consideration. it appears
quite clear that any Democratic candi-
date, to win in Ohio, must have much
more to offer to the Ohio voters than
the general run of Democratic presi-
Dental candidates. In 1924 President
Coolidge carried his State with a vote
of 1.176.130 to 477.888 for Davis and
357,948 for La Toilette. His majority
over the combined vote of Davis and
La Toilette was 340,294 votes. When
Ohio had favorite son candidates in
both the Republican and Democratic
parties, Harding and Cox. Harding had
lead of 100000 over his Democratic
opponent.
Wilson carried the State in 1912 with
less vote than the combined Taft and
Roosevelt votes. and in 1916 Wilson also
carried the State against Hughes, large
ly on the slogan, He kept us out of
war" In 1916 the State was prosperous
because of the huge war contracts, and
to the entry of the United States into
the European conflict.
Cox Loses State.
Wilson's victories, however, are the
only Democratic victories that have
been checked up for Democratic pres
idential candidate In Ohio since the
Civil War. When Cox ran against
Harding he had three times been sue
ceSsfully elected governor of the Buck
eye State. But while Ohio was ready
to give 1t up to Cox for governor, it
was not ready to vote for the Democrat
for President. Here In Ohio some of
the Democrats are asking whether the
fate which overlook Cox, after he had
been repeatedly elected governor of this
State, may not overtake Smith in New
York, where he has been elected gov
ernor four times with Republican sup
port
Conflicting claims are made regard
ing the German-American vote. Many
of the German Americans have been
wet and Democratic in the past, and
1t is expected that great number OF
them will support Smith in this election.
But that the whole group will cast
their votes for the Democratic nominee
is emphatically denied. A poll recently
taken in strongly German and DEM
ocratic county revealed the startling
fact that the county this year was
likely to go for Hoover.
Mr.. Hoover has much personal
strength in Ohio. This was demon
strated during the presidential prefer
entail primary when he was running
against the late Senator Willis for the
Ohio delegation to the Republican ma
tional convention. Willis death in the
midst of the campaign, political OBJ
servers here say. made no difference
in the final result Hoover, they say,
would have won If Willis had lived.
Dire predictions were made follow
ing the Ohio primary that dissension
would run riot in Republican ranks be-
cause of the entry of Hoover into the
contest against Willis. But this predic-
ton has not been borne out, Indeed,
Ralph D. Cole, who was one OF the
willis leaders and denounced Mr..
Hoover, is now on the stump IN the
West supporting the Hoover-Curtis
ticket