Evening star., 1928-10-18
PROGRESS|VESHOLD.
EDGE IN WISCONSIN.
Blaine Forces Active for
/. Smith-Ca FoElette Re-
: mains Silent.
Continued from First Page)

Continued from First Page)
rect him IN make anv announcement
of his choice for President He won the
Republican nomination for Senator in
impressive style, with a lead of $50 900
votes over his opponent He is going to
he reelected on November as sure as
the sun is going to rise on that day.
1t is quite obvious that If all the
La Toilette Progressive Republicans in
the State-all those who voted for the
late Senator La Toilette in 1924-should
vote for Smith this year. Smith would
carry the State. But investigation
shows clearly they are not all going to
do that thing. but many of them will
vote the Republican national ticket.
Declared $3.50 Bet.
That being the case, the Smith
Hoover contest in Wisconsin is a real
horse race. Some of the La Toilette
Progressives best qualified to judge po-
litical conditions in this State say they
do not know how the election is going.
Some substantial Democrats with whom
have talked say the same thing. They
express a hope that Smith will carry
the State. but they admit they are by
no means sure. They even say it is a
$3.50 bet. l have found several La
Toilette ProgreSsives who say they be-
lieve that Hoover is likely to carry the
State-and they are not in favor of
Hoover, but prefer Smith That is their
real Judgment privately expressed
But do the Progressive Republican Al
Smith headquarters admit it is a close
race? They do not They 60 so far as
10 say that Wisconsin is definitely in
the Smith bag and that Gov. Smith
Will carry the State by 100000 votes
over Hoover. or even more. Repub-
leans headquarters is claiming the
State, too. for Hoover, but are more
modest in their estimates of the out
come
Wisconsin has been noted for curious
political situations IN the past. but this
year IT seems to have gone on real
political jag. The cross currents here
are so numerous that not even the
politicians themselves can follow them
through and predict their effects on the
election
Like most converts. the Progressives
who have rallied to AL Smith here are
rabid. They are as rabid as the anti
Smith Democrats in North Carolina and
other Southern States who have gone
over to Hoover. They insist they have
not turned Democrat "for good" how
ever. just as the Democrats who are
against Smith in the South insist they
have not turned Republican.
Hss Support of Vets.
In addition to the anti Hoover sup
port among the Progressives here, Gov. |
Smith has the support of the vets. some |
Of whom have been Progressives and |
some Stalwart Republicans. 1t would |
seem that if the New York governor |
Is TO cash in on the wet issue anywhere, |
ChNIl1H fn IN iv1
sin.
A proposal that the dry laws should |
he amended so as to permit the manu-
facture Of 275 per cent beer, under
governmental supervision and not to be
consumed on the premises where sold,
was submitted to the voters of Wis
Consin in November. 1926. 1t was car
ried by vote of 349, ,443 to 77,602. In
the same year, Senator Blaine, running
as wringing wet candidate. won the
Republican nomination for Senator
against former Senator Lenroot, the
Stalwart Republican nominee to sue
coed himself
Wet Milwaukee, made famous in by
gone days by its beer, was the scene
Of one of Gov. Smiths principal cam
paign speeches on his Western tour sew
eral weeks ago. Accounts vary as to
the reception that Gov. Smith received
in that city, some alleging that he was
accorded warm welcome and others
saying that 1t was a flop" Neverthe-
less, it is predicted by the Smith sup
porters that he will carry Milwaukee
by a. substantial vote. There are other
wet spots in Wisconsin, too, where he
is expected to run strongly.
But not all the La Toilette Progress
eives are wet. There are many voters
of Scandinavian descent in the State
and a good many of them are dry and
yet always voted the lie Toilette ticket.
Question of Blaine Strength.
II Is a question in the game of poll
tics to what extent any leader can
threw the vote which usually supports
him to another candidate for office. 1t
Is a question right now how many of
his supporters Senator Blaine can
throw to Smith in the coming election.
Senator La Toilette, despite the efforts
of anti-Hoover. pro-Smith Progressives
to bring him into line for the Demo-
cratic national ticket, is making no at
tempt at this juncture to throw his
followers to Smith. and he has the
greatest following in the State today.
IT. is recalled here that even the senior
Senator La Toilette at the height of
his power. was unable to bring about
Wisconsin. despite its loyalty to the
La Follettes, father and son. has voted
consistently Republican in national
elections for many years. When the
late Senator La Toilette ran as an in
dependent inl924. as already pointed
our. Wisconsin cast its electoral vote
for him. 1t was personal tribute. NO
other Progressive. even had he had the
support of the late Senator La Toilette.
lNn f1fn
BRYAN. when he ran on the Democratic
ticket for President, never had a look
In in Wisconsin.
The State went Democratic in 1892,
for Cleveland. by few thousand, but
Weaver. Peoples Party candidate. and
the Prohibition candidate, polled $4,000
votes that year, which. if added to
the Republican vote, outran the Cleve-
land vote. In 1912 Wilson carried the
state also for the Democrats but his
vote was much less than the combined
vote for Taft and Roosevelt. and in
1915 Wisconsin went for Hughes over
Wilson by some $4,000 votes notwith-
standing the "he-kept-uS- -out-of-war
slogan" NJ the Democrats Harding
carried the State by more than $780,
900 votes over Cox.
Count German American Support.
II was one thing for a La Toilette
70 turn Wisconsin away from its Re
publican allegiance and it's another for
Smith to turn the same trick.
The Democrats and the pro-Smlth
Progressives are counting on many
German American votes in the State
for Smith. They are wet and anti
Hoover. a kind of carry-over of the old
antagonism Of the German Americans
To the food regulations laid down by
Hoover in the Wilson war admnistra-
ton il is said Milwaukee has a big
Socialist vote. but the regular Socialists
are expected TO vote for Norman
Thomas, their party candidate, rather
than Smith whom Thomas has at
tackled along with Hoover.