Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-09-12
DEMS FACING
HARDBATTLE
FOR MIDWEST
Writer Says G. o. p.
Tradition i'm Ohio,
Indians and illinois
Has Become Strong
BY BYRON PRICE

ASspcfte0 Press starr Wrttfr
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. l2.-P)-
As it looks toward November from
q background Of traditional republic
canisms, the midwest presents seri-
Gus problems for those democrats
who hope to capture electoral votes
h~ereabouts for Smith and Robinson.
Although they still are spoken Of
as nominally debatable, Ohio, Indi-
ana, and Tllinois-spanning the north
from the Pennsylvania line TO the
Mississippi-have been voting the re-
publican ticket for these many year,
now in national elections, with al
most unbroken regularity and for the
most part By overwhelming MAORI
ties. BY long habit they have be-
come almost regular" as Maine or
Michigan. Furthermore their polit-
Teal antecedants coincide in many re-
spects with republican policies Of
1928, particularly in the matter Of
prohibition.
Denis Light on Claims
The whole situation is quite dissim-
liar to that which colors political
calculations in the normally repu1
lican states Of the east. 1t is so diff
ferent that whereas the democratic
national organization has made the
eastern group one Of its principal
detectives, II has shown no partic-
ular haste about spending its money
and its efforts here in the midwest,
and has mentioned this section only
casually In its electoral claims.
OF the three states, this particular
~ is true of Ohio. In Indiana and
NN1tmMs- -nnAr1 AnutAnMmffAnu kmN-
ing 70 do largely with the farm prob
lem and local political tangles, have
aroused hopes that may eventuate
in determined o~ffensives for the dem
ocratic national ticket In Ohio the
democratic representations base their
prediction rather on the demonstrated
independence Of the electorate, al
though in the past il has been the
republicans who have almost invar-
iably profited nationally By the in
clination Of Ohioans TO split their
tickets.
Ohio Is Dry
Home Of a long succession of re-
publican presidents, this state has
voted for but one democratic presi-
Dental nominee since Buchanan. IL
is the native state of the an~ti-saloon
league, which still maintains its ma
tional headquarters at WeSterville
and keeps careful vigil over local
politics. The country towns and even
a good percentage of the cities Of
Ohio are dry territory. The state is
reckoned t~wo-thirds industrial and
but one-third agricultural. In the
country sections McNary-Haugenism
Is said never to have been the factor
IL Il further west.
Besides all Of this, Ohio as a whole
Is overwhelmingly protestant, and al
though the religious issue has not
received the prominence given il
elsewhere in public political debate.
the leaders Of both parties agree il
is talked about throughout the state
by the voters themselves.
In their struggle to offset these
handicaps, democrats are ~centering
their attentions on the cities. hoping
20 make such sensational gains as to
%overturn the Hoover strength in the
country and land the state in the DEM
ocratic column for Smith. where
vent in 1915, on a different set Of
issues. for Wilson.
Turn 60 Cleveland
~ IL ~ Cleveland, the cOuntrYS
fifth largest city. that the democrats
iook for their greatest gains. They
say they foresee a Smith plurality
OF $4,000 or more in Cleveland, and
the republicans concede that the go
ing there will not he so easy for
Hoover. The city has a very large
percentage az voters Of foreign ex-
traction, who agree with the demo-
crsssS nom nee on prohibition. and
who are mostly catholic. II likewise
has a large negro population and the
republication organization there has
been having trouble keeping it, own
leaders in line.
Cincinnati. normally a republican
stronghold. has long counted the Ger
man element M Of the strongest IN
its civic life. and is rated one of the
wettest cities in the midwest. Col
umbus and Toledo likewise are nor
mally republican. but this year each
OF them is under the scrutiny Of a
strong republican city organization. n
Columbus a moderation commit
tee has been organized BY substan-
tial business men who are convinced
the prohibition law has not been A
complete success. but this committee
has made no plans thus far 70 par
tlclpate in the CPS caranairn