The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-10-11
THE DEMOCRATIC CANDI-
DATE FAILED TO IMPRESS
THE WEST.

Exactly a month remains before
election. Within that period, observ-
ers are now generally agreed, Gov
ernor Alfred E. Smith must make ire
mendous and virtually impossible
gains in order to win. Every indica
ton points to a Hoover-Curtis vic
tory, and by decisive margin.
When the Democratic candidate be-
gan his western trip three weeks ago,
it was unanimously agreed that gol-
den opportunity to bolster his cause
lay before him. With the results of
that 5000 mile journey carefully tab
ulated and estimated, Gov. Smiths
venture beyond the Mississippi quite
evidently has failed to accomplish it's
purpose. No notable increase in
Smith sentiment is reported from the
states which he visited, and that
should leave all # them safely Repub-
lican, as they were in both 1920 and
1924.
The failure Of the Democratic can
didate to arouse the west, according
to consensus of opinion, is due to
his lack of a program for sound
national administration. Given
chance to tell the serious-minded folk
of that section exactly how he pro-
posed to run the government, if elect
ed, he contented himself with abstract
discussion of several unrelated issues,
without getting down to practical dis
cussion of the problems involved. AS
a result, he left his audiences without
information as to his program on the
tariff, on fiscal policies, on immigra-
ton and other equally important
questions, and these oversights have
shown his weakness.
Herbert Hoover, in contrast to his
opponent, has been adhering to we'll
considered campaign program. From
the start of the campaign, his pur-
pose seems to have been to convince
the voters that he has thorough I'M
derstanding of every major issue in
volved in this campaign. With the
splendid record of the Coolidge ad-
ministration as an example, Mr..
Hoover has devoted his speeches to
analysis of the big problems still to
be solved, and has succeeded in con-
vincing the country that he is the man
to continue to present even and pros
porous trend of conditions.
That his course is drawing to him
men of every school of thought is con-
stantly evident. One of the most re-
cent converts to the Hoover program
is B. F. Yoakum lifelong Democrat
and pioneer railroad builder, who has
probably opened more agricultural
land to settlement through Transport
tation facilities than any living rail
road man. For a number of years
Mr.. Yoakum has been a careful stud
ent of the agricultural problem. Since
Governor Smith began his Irritation
with the McNary- Haugen bill, Mr..
Yoakum has come out squarely for
the Republican program of farm re-
endorsing his plan for development of
a nationwide farm commodity mar
keting system through government
aid.
The assurance that stability of gov
eminent will be continued under Her.
bert Hoover has also been an impor-
tant factor in the decision of sc edi-
tors of Democratic and Independent
newspapers to support the Republican
national ticket. Their newspapers
are located in Is states.
Senator Arthur Vandenberg, Mich
igan, tersely summed up the advan-
tage of the Hoover-C Curtis ticket in
the middle west recently by pointing
out that employment in most indus
trial centers is as general or better
than it has ever been, that the re-
fusal of the Democrtic candidate even
to discuss the tariff leaves the middle
west uncertain about his intentions,
but inclined to distrust them from
previous experience, and that the fail
ure of Governor Smith to understand
the Importance of such great projects
as the st. Lawrence waterway takes
much interest away from his candi-
dacy in the inland industrial and ag-
ricultural states.
For the remainder of the campaign
Mr.. Hoover's plans call for about one
speech each week, in which he will
continue his plan of discussing the is
sues. The extensive preparation which
he devotes to each one of his speeches
has made them clear-cut, concise dis
eertations on the more important