Evening star., 1928-06-18
On to Houston


put through his PAGES at Kansas City
and has performed successfully. The
Democratic donkey will next begin ca
vorting in Houston. The donkey this
year may wear the stripes of the Tam
many tiger Indeed, there seems little
doubt now that the Democratic ma
tional convention will nominate Gov.
Alfred Z. Smith of New York. and Gov
Smith is one of the best exhibits which
Tammsny has produced in years. It
Is claimed that the Tammany tiger
which in the past has fallen from the
paths of rectitude. following the lead
Of the New York governor. has become
as gentle as the lamb and as pure as
the lily.
The nomination OF Gov Smith at
Houston. however. will be a signal for
sn onslaught by the Republicans
against Tammany and all its works
Senator George H. Moses of New Hamp-
shire, permanent chairman of the Re-
publican national convention recently
adjourned, delivered the first punch
In his address to the delegates. The
Democratic hosts may as we'll make
Up their minds that If the New York
governor is to be their standard bearer
they will be compelled TO meet such
attacks from the date of nomination
until the polls close next November
Once Tammany, always Tammany.
viii be the gist of the Republican at
tack. Tammany, doubtless, is an asset
politically in Greater New York. but
outside Of the metropolitan area the
asset becomes liability.
Both the Republicans and the Dem
ocrats this year pitched their national
conventions west Of the Mississippi
River. The Democrats, furthermore.
have gone into the solid South" for
their convention city. The South has
not been friendly to the Governor of
New York in the pre-convention cam
paign. although it has not used the
governor nearly as roughly as some of
his opponents would like to have it. II
Smith can be nominated In the South
the psychology Of the event will be
good for the Democratic party. That
has been In the minds of the Smith
leaders since before the Democratic
national committee picked Houston as
the convention city last January.
The opponents Of the nomination of
Gov. Smith, among the Democrats. are
basing their last hopes Of stopping the
governor on the rule of Democratic
national conventions which calls for a
two-thirds vote to nominate for Presi-
dent and Vice President. They insist
that the South and the States OF the
Midwest with favorite son candidates
viii be able to prevent the New Yorker
ever from receiving enough votes to
nominate him. But there are many
Southern leaders who privately express
the opinion and the hope that Smith
viii be the party nominee. To fail To
nominate the man who has gone into
primary after primary and has emerged
victorious in the presidential preferen-
tisl vote would be a terrible mistake.
they say.
Houston Is prepared to welcome the
Democrats with open arms and with
al that hospitality for which the South
and the West are famous. Nor is it
expected that the fierce partisanship
which marred the meeting Of the DEM
ocratic convention In Madison Square
Garden four years ago will crop out
in the Houston convention. The South
k IN line 10 show New York how a
national convention should be handled.
and the courtesy which Is due even
70 opponents.
The Democratic party Is on trial.
Another such convention as that which
was staged in 1924 might well wreck
the party for years to come. On the
other hand, the more or less peaceful
nomination Of GOV. Smith, while ap-
psrently cementing the Democrats, NAV
lead To a political campaign OF such
bitterness as the country has not seen
for years. The party Is In the lap OF
the gods. and that lap Is temporarily
located In Houston.
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