Evening star., 1928-04-15
MEREDITH FACES
DEFEAT BY SMITH
Iowa Strength of New York
er Seen Sufficient Without
Contested Districts.
special Dispatch 20 The Star.

Special Dispatch 70 The Star.
DEs MONIES, Iowa, April l4-with
the announcement from Edwin T.
Meredith, Iowa dry favorite son. that
he Is prepared to carry TO the national
convention his fight over the legality o.
the election of pro-Smith delegates
from Iowa, interest in the state Demo-
cratic convention here April 90 has
risen considerably. Mr.. Meredith has
charged that Smith supporters en-
ployed unfair" and political tactics"
in the county conventions here April 4.
which resulted in 533 State delegates
being named for the New York gov
ernor. while Meredith received the
pledges of l06
Mr. Meredith has taken hope from
the fact that only of the States IL
congressional districts have definitely
declared themselves as supporters OF
Gov. Smith In Iowa. under the unit
rule which prevails, not the number of
delegates pledged to a candidate but
so pledged will decide the tenor Of the
State convention.
Conventions Attacked.
According to the favorite son, in a
statement made In Baltimore. the
Smith supporters held illegal rump
conventions in addition To the regular"
ones in both Polk and Woodbury. coun-
ties, which are the controlling ones In
the seventh and eleventh districts, re-
spectively. The Smith men, however,
counter with the claim that their con-
ventions in these two counties were
made up OF the legally elected county
delegates and are. therefore. entitled to
seats in the State convention.
Mr.. MeTedith's threat is virtually this
that If the Smith delegates from Polk
and Woodbury. Counties are seated,
thereby overcoming the inertia OF un-
instructed delegates in their respective
districts and swinging those districts
TO Smith. he viii contest the regularity
of the Iowa delegation at Houston.
From an unprejudiced viewpoint how
ever. 1t Is improbable that control of
the seventh and eleventh districts will
be necessary TO give Smith supporters
control of the State convention. Smith
has the unquestioned support of the
second. third. fourth and tenth dis
trictS. while the first and fifth have
been conceded 10 him by all but Mr..
Meredith and his most ardent followers.
In both the first and fifth. the major
fty OF instructed delegates belong TO
Smith. In the first he has 56 delegates,
Meredith II and IS are uninstructed.
Consequently Smith needs but one of
the unirstructed votes 10 assure him.
self Of that dsiJrict's support. while
the most that Meredith can hope for is
to split the districts two delegates.
Faces Big Obstacle.
In the fiftb Smith Eas So, Meredith
is and So are uninstructed. Sixty-four
are necessary for majority In this
case. Smith needs TO gain but FIVE of
the uninstructed delegates. while Mere
dith must obtain the support Of 10 of
the SO uninstructed delegates 10 win
the districts two delegates. With
these two districts, In addition TO the
four definitely pledged TO him. Gov.
Smith would have control of the con-
vention, with IL Of the % district dele
gates, and the strength TO name the
four delegates at large
Controlling the deciding six districts
u would naturally follow that the
Smith forces in the convention would
scat those delegates from Polk and
woodbury. counties that were allied
with them.
II Is in this event. apparently, that
Mr. Meredith would contest the Iowa
delegation 10 the national convention
As matters now stand MIR. Meredith
did not receive sufficient pledges TO as-
sure himself Of the control of any ol
congressional districts Delegates from
the sixth and eighth districts are pre-
dOminately uninstructed and none oi
the ninth district delegates were In.
gtructed for either of the two ma joi
candidates. c. G. CLIFTON.