Imperial Valley press., 1928-10-20
CONDEMN
S[UR ON
HOOVER
Secretary Denies Truth
of Nasty Story Coming
From Mississippi.
GOVERNOR FLAYED
Postmaster New Reveals
Pennsylvania Attempt
To Slander Candidate.
BY THOMAS L. STOKES
United Press Staff CoErespondent)

Omitted Press Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20.-Her-
bert Hoover $ campaign aides, in
Guiding Postmaster General New,
are striving to halt two new whis-
pering" stories giving additional
evidence that this presidential cam
raign is developing much bitterness
in its closing days.
In the first place, George Aker-
son, Hoover's secretary, has de-
nounced as unqualifiedly false %
new whisper" that Hoover visited
and danced with Mary Booze, negro
national committeewoman from Mis-
sissippi, at Mound Bayou, Miss,
while on flood relief work last
spring.
Secondly, Postmaster General New
has suspended, pending further in
vestigation, the postmaster and as
sistant postmaster at Lansford,
Pa, because allegedly they had as
sisted in sending out, without pro-
rcr postal marks, circulars attack
ing Hoover and local candidates in.
that Pennsylvania district.
The denial Of the Booze story was
contained in a telegram prepared
with Hoover's advice, sent to Gov.
who, Akerson said on the basis of
southern reports, had repeated the
story in recent speech in Mem
phis.
'There is not the slightest
foundation for it," Akerson wired
Bilbo. cit is the most indecent and
unworthy statement in the whole
of bitter campaign.
"No more untruthful and ignoble
assertion was ever uttered by q
public man in the United States
than that attributed to you
Akerson, who said he was with
Hoover "every hour of the four
months" in the flood zone, explain
ed Hoover was at Mound Bayou
only once. The train stopped there
for three minutes and Hoover never
left the platform, he said. He re-
ceived there from a group of negroes
Il memorial thanking him for his
service to their race. Hoover, he adj
ded, never took a moment from his
responsibilities to attend any social
gathering
The move to halt this "whisper-
ing story against the Republican
candidate was sudden and dramatic
like the signed statement issued u
few weeks ago by the Democratic
candidate, Governor Alfred H..
Smith, "nailing as lie' story
circulated against him that he was
intoxicated at the Syracuse state
fair.
Within the last two days, Chair
man Work issued a denial of another
story that Hoover had sought
British citizenship, and the Republi-
can committee replied again to the
repeated charge that the Republic
can candidate kept down the price
of wheat during the war.
Vigorous steps to stop the latest
"whispering" story circulated in
the south, gave evidence of the hope
of Republicans this year to break
into that Democratic stronghold
New has suspended Robert II.
Stickler, the Lansford postmaster,
and Mrs. Bessie Burns Stickler, as
sistant postmaster, pending investi-
CATION of the alleged postal con-
spiracy. They are charged, the post
master general explained, with con-
niving with others to mail through
the Lansford postoffice, without
postmarks and without identifica-
tion on mail bags, a large number
of anonymous circulars attacking
Hoover us well as candidates for
local offices
The circulars were mailabe, New
said, but a deliberate conspiracy
was under way to prevent the post
office and the public from learning
the mailing point. They were sign
ed " Non-Partisan Committee. - The
circulars are reported to have at
tackled as traitors in the Revolu-
tionarY War the branch Of Quakers
to which Hoover belongs.
Hoover was at his headquarters
here today,