Evening star., 1928-10-28
BY WILLIAM HARD.

Hoover may win in the electoral col
lege by narrow margin or by
a landslide. Smith may win by
a narrow margin. That is as
close as good sense can go at this mo-
ment toward estimating the outcome.
The reason why the betting odds are
favorable to Hoover Is simply TINS
He has chance in more States than
Smith has. A tide toward Hoover at
the last moment, operating In all the
States in which Hoover has chance,
would carry him into the White House
on a tidal wave A tide toward smith
at the last moment operating in all the
States in which Smith has chance,
would just neatly and comfortably liIt
his bark into the White House harbor.
That is the appearance of the presi-
Dental tempest at this writing. 1t
explains the betting odds, but 1t also
explains why the people who are tax
ing the short end of those odds-and
who are putting up $1,000 on Smith
against $4,000 on Hoover-are not SIM
ply Smith cranks with hearts of gold.
They are sports who have speculative
Justification for risking their money on
a good thing" against a "favorite,"
who is not a sure thing"
X X X
The dope sheets"-such as increased
registrations of voters and postcard
nolls"-leave one vital point unsettled.
They leave unsettled the intentions OF
those voters who do not yet know their
own sentiment or who are precariously
possessed of sentiments which are sub
ject to change. The number OF Such
y,ofave ie axtFaYT1plv large
Many a French Canadian mill worker
in Rhode Island is torn between 10y
atty to his Catholicism in general ana
a loyalty in particular to the flerce
local fight which has been waged In
Rhode Island by French Canadian
Catholics against an Irish Catholic
bishop.
Many a New York business man Is
torn between a pro-Smith abhorrence
of prohibition and pro-Hoover alb
horrencc Of governmentali0ed water
falls.
Many a Missouri farmer hates Hoover
for being "the enemy of the farmer, "
but hates Smith for being the friend
of the saloon"
Many a Democrat In North Carolina
does not know whether to be faithful
to the political "ashes Of his fathers"
as represented by the Democratic party
or faithful to the temples of his gods"
as represented by the Protestant can
didate of the Republican party.
The prophets may wave, but the
voters waver.
y Il y
Hoover's advantage remains as fol-
lows:
He Is far beyond Smith In electoral
votes which no present wavering can
affect. He Is far beyond Smith In the
number of pieces taken from the chess
board and pocketed. Smith, neverthe-
less, by adroit playing, might check
mate Hoover and capture the rest OF the
pieces and score win.
All the tours of observers, reports
of scouts, dreams of campaign mana
gers and Nightmares Of precinct cap
tains simmer down to just simply that
conciusion-and nothing more.
In such circumstances 1t becomes
especially necessary to note and to
analyze the last moves Of the contending
forces,
The Democrats are making a new
strong play toward stressing the reli-
gious issue.
The Republicans are making a new
strong play toward stressing the issue
of Government in business.
X X X
The religious play of the Democrats
has its elimination in the advertise
ments now running in various newspa-
pers rebuking certain Protestant at
tacks upon Catholicism and intimating
that those attacks should be rebuked
further at the polls.
The advertisements come from 1.-THE
Calvert Associates" an organization in
which John j. Raskob, chairman of the
Democratic national committee, Is deeply
interested.
They have precipitated severe fac
tional struggle among the Catholics
themselves. Pfo-Hoover Catholics be-
gin to be deeply exasperated by what
they regard as the constant effort to
gain votes for Smith. among Catholics by
making him appear as marty" 10
their religion.
Col. William j. Donovan, assistant to
the Attorney General of the United
States, a Catholic and devoted and
intimate Hooverite, has issued a state
nlent denouncing the advertisements OF
THE Calvert Associates; and this
statement. before being released to the
press, was carefully scrutinized and
approved by other prominent Catholics,
including priests.
X \ +
Donovan's central contention is that
we are confronted with two equally
reprehensible misuses of religion. One
is the attempt to hurt Smith because of
his Catholicism. The other Is the
AttefnDt to helm Smith hacaliSe nf his