Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1928-08-02
Religion Is Not Main
Issue, Says Daniels
Raleigh Editor Thinks Other States
Have Wrong Impression Regard
ing National Campaign; Says Hoey
Made Mistake
BY RUPERT GILLETT

Blowing Rock, July 2S.-"North
Carolina IS not bigoted state, but
if people continue to harp on the
minor issue of Al Smiths religion,
other states will get the idea that
this is a bigoted state"
This statement was made by Jo-
sephus Daniels, who is at Mayview
for a short vacation.
North Cardinals main objection
to Smith is his wetness and not his
religion" Mr.. Daniels continued. 81
get disgusted with hearing these
continuous pleas for religious toler-
ance, because it gives the impression
elsewhere that this state is opposing
Smith almost solely on the ground of
his religion. Such conception is
entirely false, but if, by some un-
foreseen chance, Smith should fail
to get our electoral vote, other
states would be saying that North
Carolina is bigoted state.
There are, of course, some people
in North Carolina who will vote
against Smith because of his re-
ligion, but there are fewer such peo-
pie in this state than there are in
New York City-fewer than in Illi-
nois.
"Clyde Hoey made this mistake in
his Shelby speech. In the main, it
was very able speech, very clear
and concise statement of the prin-
ciples at issue in the campaign, but
he over emphasized the religious
question, which should have been
given the minor place it deserves.
'He made another mistake in as
suming that the south opposes Tam
many because of some graft with
is wet Surely Southern Democrats
south opposes Tammany because it
which it was connected in former
years. his is not the case. The
are not going to turn from Tam
many to the Philadelphia machine
merely because of record of graft
somewhere in Tammany's history. If
they do that, they will be going to
a machine hundred times worse
than Tammany ever was. 1t is OBJ
vious, then, that Tammany's wetness
and not its political history is the
cause of the south's opposition"
But this opposition is not so
widespread as some Republicans
would have us believe" Mr.. Daniels
said. North Carolina Democrats
are going to vote for dry Demo-
cratic congressman, and with a dry
congress, Smith has no chance what
ever to modify the prohibition law.
The constitution is too hard to
amend for any one man TO have
much influence in that way. The
man is not yet born who will see the
eighteenth amendment taken from
the constitution. When that amend
ment disappears. negroes will be re-
turned to slavery.
Regarding Mrs. Remnants predic-
ton that Hoover would get the
North Carolina electoral vote, Mr..
Daniels said, ~ don't think Mrs.
kennan knows much about it. We
have a normal majority of 10000 or
more in this state. l do not believe
that enough voters can be turned to
the Republican party to overcome
that majority.
Moreover, not all the people who
say they are not going to vote for
Smith will vote for Hoover. They
will simply not vote at all for the
presidential candidate. But they will
vote for dry congressman and make
Smiths alleged wetness wholly in
nocuous.
in that way, we can elect a man
of fine abilities in governmental
science and at the same time make
his wetness harmless. The principles
of the Democratic party are too big
to be deserted for little issues"