Evening star., 1928-09-23
STRATON DEFENDS
SMITH OPPOSITION
UphoIds Boilers and States
Smith introduced the
Religious Issue.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla, Septem-
ber 22.-Charging that Gov. Alfred z.
Smith, Democratic presidential NOM
inee, deliberately and with calculated
purpose dragged the religious issue into
the presidential campaign" DR.. John
Roach Straton. New York minister, to-
night defended party "bolters," for leav-
ing the Democratic fold. He also
launched a bitter denounciation at
Tammany and its activities in political
affairs.
DR.. Straton. in his second address
here in two days, spoke in the same
auditorium in which Gov. Smith, Thurs
day night had addressed an audience
which jammed the Coliseum to the
bursting point. Branding America as
the most lawlesS nation upon the face
Of the earth," the New York divine
asked what earnest and thoughtful
man can deny the assertion that in the
nominee Of the Democratic party we
have supreme illustration, almost an
incarnation OF this spirit of lawless-
neSS?"
Accuses Machine.
1t Is notorious" DR.. Straton as
serted, that the Democratic machine
mere politician into the presidency of
this Republic. In every instance they
have signally and ANONYMOUSLY failed,
and in only two cases where they have
stood out, in the final test, for
righteousness, and bided their time until
they had a really great man to present.
they have gloriously succeeded; namely
in the election of Grover Cleveland and
Woodrow Wilson.
ANY real Democrat-whether North
or South--is fully justified in cutting
the head of the Democratic ticket
suuarely off, even while voting the re-
mainder of the ticket"
Turning to the question of religion,
DR.. Straton took up that portion Of
Gov. Smiths Thursday night speech.
Gov. Smith, in his address here in
Oklahoma City, himself deliberately,
| and with calculated purpose, dragged
| the religious issue into the presidential
campaign" he said.
80 It is evident that Alfred E.
| Smith, the Tammany candidate for the
presidency, is making his bid for three
groups in this country: First, the liquor
| crowd: second, the Roman Catholic
| Church; third, the machine politicians
and their camp followers.
Just as we have had to take UP the
gauntlet thrown down by him, brazenly
| and boldly. on the liquor question, so
now we will have to take up the gaunt-
| let thrown down on the religious ques-
| tion."
Denies Prejudice.
DR.. Straton said the Protestant lead
ers of America have not played upon
religious prejudiceS. and he dealt at
length with illustrations in an effort to
bear out this contention.
DR.. Straton read an article published
| in the New York Herald Tribune land
the other New York papers" June 5,
| 1928, in which Mayor Walker was said
| to have been asked by friend, if Gov.
| Smith were elected to the presidency
| whether he would take his orders from
Rome.
Mayor Walker was quoted as re-
plying" DR.. Straton said, "I hope to
| God he does"
DR.. Straton next took up the ques-
| tion of whether the presidential nominee
is drinking man, asserting: IF Gov.
| Smith will come out and say that, de-
spite the fact that he does drink per-
| sonally and with his friends, he has
never been partly or wholly intoxit ated
on any public occasion the Nation will
believe that and the talk about those
matters will certainly stop. He is the
only one who can stop them. and he
| owes it to himself and to his candidacy
! to stop them now."