Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-24
KEYSTONE VOTES
SPLIT ON CHOICE
Guffey Claims at Least 60
From Pennsylvania for
Smith.

HARRISBURG, Pa, June 23.-The
Pennsylvania delegation to the Demo-
cratic national convention. which ar
rives in Houston tomorrow morning.
will be divided in IT. choice for presi-
Dental nomination.
Joseph r. Guffey, Pittsburgh, retir-
| ing national committeeman and man.
aeer of the Smith pre-primary cam
pain, will control the majority of the
delegation. His claims of the number
of Smith votes vary from go to 69l2
of the total of rs which Pennsylvania
will cast in the convention.
The anti-Smith delegates claim there
are at least 20 and may be as many
as Is votes in the delegation which will
not be for Smith.
These include more than half dozen
div votes which will oppose Smith be-
cause of his prohibition stand, as well
as his Tammany backing They are
the only Pennsylvania votes which
| Smith managers have not claimed.
Others Lean to Reed.
| The Others, between a dozen and 20
! votes, are regarded as favorable to
Senator James A. Reed OF Missouri.
If Smith appears likely to win on the
! first or second ballet, however, 1t is
| questionable whether some of the Reed
delegates will not join the swing to
Smith. These delegates have been
claimed for both Smith and Reed, and
with the exception Of several delegates
| from districts where the religious issue
/ is important, most of the Reed dele
gates are regarded as having Smith as
| their second choice.
The dry Democrats have not as yet
decided whom they will support on the
| first ballot. Some of them are inclined
| to favor Gov Vic Donahey OF Ohio.
| Others would have supported Edwin T.
Meredith of Iowa. had not Meredith's
death early this week prevented back
| ing him. Some may vote for Newton
D. Baker of Ohio. although Baker has
said he is not candidate. There Is
at least one SURE vote among the
dry delegates for Huston Thompson,
Colorado
Pennsylvania Democratic delega-
tions has not followed the unit rule
which forces the majority choice on
delegations. If the Pennsylvania cau-
Gus should attempt adoption of the unit
rule-and that Ia not expected--t
would cause vigorous fight from the
anti-Smith delegates but the Smith
majority would be large enough to
control.
The delegation includes 80 delegates
and 80 alternates morally obligated to
vote for Smith because they made the
pledge to support the popular choice OF
their districts at the primary. Smith
polled the high preferential vote In
each county at the primary In which
no candidates had entered their names.
Although this pledge Is not legally
binding, 1t does not indicate the rela-
tive strength of the Smith and anti
Smith factions It Is likely that at no
stage can Smith be driven below 46
votes from Pennsylvania unless lie
should withdraw: 1t Is more likely tnat
his minimum will be SIS: and 1t Is prob
able he will poll as high as SIS or %
votes at times during the balloting.
Smithites to Control.
Whether Smith wins or loses the
nomination his supporters Will De ID
control of the organization in Pennsyi-
vania for the Fall campaign. i
A change In strategy on the part OF
the faction opposing Smith in Pennsyi-
vania has developed since the Repuo-
lican convention Prior to that time.
the principal cry against Smith was
notification" of the eighteenth amend
Since the nomination of Hoover, the
dry element of the party has harped
upon the necessity of Democratic
promise of farm relief as the means OF
winning the West, and the insistence
that Smith is not the man to win the
Corn Belt vote.
The fight to make farm relief the
chief Democratic issue will be carried
to the platform committee by the Penn
sylvania dry faction as means OF max
ing Smiths nomination more difficult.
The fight is TO be led by John A. NC
Spartan, lone anti-Smith delegate at
large from Pennsylvania. McSparran.
an able speaker. for years was master
of the State grange, and is conversant
with agricultural problems in other
States. He frequently has represented
the grange and other farm organiZa-
tinns before congressional committees IN
Washington. He will be the floor lead
err OF the anti-Smiths from Pennsyl-
vania and as the party's nominee for
governor against Clifford Pinchot In
1922. is relied upon by the anti-Smith
faction to draw away some doubtful
votes from Smith in rural congressional
districts in this State.
II this fight to write strong farm
relief plank into the platform Is success
full the next step will be to urge ron1i-
nation OF a man with an appeal To the
Middle West. The anti-Snith faction
contends Smith cannot make this APP
peal.
Plan Early Campaign.
Republicans since the Kansas City
convention, have busted themselves
chiefly with making plans for an early
start of the Fall campaign.
They are greatly pleased with selec-
ton of DR. Hubert Work. native Penn
sylvanian. as chairman of the Republic
an national committee. Work Is boy
hood neighbor and personal friend of
Gov Fisher. and the new national
chairman will receive maximum OF
cooperation from the Pennsylvania or
ganization. Immediately upon election
of Dr. Work Gen. Edward Martin. new
Republican State chairman, and Gov
Fisher wired for an appointment In
which to confer upon plans for the
national campaign In this State. Penn
sylvania is expected to furnish large
quota of speakers for the campaign this
Fall and will share In the campaign
work In other States. but II Smith is
| the Democratic nominee. there will be
more intensive campaigning In some OF
the wet congressional districts In Penn
sylvania this year than has been GUS
I "A. aG-fx