Evening star., 1928-10-21
Republican Invasion of the South
Most Striking Phase of Campaign

American politics the pulling down of
the saloon bars and the putting up of
the immigration bars.
That element is equally against the
legalized liquor seller and the thirsty
European incomer. Sentor Borah Is
firing for 1t with both barrels.
And now note:
He Is firing for 1882 as much as for
1928. This campaign cannot be under
stood except through the consideration
of its calculated bearing upon future
campaigns.
Senator Borah is not traversing the
solid South with any conviction that
he can produce in it any basic turn
over toward Republicanism this year.
The cynical computators in Republican
national headquarters do not fiatter
themselves with any genuinely glitter
ing prospects in any solid Southern
State this year, except possibly North
Carolina. Their mouths are open for
miracles elsewhere, but they would
count them miracles.
The Republican invasion of the solid
South-this years most momentous
political events in truth and at bot
tom for reasons which are not direct
but indirect.
In the first place. the stir in the
South produces Sound-waveS of tumul-
tuous and romantic encouragement to
the Republican forces In the anti-liquor
and anti-immigration sectors of the
West
In the second place. the Republicans
begin to realize that in 1882 they may
need the Southland acutely and cru
cially
Smith may lose this battle, but he is
creating a formidable alignment for
battles to come.
The territory on the general line from
Baltimore to Boston is indubitably wet.
The territory on the general line from
Chicago to Butte, If one may Judge by
recent referendums and similar Incl
dents, is increasingly damp. Along that
latter line is concentrated also, as it
happens, the flercest fires of the agricul-
tural and Progressive" revolt.
Along both lines Smith has dug him
self in with strength which seems
doubtlessly misunderstanding accidents
to increase. He carries all three of the
banners necessary.
He has qualified, to La Toilette and
Farmer-Laborite eyes, as Progressive. +"
He has qualified as a friend to the
principle" of McNary- -Haugenism and
of the Northwestern farmers own con-
ception of his own salvation He has
qualified as the supreme critic of
prohibition.
Hoover, If President, will be abso-
lutely unsatisfactory to the Progress
sives," both in his domestic and in his
foreign policies. He will have q Con-
gress on his hands which by present
prospects may be heavily loaded and
listed toward McNary-H -Haugenite no
tions. He will have the utmost difficulty
AS would any other President-in
making the Volstead law actually ef-
ficient ano effective in the degree de-
sired by its supporters.
Smith has prepared himself to be able
then to make thousand speeches on
the great and grand text, Il told you
So"
Those speeches will threaten Repub-
lican supremacy in the Northeast and
in the Northwest even more drastically
and dangerously than Smiths speeches
threaten it now.
To the ne-thereupon-from Balti-
more to Boston and to the line from
Chicago to Butte the Republicans will
uIScl1Ily dIlu NlId1ly uScu W oppose
some new-found strength along the
line from Richmond to San Antonio.
If Smith loses and Hoover wins, that
will be the probably fundamental out
come of the contest between them:
and Senator William Edgar Borah of
Idaho. the irregular Republican, the Re-
publican Senator most applauded by his
Democratic senatorial colleagues, speak
ing now at Dallas, Tex, to Democrats
becomes this campaigns most dramatic
projection of itself into the days to come
Copyright, 1929