The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-10-16
KEEPING UP
With
THE NE WIS
BY LUDWELL DENNY

! Mn I ASt1INGION oct. l6.-Smith
w thinks he has an ace left in
his hand which will win sixty elec-
toral western votes in the last round
Of the campaign. That ace is Sem
ator George w. Norris GNeb.) Re
publican progressive heir to La
Toilette leadership.
Norris is for Smith. Whether he
formally will announce himself as
such before election remains to be
seen. But Smith managers seem
confident he will. If he does, he
will swing many thousands of votes
in the close states of Nebraska,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Montana and
the Dakotas. There can be no
doubt of that.
Norris is rated the third and last
of AIS aces The others were Ras-
kob and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Smith from the beginning has had
three major objectives to win as
necessary to election. For each of
these objectives, he counted upon
an outstanding personality to
help him.
First, there is the necessity to
Danish the deep-seated myth" that
a Democratic administration is
bad for business" Smith tries to
90 this by arguments. He points
to the confidence which he holds
OF Wall Street and business inter-
ests in his home state. He pledges
himself, moreover, to renounce the
ancient Democratic principle of
tariff for revenue only.
But, knowing that personalities
are more potent in a campaign that
arguments, he needed a symbol of
his friendship with big business.
Hence his choice of the erstwhile
Republican Raskob, head of Gem
eral Motors Corporation, as Demo-
cratic national campaign manager.
Second, Smith must carry his
home state Of New York with its
1orty-flVe electoral votes. Smith. a
wet Catholic, was nominated by
an overwhelming dry Protestant
convention at Houston because the
dominant southern politicians of his
party believed he was the only
Democrat with a chance of carry
ing New York state and thus of car
ry1ng the nation
r n
! n Els OUyy, r,O,,,,1o, .itv- 90 ~ya,.... -.
L L of New York was not enough.
however, in this close campaign.
For New York in presidential cam
paigns is usually Republican. That
IS, Republicans who scratch their
tickets to elect Governor in of"
years have in the past stayed regu-
lar when it came to voting for a
Harding on a Coolidge.
To overcome this obstacle, Smith
played his second ace; nominating
the very popular Franklin D. Roose-
velt as Democratic candidate for
Governor. 1t is admitted on oil
sides that Roosevelt, who nomi-
mated Smith three times for the
presidency and who served bril-
liantly as assistant secretary of the
navy under Woodrow Wilson, will
win thousands Of votes for Smith.
But even granting that Smith
with Raskob and Roosevelt has won
the confidence Of business men and
assured himself a New York plu-
rality-Which, as a matter Of fact.
is not yet certain by any means
ne SILL needs a substantial block
Of western farm states.
Despite Smiths belligerent bid for
farm votes in his first extended tour
OF the west, and his present speak
ing trip in the middle west, Hoover
is believed by most observers to re-
tain the edge in those states with
the exception of Wisconsin.
To win Smith must have not only
Wisconsin but, say, three or four
more Of the northwestern states.
Hence the Importance of Norris.
who has more influence than any
man living with the revolving farm
ers.
Unfortunately for both Norris
and Smith, the progressive leader
is caught in difficult position. He
wants Smith elected. But he is
even more anxious to assure cleo
ton Of western progressive senato2s
Of three parties. These are: Re-
publicans, Howell of Nebraska, La
Toilette Of Wisconsin, Frazier of
North Dakota; Farmer-Labor, Ship
stead of Minnesota; Democrats.
Wheeler of Montana and Dill of
Washington.
How can he help Smith without
inJurtng the reelection chances of
the Republican senators, Howell and
Frazier?
TINE Smith idea Is that Norris
4 should campaign for these SEN
ators as he is now doing, without
specific reference to presidential
candidates until the last week be-
fore the election. Them after Nor
riS has contributed his all to his
progressive senatorial friends, he
can and will announce himself for
Smith-so the Democratic argument
runs.
Meanwhile Norris formal state
u4ent stands:
1t must be perfectly plain that
(f~on my statemenG you would
draw the conclusion in this presi-
Dental campaign that Smith on
farm relief, foreign policy and water
power, which regard as the most
important things, comes a great deal
nearer meeting the progressive idea
than Hoover does.
But 1 am not going to take up
the presidential candidates in this
CAMPAIGN for these progressive SEN