Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-25
SMITH HITS HOOVER
! FOR SILENCE ON OIL
Nominee Turns East After
G o. P. Record Attack
at Helena.
Continued from First Page.)

the Republican candidate for Presi-
oent?'' he asked, and then continued:
Why, there is not a single man in
this country who knows 1t better than
he docs. He sat in the cabinet of the
President while all of this was going
on, and you can search that record
s from one end to the other, you can ex-
Y anime it in the minutest details, and
you viii fail to find a single word OF
condemnation on his part"
Gov. Smith also trained his guns on
the Secretary of the Treasury, whom he
charged with "conceallng knowledge
from the Senate committee that traced
| S260,000 in Liberty bonds, profit from
the Continental Trading Co. oil trans
action. TO Republican campaign Golfers
=, to help cover a deficit hanging over from
that party's 1920 presidential campaign.
He was unwilling to become party
to that deal. He got the stencil of oil
and he gave his check for $4,000. but
declined to take the bonds" the gov
ernor said. Honorable enough" he
said, "but this must be said: During all
the period that the Senate committee
was endeavoring to unfold this crooked
deal before the people of the United
States he had the knowledge and could
have given 1t. He chose TO conceal it. -
! The Democratic nominee was refer
ring to what he termed unique way
Of Transforming oil into money and
making the money look clean, getting
the benzine smell off it"
Attacks Mellon.
The chairman of the Republican ma
/ tional committee had the $260,000 in
Liberty bonds, he said. He offered
! them to prominent Republicans in as
sorted lots, in accordance with the abil-
ity of the victim to meet the demand,
! and the prominent Republicans got a
present of 900 to $4,000, as the
/ case may be, and, in return, performed
the patriotic service of voluntarily Civ
ing checks to lquidate the indebted
ness.
Strange to say" Gov Smith assert
ed, the names of the men approached
were spied out by the committee from
the handwriting of dead man."
If there was anybody in the country
who was ready to say that the Republic
can party should bear no responsibility
for this, the nominee declared, they
must be prepared to say aside from
the guilt of individuals or persons, it is
&. all right for a political party to fill its
depleted treasury with the proceeds OF
official corruption and crime"
Declaring that the Republican party
twas able to convince the electorate
four years ago that all of this guilt
was personal, and that it did not run
to the party as a party he declared
there could be no excuse in 1928, be
cause since then we have some new dis
closures"
He then dwelt on the Continental
oil deal revelations and little further
on declared. amid applause, that the
people would never have heard the
end OF it" if, in 1920, the Republican
party could have "unfolded record of
that kind against the Wilson admins
tration"
would there be in any charity in
their heart toward the Democratic
party?" he asked-and voice in the
gallery came back mot a bit"
"Oh, can imagine how the Repub-
ncan orators would rear against Demo-
cratic corruption" he continued as
laughter and applause swept the audi
torium. THE Democratic misuse OF
the public money, Democratic neglect
of the moral duty toward the soldier"
he continued. why. they would be all
wrapped up in the American flag and
you would hardly be able to see them"
Jokes About Curtis.
Referring to the newspaper account
that Senator Curtis, the Republican
vice presidential candidate, had lost
his voice over the week end, the
nominee said:
'If he has been talking against the
Democratic party with that kind OF a
record he would have lost it week
ago. 49,.
/, of his address, that it would be ex-
ceedingly harmful to the morals OF
the youth of the country if in the face
/ Of that record the American people
on the 9Th of November were to put
their stamp of approval on 1t. 1t
would be harmful if they were to agree
that that record indicates moral lead
ership and progressive reform. II
would be exceedingly harmful II the
American people were willing TO look
back complacently over that past and
! cal it a record of great accomplish
ment.
American citizens, I believe, ire
spective of party, will not approve OF
that record, but, on the contrary, Will
use the power and influence OF the bal
lot to rebuke the party that made it so
that for all time there may be hxeo
upon a political party sense OF respon-
sibility to the trust that will prevent
repetition of the disgraceful acts COM
planned of.
And, furthermore, I am satisfied that
the American people will put stamp
of approval upon the unimpeachable
record of the Democratic party"
Gov Smith was introduced by Sena-
tor Walsh, who referred to him as the
most engaging personality in American
public life today"
Urges Wheeler's Reelection.
j. Bruce Kremer, Democratic national
committeeman from Montana, who is
accompanying the nominee on his tour
of the West, closed last nights meeting
with a plea for the reelection OF Sena-
tor Wheeler and the declaration that
1.-THE leadership of your party is in good
and safe hands"
In his long public service, including
four terms as the governor OF the great
State of New York" Kremer said, re-
ferring to Smith, mot one single Re-
publican has had the temerity to even
suggest by lnnuendo that they was one
single act of dishonesty in any of the
various departments of his State"
IF Gov. Smith cannot stand on his
record, 1 do not know what he can
stand upon" he added.
The nominee paid tribute to Sena-
tors Walsh and Wheeler early in his
address.
Let it be said to the everlasting
credit of the State of Montana" he
said, that it produced the senior Sem
ator, Senator Walsh, and his COM
panion, Senator Wheeler, for the great
part they played in bringing the Re-
publican party to the bar Of public
opinion"