The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-07-16
SMITH APPEAL
!; TO VOTERS IS
!: NEW IN NATION
Can He Win Country as He
Won New York? Is
/. Question
SHREWD POLITICIAN
Extensively Noisy Supporters
/ Will Be Kept Under
Proper Restraint
BY RODNEY BUTCHER
NEA Service Writer

BY RODNEY BUTCHER
NEA Service Writer
Washington, July 16.-"Al's Own
Pal" is the name of a new song
which probably will tire many Of US
before the campaign is over.
But heaven only knows how many
persons will vote on that theory.
Hoover probably wishes he knew
how many voters consider AL as
their pal"
"Al" is a new sort of candidate.
The last two presidents had certain
types Of political ''it," as they say
in the movies. Harding was adver-
tised as lust folks" and Coolidge
was cheered as just plain, ordinary
Cal, who had worked on a farm and
never put on any airs. Ordinary
people probably trusted them more
than they trusted bigger men like
Wilson, Hughes and John Davis.
But now here's AL. The appeal of
men like Harding and Coolidge went
to the great middle class. Smith is
going to draw votes from another
class which ordinarily doesn't give
q whoop about presidential elections.
Bootblacks, truck drivers, BARRIERS.
mattresses, elevator operators, taxi
drivers, cops, cabaret dancers and
probably most laboring men will
throw him the bulk of their support.
These are mostly city folks.
Farms For Hoover
Hoover probably will beat him on
the farms. Most of the foreign ex-
traction vote is expected to 60 for
Smith. Tammany never has high
hated the immigrants.
We get back to the white collar
boys and the middle class vote, So
called. There, Smith and Hoover
will have to fight it out. This vote
probably will decide the election.
The cities and towns are full of it.
Whether AIS personality will get
these folks all singing "The Side
walks of New York" by November
or whether most of them will ad-
nit they can't sing and vote for q
candidate without any song, no one
knows yet. It's large order for AL.
Can he get to the people of the
nation as he has to the people of
New York? Will that she's one of
US" stuff do him enough good now
and can he use that remarkable
political sixth sense Of his to meet
national scale requirements?
Indications are that he will es-
pecially undertake to sell the new
voters. There will be several mil
lions voting this year for either the
first or second time. Their political
habits in presidential years aren't
yet fixed. No question that AL has
q drag with the younger set. How
much?
Will Talk Down
Current information is that he will
employ the tactics that have always
won for him to date. He's going to
lay off the bunk and "talk down" to
US. Nothing abstruse about Smiths
campaign speeches. Easy to under
stand what he means.
AL has always been q politician.
Hoover isn't, though he has learned
an awful lot about politics in the
last eight years. Question: Granting
that AL can put his long political
experience to good use. will the mere
fact that he is . politician and
Hoover isn't be taken into conscious
or unconscious consideration by the
voters?
Most Of US are credited with dis
trusting politicians. How many Of
US will favor Hoover simply because
he isn't? Roughly speaking, Roose-
welt was a politician, Taft wasn't,
Wilson wasn't. Hughes wasn't, Hard
ing was. Coolidge was, Hoover isn't,
and Smith is.
Always Dangerous
Al has always had a dangerous
faculty Of making monkeys of his
opponents - Hearst, young Teddy
Roosevelt, and Ogden Mills. AL just
bides his time until his opponent
makes a break and gives him an
opening. Then he throws in the har-
pooh. Perhaps there'll be a break
or two in this campaign. Perhaps
not. Hoover is big stuff. He prob
ably will remember that his worst
peril lies in the possibility that AL
might get the country laughing at
him.
On the other hand. Al may have
q bad time with the respectable"
vote. That is, with the sort of people
who will tell you he isn't really quite
the man, personally and socially,
that one would be proud Of in the
white house. Without knowing any,
thing about it, they'll ask "What real
gent ever wore q brown derby ,"
They didn't see that AL Sr:.::.th New
York Tammany delegation Of So
cially prominent. well manicured.
prosperous, quiet boys and girls sent
down to Houston to impress the
party that there were others than
roughnecks in the New York Democ-
Tacy.
Gay for Noisy
Smith doubtless will hav, sense
enough to keep some Of his more Of
fensively noisy supporters bound and
gagged. At least, they were kept
from making any bad breaks in
Houston, and the Smith steam roller
was operated so gently as to leave
. minimum Of hard feelings among
the opposition.
The Smith compaign organization
ought to be the best the Democrats
have had in many years. The best
thing Smith and his friends do is
to organize, campaign. and get out
the vote. Carefully picked mission
aries win b circulating through the
country from now on. Smith If GO
ing to know just where to hit the
hardest and just where to soft pedal.
No one will be better informed
from week to week Of Smiths actual
chances Of carrying this state. that
gate, and oil o. hem together, than
Smith and his board Of strategy.
TOO GOOD FOR HIM
Salt Lake City.-The beating Of
his wife and the chasing Of her and
their six children from home almost