Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-23
BY WILLIAM HARD.

Religious and racial questions have
come at this week end to occupy a
larger space in this campaign than ir
any previous campaign in our whole
history.
This situation was certainly not
started by the candidates. 1t is well
known that Smith is largely surrounded
personally, by Catholics. 1t is
equally we'll known that Hoover is
largely surrounded, personally, by non
Professionals.
Among Hoovers secretaries and
closest political companions there are
numerous members of the Catholic
faith. One of the foundations of his
political fortunes, for instance, is "the
A. R. A. Association" which consists
of the enthusiastic admirers who shared
his tolls in the days when the American
Relief Association was feeding Europe.
In the board of management" and In
the executive committee" of 1.-THE
A. r. A. Association" Catholics are ex-
tremely prominent.
There is not a day of Hoover's life
In which Catholics and Professionals are
not equally Cognizant of his most in
innate political affairs.
It is, further supreme oddly In
this campaign that Smith, the Catholic
has never had any contacts of personal
acquaintance with the Pope, whereas
Hoover was distributing food in Poland
when certain Italian of the name OF
Ratti was the papal diplomatic repre-
sentative in that country; and Ratt
came to know all about Hoover, and
Hoover came to know all about him;
and Ratti is now His Holiness Pope
20 %or
with the Pope could damn a candidate
the damnation would be Hoovers.
p, X X X
Nevertheless the whispering cam.
paign" about religion continues; and
here in Washington, at any rate-it i:
idle to call it whispering" 1t does
not whisper" It screams and roarS
Two periodicals here published, the
Fellowship Forum and the Protes
month by month to give all the Oper
publicity that they possibly can en-.
compass to their contention that thu
holding of the Office of President by {
Catholic would be menace" to lou
free institutions"
The Fellowship Forum has links o
personal relationship to the Ku Klu1
Khan. The Protestant is edited b,
DR.. Gilbert o. Nations, who is professor
of Roman law, Canon law and lega
history in the American University,
local institution of higher learning pos
seSSed of quite distinguished teaching
staff and conducted under Methods
auspices.
The American University, 1t Is to b.
understood, does not in any way sponsor
the Protestant. A famous membe
of its staff, DR.. Edward T. Devine, ha!
come out emphatically in favor of Smith
for President. The point of Importance
regarding the Protestant is that
indicates that so-called intolerance
can be backed by scholarship and car
thrive in this campaign in circles fa1
remote from rural crossroads ignor
ance"
This intolerance" gets new edge from
certain absurd utteranceS of Catholic
in Europe. The Unita Cattolica,
Catholic organ in Florence, Italy, ha
recently stated that Smith would re-
verse 1.-The obstinacy of America ir
keeping its doors closed to immigra'
ton and its selfishneSs in adherinl
to protective system" and that there
fore lit is to be hoped that under
Smith the Democratic party will tri
umph." simultaneously, an Italian cor
respondent of a leading Chicago news
paper, in a dispatch from Rome, ha!
stated that "the first advantage which
the church would hope for from tht
election of Smith would be the creation
of Vatican embassy in Washington.
That ridiculous prognostication ha
thrown the anti-Catholic press of thu
United States into transports of horror
1t is manifest, nevertheless, tina
Smith cannot possibly be expected t.