The Washington times., 1928-07-13
Smith FR|ENDS
SEE BORDER
PE R|LS
~ GEORGE II. HOLMES
Internatlonal news Service

Of q high.powered campaign, or
ganized and financed along the lines
Of great modern business venture
and led by d candidate Of Gov. al
Smiths hard-hitting powers, Demo
cratic leaders who have spent the
week in New York scattered to their
homes today to dig n for the
battle.
Most Of them are confident and
ali Of them are hopeful that the
new order OF things in the party
will be productive OF something IN
November besides the defeat and
isappointnert that has been the
Democratic lot since 1920.
a few from the South are skepti-
cal over the radical changes which,
In the short space Of ., single week.
have completely Transformed the
party.
Some Head Shaking
There ii some head shaking over
the appointment of John u HaskOb,
head OF the gigantic General Motors
Corporation: - chairman 81 the
national committee. and over the
NSA4 CAAu NAAUEOU8t lIaIllAGI III WAtLNA
the new Smith Raslkob regime has
taken hold Of the prohibition cues.
ton.
a canvas of the southerneEs.
however. revealed no trace OF any
disposition to rebel. on the con-
trary, there appeared to b gen.
eral disposition to let Governor
Smith have complete sway In every
thing, organization, finance, policies,
issues and whatnot.
None Of them would so further
than Jed q. Adams. the Texas
national committeeman, who merely
said
We have fight on our hands
down South, but we will win. An
other SouthernSr added:
Going Somewhere Now
The Democratic party was not
getting anywhere as & prohibition
party, and so long as the great.
conservative business interests Of
the country Aegarled II with sus-
picion and distrust Governor Smith
has taken carte OF the prohibition
question, and the appointment 81
Mr.. Raslkob would seem to be al.
surance to business that there a
nothing to fear from q change in
administrations. Maybe IL wiz work
out all right.
That fairly summarized the at.
titude today Of even those who
hale been dubious over the new
order of things in the party all,
even the doubters. are willing TO
take a chance. as one Of them
put Ii.
The Smith leaders are under no
Illusions about the magnitude OF
the task confront Ting them, which
is to garner 266 votes in the cleo
toral college. A great popular vote
means nothing unless Ii Is accom-
panied by the electoral votes neces-
sary to election.
Border Perils Seen
All the calculations ST the Smith
strategists are based primarily upon
the solid South, the irreducihle
Democratic minimum of ten States
that have never gone Republican in
a national election, Arkansas, Ala
bama. Mississippi. Texas, Virginia,
Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, North
and South Carolina. The electoral
vote Of these States totals ia.
To these, the Smith calculators
add the five border States of Mis-
souri,, Maryland, Kentucky, Ten
nessee and Oklahoma, all Of which
are normally Democratic. but which
were carried by the Republicans
either in 1920 or 1924. The five
border States have 81 electoral
votes, so that IL normal Democratic
territory remains Democratic the
Smith mana gers can count ITS votes
In the collage.
Their task then il to get 81 votes
from the balance of the country.
These, they figure. must mainly be
secured from the upper Atlantic sea.
board States. with possibly some
help from the normally Republican
middle West.
The so.cailed awet group of
Eastern States, comprising New
York, New Jersey. Connecticut,
Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and
Delaware. have exactly 81 electoral
votes, which would make the re-
quired 26s.
East Held Vital
These States are considered vital
to the Smith cause. hence the fire.
quently heard statement about
Smith headquarters that the East
Is the battle-ground"
The Smith leaders, however, are
not deluding themselves about the
state OF affairs in the border
States. They believe they will be
able to win them, but they know
they have a fight on their hands
there fully as great il not greater
than in the conservative States of
the Eastern seaboard. Governor
Smith already is planning to speak
In each OF the five important Dor
der States.
A detection in any one Of these
border, Southern or Eastern States
would have to, be made up in the
West or else the Smith cause would
be lost.
These figures were impressed
upon the State leaders here in the
conferences this week. They went
home today seriously impressed
with the magnitude of the JOB
ahead, and with Smith. Raskob ad-
monition to "organize right down to
nrecinCts 4" ringing. in their ears.