The Indianapolis times., 1928-06-19
BY LUDWELL DENNY

have greater difficulty in defeating
Hoover in the probably close elec-
ton race.
Wnen November comes many
Democratic voters of the South and
Southwest are expected to stav
away from the polls rather than
cast a ballot for a wet Catholic.
some may even attempt a third
party protest movement, or ct least
write in the name of an unoficial
candidate like that of Senator Tom
HeIlln OF Alabama, Klan orator and
Would-be Catholic exterminator.
But many of the business men
are apt to vote for Hoover without
campaigning for him and without
giving much publicity to the fact
That their ballots are going to
Yankee Republican"
THIS business opposition to
u Smith is explained largely by a
revival of economic and financial
sectionalism. You find it among cot
ton producers and brokers, utilitv
interests, small bankers, insurance
men, oil operators and merchants.
They resent and desire to combat
the Wall Street domination" of the
Nation.
They argue that the present bil-
non dollars of brokers' loans-a high
record Tor all time-is the money
drained from the rest of the coun-
Try by New York for purely specu-
lative purposes.
BY this process New York is said
not only to raise the general price
levels OF necessities throughout the
land, but also to control national
credit, which is the lifeblood of in
dustry and agriculture in the West
and Southland to exercise this
control with the savings of the West
and South To this complaint the
merchant adds the chain store
evil"
But what has all this to do with
AL Smith, who cannot be CHARGED
along with his Catholicism and wet.
ness with being an eastern banker
or chain store operator? They reply
tnat Smith represents" the New
York capitalists. Just how is not all
together clear. When a Smith ad.
herent-and there are not n1anv
such in these parts yet-mildly re-
marks that in New York where the
Governor has been in the spotlieht
OF public Office for many. wears he
is not known as the tool of Wall
Street" but as the peoples friend y
the answer is:
We'll, Wall Street seems to have
proSpered under Smiths State 3D.
mlnlStration and Tammany's citv
administration"
IL IT is pointed out that these
same southern Democrats have Oono
charged that the Republican party
is the party owned and directed bv
Wall Street at least in national
affairs, there is this answer:
Yes, but AL Smith is different y
And the proof is that the New
York bankers who opposed Hoover,s
nomination favor Smiths nornina-
tlon' and If both are nominated viii
support Smith. If it is suggested
that the party which nominated
four years ago the Morgan LAWYER
John w. Davis, should not object
to the improved Wall Street synn-
pathy for Smith, the answer is:
we knew there was no danger OF
Davis being elected: our big lob at
Madison Square Garden was to stop
Smith, and after that was done we
had to accept Davis as a compro-
mise candidate"
THIS belief that Smith repre-
4 sents eastern capital preying
upon southern and western farms
industry and commerce is always
supported by the statement:
"Al Smith has never been west
Of the Hudson River or south ex-
cept to attend a Democratic con-
yention or for political purposes"
The e people find it impossible
to believe that Smith, with all his
reputed ability as a State admin
istrator, can have any understand
ing Of the problems Of the country
as a whole, or that his solutions
could possibly benefit the now ex-.
plotted West and South.
They scorn and distrust the pro-
yincialism of Smith just as the
Democrats of New York once dis
trusted the "narrowness" of the
backWoodsman, Andrew Jackson.
and Of the college professor, Wilson
How much this business opposi-
ton to Smith is a naturalization
and perhaps unconscious reflection
Of the dominant religious and pro-
hibition 'prejudices" is matter for
guessing But for one reason or
another many southern Democratic
business men think business will be
better under a Hoover than under
- y. seA-.