Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-13
SMITH MAY ANSWER.
CHALLENGE OF BOX
New Yorker to Speak Over
Radio for Half Hour on
Wednesday Night.

Democratic national leaders In Wash
| ington, while they have not been taken
into AL Smiths confidence on the sub
ject, believe he will utilize his half hour
| on the radio Wednesday night to reply
to recent challenges of his party lead
. ership. In particular. the lately van
pushed presidential candidate Is ex-
pected to answer Representative John
c. Box of Texas, new minority whip OF
the House. who wants to drive the
Smith wing" out of party control. Mr..
Box recently addressed a letter on that
score to Gov Franklin D. Roosevelt OF
Network. asking the latter's aid in I'M
doing the calamitous mistake the
Democrats made when they nominated
AL Smith as their national standard
bearer.
Mr.. Smith spent last Sunday at AL
bany in conference with his guberna-
torial successor While New York State
affairs figured conspicuously in their
deliberations, Washington Democratic
politicians are convinced that the Box
Smith affair received extensive consid-
Grafton. At any rate, when Smith
takes the air" Wednesday evening he
will be fresh from his heart-to-heart
talks with the man to whom the get
rid of Smith influences appeal was
made 1t was addressed to Gov ROose-
welt, apparently. because many Demo-
Gratis, like Representative BOX. are
coming to look upon the New York gov
ernor as the logical successor to ma
tional Democratic leadership. Roose-
velt's feat in carrying his own State
while Smith was losing it is the par
ticular charm attaching to the former
name in this connection.
Bayard Is Optimistic.
If Gov. Smith broadcasts to the DEM
ocrats of the country q message of hope
and good cheer, he will be echoing a
note which has been struck with in
creasing firfnneSS during the present
session of Congress. Senator Bayard
of Delaware. one of the Democrats
defeated for reelection in the Hoover
landslide, reflects widespread view.
There's not the slightest occasion Tor
despair" Senator Bayard said to this
| writer. ION November 6 we discovered
! in every section of the Union the exist
ence of thousands upon thousands OF
| Democrats, hitherto unknown and un-
suspected. 1t was from their ranks that
| the unprecedentedly heavy Democratic
popular vote of 100000 odd was rolled
up. We accomplished something more
1
Democrats to the polls. We did so IT
consequence of the finest precinct by
precinct organization the party has
| ever known. II we are wise, We shall
not fail to keep that organization to-
gether and take the field again with It
| A party which amasSed nearly As pei
cent of the grand total OF the popular
vote has no right to consider Itself
either down or out"
Smiths after election radio appeal u
| his party to get together on pro
| gram" and try to enact 1t into law, Eel
practically nat. There Is no reason te
believe that repetition of the sugges'
| ton now would meet with any more
| favorable response than its predecessor
Most national Democrats are OF opinion
that the party's manifest strategy fol
| the immediate future Is to lay low anc
do nothing A new Republican admin
| istration and Congress are taking power
at Washington. They will be con-
| fronted with the usual number OF pit
falls from which, in the light OF ex-
perience, the Democrats can reasonably
| hope to derive advantage in the course
of time. From G. o. p. mistakes anc
disasters. in other words. both Demo
cratic leaders and issues may emerge.
Democrats Divided.
The principal objection raised b,
fellow Democrats to AL Smiths pro
gram" proposal was. and Is, tina
there's slender hope that party unity
can be achieved at this time on any
issue around which Democrats coult
rally The two big questions nov
before the Senate are cases in point
Democrats are divided on both thu
Kellogg treaty and the cruiser bill
Farm relief and tariff revision, wher
they come up in the special session o
Congress, will find the Democrats 6
house divided against itself, though, o.
course, as much can be said of the
Republicans. The difference is thai
the Republicans are in and the Demo.
. Gratis are out. r. w. w.
| Copyright. 1927