New Britain herald., 1930-03-21
7ARHEELS REF|GHT
 ELECTION BATTLE
Democratic Senator's H00YeriSm Issue in Present Campaign

Raleigh, N. C., March 21--"I would rather be dead. would rather lose my right arm, I would rather [ have my tongue cleave to the roof Of my mouth than to vote for Al Smith!"
 This impassioned utterance - against his party's presidential can didate by Senator FHrnifold M. Sinl- mons, for 30 years the democratic ear of North Carolina-made at tn. climax of a fiery three hour speech | at 8 Raleigh mass meeting on Octo- Der 25, 192S-has been revived to- day as the issue in the states hot test senatorial campaign in q gen. cration.
 Senator Simmons, now 76 and a candidate for a sixth senate term of six years, faces the issue of party regularity. Opposed to him in the ' democratic primary to be held June is Josia w. Bailey. 57, Raleigh lawyer and regular democrat" who led the fight for Al Smith in North , Carolina.
 Democratic Disaster
 Follows Bolt
 When Simmons bolted The demo- cratic party to support Hoover he carried out with him, as well as can be estimated, 6o,ooO votes-this being the difference between tn, Smith vote and that of Q. Max Gardner, successful democratic can didate for governor. Hoover got 34S,S23 and Smith 2S6,o27.
 The state went republican for president for the first time since Grants election in 1876. The demo- crats lost two congressman, eight members of the state senate. 15 members of the house and great numbers of county offices. Even Rowan county, home of Senator Leo s. Overman, went overwhelmingly :. republican. Governor Gardner, how eyer survived.
 This democratic disaster is nov being charged to Senator Simmons. And Bailey, who brides himself on his lifelong democratic regularity, i; waging his campaign on those
 
 1928 is being fought all over again. Bailey Leads Fight
 for Smith.
 Although he led the North Caro- hna fight for Smith, stumping every . county in the state, Bailey has never seen Smith in his life nor had any correspondence with him except once when he asked him to auto graph a book for an old lady. So ~he told this writer here.
 Bailey is the son of a Baptist min- ister, for 17 years he was editor of q Baptist church paper, he has fill e1 Protestant pulpits on many occI- sions and was head of the North Carolina Anti-Saloon League from .qo3 until 1907. As such, he led d vigorous fight against liquor in nu- merous local option campaigns, an1 when state prohibition arrived in North Carolina in 1908 liquor hal been voted out of all the rural dis '' tricts and all but 21 cities.
 Why, then, did he support Al smith?
 With many southern democrats  , Bailey included, party regularity has been a sacred-and almost in stinctive tradition since the carpet- lag days, marked by negro political power under republican rule, just after the Civil War.
 How Prohibittorists
 Defended Smith
 In his speeches. this prohibition :, ist defended Smith like this: Pro- hibition is the established law of the land, Smith couldn't change the Constitution if he wanted to, more . ove, Smith nas solemnly pleige1 himself to enforce prohibition. 'and I had rather trust him with enforce ment that Mellon, an ex-distiller, or < HooTer.' Prohibition is safe" Bailey would tell his audiences as he turned 10 smiths Catholicism, but religious