Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-22
SMITHS ATTITUDE HELD
DECISIVE ON ROOSEVELT
Nomination Depends on Stand Taken by
Former Governor and Own
Prohibition Views.

for a wet plank: that II he fails In
the Resolutions Committee he will then
carry his fight on to the floor Of the
convention. That is q prospect to
please the beholder, though to dismay
the politicians Smith, with his vigor
Of personality. his power of moving the
crowd; Smith in fighting form; Smith
making a fight for a minority wet
plank before galleries that will number
tens of thouSands-that Is something
to look forward to-.
At some point in this fight. before
the convention or during it, Smith, SO
the politicians think, will want to know,
will demand to know, whether RooSe-
welt is for the wet plank or against it.;
Smith, they think, will take toward
Franklin Roosevelt the position that
Theodore Roosevelt took toward Mark
Hanna-"He that is not for us Is
against us"
What Smith would do if Roosevelt
should refuse to accept or indorse the
wet plank, and what Smith would do
If the convention as a whole should
decline to adopt the wet plank-that
last move-the surmiSerS are not clear
about They don't like to think about
it. And let it be repeated that all that
is here attributed to Gov. Smith is the
surmise of politicians and nothing more.
Many Put Victory First.
With the Democratic situation CEN
tering about Roosevelt and Smith, tam
gible changes have occurred in the last
month. The essential picture is: RooSe-
welt running far in the lead for the
nomination, with Smith-to put it as
politicians see it-"standing off" from
the Roosevelt candidacy.
In this picture Roosevelt tends to
oI cNrnnmhaf T1rnn0rfinn
Roosevelt advances, so do Democratic
politicians think he ought to be per-
mitted to go ahead and get the nonli-
nation and have done with it. They
don't like the idea of fight within
the party They recall the 1924 fight
between Smith and McAdoo, which was
fatal to the party in the elections, and
they don't want anything like that
next year.
They are dominated by the hope OF
success for the Democratic party at
the polls and by the wish for success.
For the sake of success many OF the
Democratic politicians are willing to
waive prohibition. Local Democratic
leaders in the States, who as individ-
uals hold wet convictions just as strong
as Gov. Smiths, are nevertheless will
ing to forego fight on prohibition and
ready to have the platform either silent
or "straddle."
Smiths earnest conviction that the
party ought to be Enthusiastically wet
in the platform meets resistance, OF
course, from those who think the plat
form ought to be dry. But 1t meets
resistance from others also-from lead
ers as eminent as Senator Corden Hun
Of Tennessee, for example, who takes
| the position that prohibition Is not o
political issue, and that, therefore, the
| Democratic platform should make no
allusion to it and should devote itself
| to economic issues,
Drys Resist Smith.
Smiths program is resisted by drys
like Senator Robinson of Arkansas, on
the ground that ''the pirate flag OF an
outlawed traffic shall not be raised over
the Democratic party" and also by
others who want to be neutral on pro-
hibition such as Alfalfa Bill Murray
Of Oklahoma, who says he can't take
any interest in man getting drink
until the man has first the money with
which to buy the drink.
The notion exists among some Demo.
Gratis that they should ignore proh1bl-
ton, put all their emphasis on economic
conditions, and make the fight against
the Republicans on the bread and but
ter issue. Democrats who feel that sue
cess lies in that direction do not like
LIE lucd L1ldL oAAOuA0 ~
brought up by Smith or anybody else.
They see Roosevelt going ahead toward
the nomination without saying much
about prohibition; they think that
Roosevelt. if not the best possible cam
didate is at least perfectly acceptable
one and they feel that fight against
Roosevelt for the nomination is of the
nature of throwing a monkey wrench
into what seems to them Democratic
victory.
AS a result of this feeling Roosevelt
may acquire so much momentum that
by the time the convention comes any
act of questioning his stand on pro-
hibition would seem like that cardinal
political sin-"wrecking the party's
prospect of success" Certainly, as Of
| today, Roosevelt gains a little week by
week. For the moment his gains are
chiefly in the South and West. It IS
true all his gains in that territory are
useless if the North and East should
turn against him. But Roosevelt, one
way or another may gain so much
strength that the leaders in the North
and East-meaning mainly Smith-will
! feel under a compulsion not to prevent
his taking the nomination.