Evening star., 1932-11-02
FRIENDS Of SMITH
HURT ROOSEVELT.
Religious Issue in Massachu.
eettS Makes Hoover Bene-
ficiary of Split.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

special Dispatch to The Star.
BOSTON, Mass, November a.
Massachusetts, has been leaning so de-
sidedly toward the Hoover column that
the Democrats have been worried about
b and within the last 10 days not only
Gov. Roosevelt, but former Gov Smith
has attempted to win the Bay State
back. Four years ago it stood out on
the whole electoral map as the only
Northern State, besides Rhode Island,
that went for Smith.
The answer to the present situation
in which Hoover appears the beneficiary
Is that the wounds of four years ago
have not been healed and that RooSe-
welt has inherited the prejudices based
on the religious issue. For the anti
Roosevelt sentiment here grew up with
the events that led up to the national
convention at Chicago. The fact that
Western and Southern Democrats
blocked AL Smith and grabbed the
Roosevelt candidacy as one way to pre-
vent Smith from winning was widely
distributed in this State before the
convention 1t left residue.
Smith Backers Are Problem.
Even though Al Smith has pleaded
with his followers here to gct back in
line, many Of them have no intention
of voting for Roosevelt. They view
Al Smiths speeches for Roosevelt as
the act of a generous minded, broad
gagged individual. They think he came
out for Roosevelt because of party 10y
atty and to remove the impression of
personal pique. But the more they az
mire Smith the more they feel he
should have been nominated at Chi
cago and would have been but for
Roosevelt's ambitions and the men who
surrounded him. There is talk about
Garner and the attitude of his Texas
constituency toward Smith four years
ago when Texas went Republican and
there is no doubt the religious issue
has by no means subSided.
The protest against what they believe
to be religious intolerance is a negative
thing, but it will reflect itself in anti
Roosevelt rather than pro-Hoover feel
ing. Mr.. Hoover is simply the acciden-
tai beneficiary of situation in which
there is deep feeling 1t will not be
forgotten either that Smith and Roose-
welt fought bitterly for the Massachu-
sets delegation prior to the convention
and the things said on the stump then
about Roosevelt have not been so quick
ly forgotten.
Visit Helped Somewhat.
When Gov. Roosevelt came here
Monday he was given a good reception,
but during tht course of his speech
some of his audience lost interest and
left the hall. Whether this was due
to disappointment or to the fact that
the hour at which the speech was de-
livered was late one and people were
satisfied to leave after they heard part
of his address is difficult to tell.
A canvass here and there in the Bay
State indicates that the visits OF Al
Smith and Gov Roosevelt did help win
back Democratic votes and materially
assisted the Roosevelt ticket with GER
tain Republicans of pro-Smith attitude
four years ago. But considering the
Importance of the tariff issue in this
State, and the unwillingness of many
Smith men to go over to Roosevelt, 1t
would seem that Massachusetts was
fairly safe for Hoover.
(COpyripht. 1927