The Daily Alaska empire., 1932-05-11
AL SMITH HELPED CALIFORNIA DRYS

Eipht wears ago when the friends of then Gov. Alfred E. Smith and former Secretary of the Treas ury William G. McAdoo were bitter antagonlSts at Madison Square in one of the flercest o1 the many fierce actional encounters that have occurred in the Democratic Party, would never have thought the time would come when Al Smith would contribute to the success of MT McAdoo particularly when the latter was leading dry fight against the man who was the leader of his own convention battle.
 Four years ago. when the Anti-saloon League, Bishop Cannon Dr. Barton, Dr. Clarence True Will son and other tycoons of Prohibition raised hun oreds of thousands of dollars, lined up churches and dry organizations, to defeat the Presidential candidacy of New York's wet Governor, would not have supposed that Al Smith would be the instrument through which the Democrats of the great State of California would enthrone the dry forces with MT. McAdoo at their head
 However that is what has occurred. The issue on which the California Democrats went to the polls at the recent primary is graphically set forth in the following editorial correspondence in the New York Times written at San Francisco, just before the primary:
 The issue in the Democratic primary here is whether Franklin D. Roosevelt shall have the Presidential delegates William G. Mc- Adoo shall control the State organization in the interest of the dry cause.
 That really seems to summarize the sit- uation. Speaker John N. Gamers name is attached to a delegate ticket But with each passing day one hears less of MT Garner as a Presidential aspirant and more of MT. McAdoo a candidate for the job of bossing the California Democracy. Not that any one minimzes the chances of elect ing Garner delegates; that is quite possible But if it is accomplished, it will be because Mir McAdoo has taken over the Hearst Garner combination, which few weeks ago gratefully accepted him as an ally.
 On every hand it is recognized that if the Garner ticket wins, the power, the glory will be MT McAdoo's, matter who gets the delegates the final ballot in the National Convention. That is not to say that victory is already perching the Me Adoo- -Hearst-Garner banner but merely to indicate on which quartering it will perch, if it perches at all.
 The Wardeu Dockweiler combination, which controls the State organizations, is backing the Roosevelt delegates Its efforts are none the less zealous because its own lease of life depends defeating the Mo Adoo forces. It has whatever advantages there are in being identified with the mili- tant vets in California
 Against this item there is charged the very large debit caused by the candidacy of Alfred E. Smith. No informed and un- preudiced person here is predicting the election of the Smith ticket.
 Himself out of the running in California, Al Smith may prove to be the decisive factor between Roosevelt and Garner. Vir- tually the entire Smith vote will be diverted from Roosevelt, and if it is large enough it may spell disaster to the New York Governors hopes in this State.
 An unknown factor in the situation is the Democratic enrolment 847,482 as against 465 793 in 1928: Of the total Democratic reg stration, Los Angeles County has s65,0oo.