Evening star., 1933-11-03
LA GUARD|A-M'KEE
RACE IN BALANCE,
OBSERVERS CLAIM
0'Brien Admitted Poor Third,
Al Smiths Fortunes
Linked to Result.
TAMMANY WILL CALL IN
WARRIOR" IF DEFEATED
Roosevelt to Find Solace in Victory
for Amy Candidate-Farley
Backs Judge.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

NEW YORK, November 3.-New York
is the finest three-ring political circus
today that has been developed In a long
time.
The Tammany Tiger and Mayor John
P. OBrien occupy one ring.
Fusion and Maj Floriello La Guardia
are giving the performance in the Sec
ond.
The Recovery party-a brand-new
idea-and Joseph v. Mckee, addressed
IS Judge" are staging an eleventh.
hour race in the third.
incidentally, the G. o. p. elephant Is
nosing his way into the La Guardia
ring. while Postmaster General James
A. Farley, political manager for the
Roosevelt administration, is holding
McKee's coat. The Farley declaration
for Mckee in Washington last night
has been very satisfactory to the Mckee
camp.
Mckee Pleased.
Mckee, who not so long ago an
nounced that vote for Mckee was a
vote for Roosevelt and a vote for La
Guardia was a vote against the Presi-
dent, was undeniably pleased with the
statement of Mr. Farley.
He made this comment today: ST am
grateful for the expression Of conf
dence in me on the part of Postmaster
General Farley. 1t shows that he places
me in the same class as President
Roosevelt and Gov. Lehman.
I'm Tamnany quarters there was re-
sentiment against Farley, particularly in
view OF the fact that the Democratic
State Committee of which Farley is
chairman adopted a resolution on mo-
ton of John F. Curry declaring its
support of all regular Democratic
nominees.
O'Brien was the regular nominee for
mayor.
Party Lines Shattered.
The manner in which party lines
have been smashed in this three
cornered race for mayor OF the city is
little short Of brutal. Indeed. the new
alignments just don't make sense.
However, that makes the contest all the
more interesting.
Mckee and O,Brien are both Demo-
crats-McKee Democrat of the Roose-
John F. Curry. the boss OF Tammany
Hall. Democratic leaders and the rank
and file of the party have divided be-
tween the two. But that is not all.
Maj. La Guardia, who was at one time
elected to Congress as Socialist and
more recently as Republican, has the
support of lot of Democrats, anti
Tammany, too. And La Guardia. who
has the aid of the Republican organiza-
ton and of former Secretary Of the
Treasury ogden Mills, is opposed by
such stanch Republicans as former
States Attorney General Albert Ott-
niger and former Representative Ruth
Pratt.
Smith Still Missing.
There is one familiar figure. the hero
of a score of political contests in New
York. that Is missing from the fray.
Alfred E. Smith The former Governor.
instead of going to Brooklyn tonight
for the final Democratic rally in that
county, party that he has not missed
for II years, went to Southampton
and will not return until Monday, or
until the campaign is all over but the
voting. He has resisted all efforts of
his old friends in Tammany and out
to get him to take the stump for
Mayor O'Brien and the regular Demo-
cratic ticket. In his place at the
rally in Brooklyn will be Senator Royal
S. Copeland.
It has been reported that Al Smith
was diSgruntled because he was not
consulted by Curry and John H. Nc
Cooey, Brooklyn Democratic leader. be-
fore the Democratic ticket was named.
But it Is also understood that Mr..
Smith does not regard Mayor O'Brien
as the candidate who should have been
chosen, and that anyway, he has no
love for John F. Curry.
While Mr. Smith is out of the pic
ture right now, he is likely to loom
large in the reorganization of Demo-
cratic organization-which means Tam
many-should La Guardia be elected