Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1936-02-13
LIMITS ON GOVERNMENT


The speech delivered by former
Governor Alfred Z. Smith before the
Liberty League, if taken at its face
value, means his refusal t support
the Democratic party in the next pres
idential campaign. Stating very plain
ly that if the Democratic Administra-
ton endorses the present Democratic
Administration it will be necessary for
him and others who think like him
to take on the mantle of hypocrisy
or take a walk" the former standard
bearer of the party gave plain notice
! of his attitude. Any man as well
versed in political affairs as Smith
knows that the next Democratic Con-
~vention is going 10 endorse the admin
istration of President Roosevelt, and,
therefore, the walk becomes a GER
tainty unless he changes his mind.
The Smith speech clears the polit-
ical atmosphere to some extent, indi-
eating definitely that conservative
Democrats will not support the Pres
ident for reelection. This is borne out
by the similar attack made upon the
New Deal by John w. Davis, the day
before the Smith speech, in which
Davis, another ex-presidential candi-
date of the Democratic party, scorn-
fully denounced the present Admins
t~ration, asserting that it tended to-
ward the establishment of an auto
cracy. The line Of attack is somewhat
the same in both speeches because
Smith, in closing his address, at
tempted to set up a choice between
Washington and Moscow.
1t is something of an unprecedented
political spectacle for a president to
be attacked by the two members OF
his party who, just before him, won
the presidential nomination. Davis In
1924, and Smith in 1928, led the Dem
ocratic party to disastrous defeats at
the polls and now lead the charge
against Roosevelt who, in 1882, led
the party to an overwhelming tri-
umph. Davis, of course, has long been
connected with the conservative FAC
ton of the Democrats, and no great
surprise is occasioned by his attitude
toward the measures and policies oil
the New Deal.
The case Of Al Smith is different
Three times in as many conventions
Franklin D. Roosevelt nominated and
fought for the selection of Smith as
the presidential candidate of the Dem
ocratic party. For years he was the
trusted political friend of the mar ne
dubbed the Happy Warrior" In 1928
barely emerging from a sick bed, h.
responded to the plea of his friend
Smith to run for the governorship OF
New York against the advice of some
of his physicians. The result, strange
to say, was thet Roosevelt became
governor of New York and Smith
failed to carry the Empire State tor
the presidency.
Subsequently, the new governor, II
is reported, did no lean very heavily
upon Smith for advice. Anyhow, the
intimacy between the two men be-
came strained, breaking down when
there was a distinct boom for Roose-
welt for the presidency in 1882. AT the
Chicago convention of the Democratic
party in that year, Roosevelt was bit
terly fought by the Smith phalanx
which went down in defeat when the
McAdoo-Garner cohorts turned to
Roosevelt. For a while Smiths course
was in doubt but, finally, he made a
few speeches for the party nominee.
So far as the writer can see, the
Democrats might as well face the de-
lection of Smith, Davis and a consid-
cradle number of conservatives. Al
ready it is known the President him.
self has sized up the situation in ad-
vance and is neither surprised nor
dismayed at the present political pic
ture. The Liberty League, organized
largely by supporters Of Smith III
1928, is about ready, in the opinion
of most observers, to throw its sup
port to any candidate to beat Roose-
welt. It may delay its decision long
enough to see if there is a chance OF
a liberal securing the Republican
nomination in order to be able to ef-
fectively organize a conservative can
didate. However, the most likely pros
pect at this time is that the dl
Pont. Raskob, Shouse organization vii
throw its support to the Republican
nominee.
The Republican party, for the mos
part, naturally is not worried over the
recent developments. Nothing but ar
advantage can come to it through the
detection of a number of Democrat
if the party can name a candidate who
will unite its factions and poll some
thing like the normal Republican
vote. The blur in the picture, how
ever. is the division that exists among
Republicans, almost as pronounced al
it exists among Democrats, between
conservatives and liberals. There il
the difference of thought that crys.
italics to support the divergent pol
itical PHILOSOPHERS of Borah and Hoo
yer. These two men represent, to
considerable degree, the cleavage tina
divides Republicans just as Roosevelt
on one side, and Smith and Davis OF
the other, represent a similar division
of Democrats.
The division Of thought that exist
in each party is not as clear-cut a
the above paragraph may indicate but
basicallv and fundamentally, it is
fact. There is undoubtedly more il
common between the Roosevelt Dem,
ocrats and the Progressive Republic