Evening star., 1936-08-16
BY MARK SULLIVAN.
FACTOR in the coming elec-
ton Is the Union party. The

n many votes it gets and where
these votes mainly come from,
whether from Mr.. Roosevelt or Gov.
Landon. The answers to these ques-
tions must wait until the campaign
develops further. But about the
Union party. its leaders, purposes and
potent.aities, / received some light
through a recent experience.
The other day Rev. Gerald L. Smith
made a speech to the National Press
Club Of Washington. Do I need to
explain who Rev. Mr.. Smith is? Pos
sibly so. but within a few weeks it is
possible this necessity of explanation
may not lie upon any newspaper
writer. II Rev. Mr. Smith keeps up
his present pace everybody is likely to
know who he is. Even the name
Smith" cannot keep him submerged
in the crowd The word Smith" in
a headline will mean Gerald Smith
at least it will mean either Gerald or
al"
Until fame completes its elevation
Of him, let us explain that Mr.. Smith
is a clergyman-of what denomina-
ton I do not know. except that it Is
one Of the evangelical ones; that he
was lieutenant Of the late Senator
Huey Long Of Louisiana, and that he
now carries Huey Longs banner-and
carries it quite as successfully in several
respects as Huey himself. In addition
to the "Share-the Wealth" clubs
founded by Senator Long, Rev. Mr..
Smith now represents and speaks for
three other movements. He repre-
sents the Townsend movement and
Father Coughlin's National Union for
Social Justice and the Union party
All four of these organizations are
now in some kind of alliance. The
first three seem to have been brought
together in the Union party, with
Representative William Lemke of
North Dakota as its candidate for
President.
Danger of Introduction.
When Rev. Mr.. Smith appeared at
the National Press Club the chair
man introduced him as a combina-
ton of the late William Jennings
Bryan, the late Rev. William Sun
day and the late Senator LaFollette,
the elder. Rev. Mr. Smith, expert in
every detail of the technique Of SPELL
binding, was quick to take notice Of
that introduction. He knows that
one of the most deadly things that
can happen to any speaker TOR to
anybody in any walk of life) is to
be over-recommended He knows that
that picture painted by the intro
ducer becomes in the minds Of the
audience a standard which, uncon-
sciously, they expect the speaker to
live up to. Rev Mr.. Smith, with
ingenious skill, proceeded to Sdle
himself gently out of that hot spot.
He did so by telling story-and he
told it superbly. 1t was the story Of
the widow at the funeral who, in the
midst of the laudatory eulogistic SER
mon, got up and walked over to the
coffin, to make sure it was really her
husband who was in the coffin.
That" said Rev. Mr.. Smith,
illustrates how you make me feel
about the eloquent and exaggerated
introduction I received from our
chairman"
Rev. Mr.. Smith did not really
need to disavow the cha irman's de-
scription. He has much of Bryan,
and the part Of him that IS COM
parable to Bryan is as good as Bryan,
except that he has not Bryan's range
of voice. He is much better at his
art than Rev. Billy Sunday. He has
much of the late elder Senator La
Follett's intensity of passion, and
he has humor, which the late Sena-
tor LaFollette never had. There was
no sign in Mr.. Smiths Press Club
address whether he has the late
Senator LaFollette's familiarity with
statistics, though it seemed to me he
has sufficiently exact mind on the
occasions when exactness Is the effect
he wants to make.
Disregarding comparison with past
worthless, there need be no question
whatever that Rev. Mr.. Smith is
about the hvest wire on the platform
in this campaign. There are three
men who, of course. the public will
want to see and hear just because
they are the presidential candidates,
Mr. Roosevelt, Gov. Landon and
Representative Lemke. But, omitting
these. take all the speechmakers the
Republicans snd Democrats have put
on the boards and all combined will
not. as spellbinders, make one Gerald
Smith. The only spellbinder to COM
Father Coughlin and Rev. Smith are
both going to be for the same party,
the Union Party. OF the two,
Rev. Mr.. Smith and Father Coughlin.
the former is, to me, much the more
attractive, for he has humor, mellow
ness. persuasiveness; he is distinctly
ingratiating, even to persons who
wholly disbelieve in his cause; while,
to me, Father Coughlin seems harsh.
arrogant, didactic. Anyhow, the pair
of them, speaking for the same ticket,
are going to stir up good deal of
emotion.
Roosevelt Main Target.
ne cIIlOIlOIl WHICH rCcEs NAA' O2AA1Al
and Father Coughlin stir up will be
directed mainly against President
Roosevelt. While they jeer at both the
old parties, it is, naturally. on the
President in office that they heap
most Of their objurgations. Mr.. Roose-
velt occupying the presidency Is a
more shining mark than Gov. Landon
running for the office. Besides, against
the President, Father Coughlin and
Rev. Mr.. Smith have bitter animus,
the animus Of those who once were
adherents, but now feel they have been
betrayed. Both Father Coughlin and
Rev. Mr.. Smith helped Mr.. Roosevelt
to the presidency. Both, Father
Coughlin directly and Mr.. Smith
through Huey Long, felt they received
assurances from Mr.. Roosevelt. Both
came to feel the assurances were not
lived up to. Consequently, in this
campaign, Father Coughlin, Rev. Mr..
Smith and the Union party will vehe-
mently attack Mr.. Roosevelt and the
New Deal. They will attack Gov.
Landon, too, but the attacks against
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