The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-06-27
Stopping" Candidates ChronicWith
 TAI" Smith
BY RODNEY BUTCHER The Democrat Washington Corr
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 Philadelphia, June N.-Perhaps there are further chapters in the saga of Al Smith. At the moment however, 1t appears that the end has been written in Philadelphia by the party whose standard he once bore 50 proudly.
 It is Q sad tale, because 1t winds up in an atmosphere of hate. The rancor in Al Smiths soul toward Franklin D. Roosevelt has been obvious for Q long time. The req sons for that also seemed to be plain.
 What was much more astonish- ing was the wave of venom to- ward Smith which swept the bulk of delegates and officials at the democratic national convention.
 They seemed to have doubled and then redoubled their resent ment against the man who eight years ago led them in gallant but hopeless battle against reli- gious prejudice and old-fashioned conservatism.
 The telegram from Smith and four other anti-New Deal demo- crats, demanding defeat of Roose- welt here, bounced and fell, like a soggy bread-pellet against res- taurant wall, before a chorus of scoffing and scorn.
 NOT A VOICE WAS RAISED IN ITS FAVOR.
 Bitter Against Al
 The extreme bitterness toward Smith comes largely from two groups:
 1.-The liberals, of varying shades of political idealism, who once regarded Smith as a white hope of progressivism and swarmed behind him in emotional
 heat, now just as emotional against him, because he not only has deserted them for the con- servatives, but also seeks to de- stroy their new white hope, Roosevelt.
 2-The practical-minded group, politicians and office-holders, which considers Smith a turncoat who, after being given all the honors party could bestow, is now perfectly willing to tip over the feed-box and all the feeders threat to work off personal grudge. This group includes some southern democrats who risked their political lives for Smith in 1928.
 And of course there's continual comment, often heard among other Irishmen, to the effect that Smith, poor boy from the side- walks of New York, has shaken off the background which made him such @ romantic and appealing figure to stooge in 8 high hat for the wealthy Liberty Leaguers. Held Boost for Roosevelt
 The general attitude of hostility was not unanimous here, of course. Various politicians just as conser- vative as Smith, including some southern senators, privately admit ted that they felt much as Al did about Roosevelt and the New Deal, although expediency prevented them from admitting 1t.
 But the top party strateglsts inc slstde-slncerely, if Q moderately experienced reporter can judge that ATS denunclatlOns did the Roosevelt cause more good than harm and actually, because of the change In popular reaction to Al, meant more Democratic votes.
 If any realization of this comes to Smith, who was once the be- loved idol of great masses in his party, the cup of gall must be sour.
 Political observers agree that Smiths Liberty League dinner speech was the big break of the year for Roosevelt; that to 1t dates back the turn in previous popular trend away from Roosevelt: and that the time and the circumstances definitely wrecked the prestige and influence of the Liberty League to the point that politicians shun con- nection with 1t.
 Long in "StOp" Business
 Roosevelt may be stopped, but Smiths part in 1t will be minor. His influence within his own party probably was never less, for the conservative Democrats who take a walk with him would do so regard less of Al.
 It isn't generally realized that Smith, now engaged probably in his last effort to block Q presi- dential candidate. has been almost chronically engaged In the "st0p" business from nearly the begin- ming of his career.
 an 1912 Smith was Democratic leader in the New York assem- ply, allied with the reactionary Tammany forces which tried to kill off the two great Democratic liberal leaders, Woodrow Wilson and William Jennings Bryan.
 In 1920 he was spearhead in Tammany's successful effort to block William G. McAdoo, then considered the outstanding liberal in the Democratic race.
 Smith was the favorite son can- didate of the New York delegation and although he boiled 109 votes on one ballot at that convention, he never at any time supposed he could win.
 The bosses behind him finally threw his vote to Cox.
 
 Helped Block McAdOO
 Smith showed great prcwess on his own as New York's governor, but the famous 1924 convention found him at the head of the Stop McAd0o" group.
 Here again the banks, railroads, and other big corporations lined up with the eastern bosses to beat Me- Adoo. Although the wet-dry and religious issue furnished most of the bitterness, progressivism clashed with conservatism and the "inter-