Evening star., 1944-10-04
1928 Standard Bearer
Broke With Roosevelt
And Took Walk in So
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years later when Nathan L. Mile
was elected to the governorship bu
MIR. Smith came back in 1922 ant
beat Mr.. Miller.
His other gubernatorial victorie
were over the late Brig. Gen. Theo
dore Roosevelt. jr., in 1924 and Og
den L. Mills in 1926.
AS the Democratic presidential
nominee in 1928, he made his 21s
and last campaign for public Office
After his defeat he accepted tht
presidency of the Empire State
Building Corp and later branchee
out into business life as director
on dozen or more boards.
MIR. Smith made the first impor-
tant use of radio as a political cam
paign medium IN 1928 when he
toured the country. Such phrases
as "lets look at the record" and pro-
nouncing the word radio as "raddio,
were outstanding.
Solid South Broken.
Although Mr.. Smith was greeted
by great popular demonstrations
Mr.. Hoover received 81 ,392, 100 votes
to his 15,0l6,443 For the first time
in presidential election since the
Civil War, the Democratic solid
South" was broken, four States going
to Mr.. Hoover.
Mr.. Smith was active all his life
in Catholic church affairs. On his
10th birthday anniversary Pope Plus
XII sent him an, apostolic benedic-
tion and said he wished to afford
MIR. Smith IAN expression of pro-
found appreciation of the outstand-
ing example of Catholicity which
you never failed to give in all your
appearances in public life"
Despite his enormous popularity
with many elements of the popula-
tion, Mr.. Smith made notable po-
litical enemies. His feud with Will
liam Randolph Hearst, the pub
Usher. was the sensation of the
years following the World War, and
the strife between Mr.. Smith and
William Gibbs McAdoo had far
reaching TepeTCuSSlOllS.
Mr.. Smith and Mr.. McAdoo were
deadlocked for SO ballots at the
Democrats 1924 national convention
in Madison Square Garden, New
York. where the presidential nomi-
nation finally went to John w.
Davis.
1t was Mr.. McAdoo who engineered
the switch of delegates that achieved
Mr.. Roosevelt's nomination at Chi
cago in 1882, when Mr.. Smith was
the candidate of stop Roosevelt"
faction. Coomess between Mr.. Smith
and Mr.. Roosevelt resulted, but
when the two met at the height of
the campaign:
Hello, old potato" Mr.. Smith was
quoted as saying.
How are you, Alp" was the fu-
ture Presidents response, and they
clasped hands.
Mr.. Smiths old enemy, Mr.. Hearst,
suggested in 1885 that the Happy
Warrior would be powerful presi-
dental candidate the next year ION
the genuine Jeffersonian Democratic
ticket" Mr.. Smith took no public
notice of the suggestion.
Up From the Streets.
Mr.. Smith rose to the high place
he attained in his native State and
in the Nation by his own initiative
and through opportunities that were
largely of his own making. He had
little or no formal education, having
to earn his way on the streets of
New York from the age of IL, when
his father, drayman on the lower
East Side, died.
- 1t was at 22-in 1895-that he
stumbled into politics through ap-
pointment as clerk and subpoena
server for the commissioner of
jurors. A popular young man in his
neighborhood-the old first as
sembly district-Mr. Smith caught
the eye of Tom Foley, Tammany
leader, and there began a friend
ship that was to carry Mr.. Smith
far and to last until Mr.. Foley
died in 1924
In 1908, at Mr.. Foley's desire, MI.
Smith was nominated as Assembly
man from his district. He served IL
years in the Lower House of the
State Legislature at Albany, becom-
ing Democratic leader in 1911 and
Speaker in 1913. In later life he
characterized his years in the As
sembly as my high school and my
college"
He was one of the outstanding fig
ures in the State constitutional con-
vention in 1915, and the same year
was elected sheriff of New York
County.
Ineligible by law to succeed him
as sheriff, Tammany Hall put him
up as a candidate for president of
the Board of Aldermen-Mr Smiths
first political venture beyond Man
haitian He polled tremendous vote
in the city-wide election in dll the
five boroughs of Greater New Yots
Announcing his retirement from
public life after his defeat for Gov
ernor in 1920, Mr.. Smith became
chairman of the Board of Directors
of the United States Trucking Corp.
In the ensuing two years, however
he was drawn again into politics
when William Randolph Hearst be-
ban exerting a powerful influence
over New York State democracy
and announced his intention of
being a candidate for Governor
BY 1922 party leaders were ready
to patch up their differences with
Mr.. Hearst, but Mr.. Smith would
have none of it. Spurning offers to
run with Mr.. Hearst as the Demo-
cratic candidate for the Senate-of
to let Mr.. Hearst have the Senate
and he run for Governor-Mr.
Smith announced himself candi-
date for Governor and opposed Mr.
Hearst for any place at all on the
ticket.
Mr. Smith dominated the State
Democratic Convention and, when
Mr.. Hearst's candidacy collapsed, he
dominated the nominations, too. He
compromised to the extent of agree
ing upon one of Mr.. Hearst's lieu
tenants, DR.. Royal S. Copeland