Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-10-09
BEHIND
The News
BY Paul
MalIon

Nv AofiILNG lOIN, OCl. j. mere
w died with AL Smith a great
political legend. a great false
legend which now may never
be dispelled.
Politics is funny business.
II etches deep characters for
public men. nearly all of which
are fictitious. Instead of accu-
rate pictures, these popular con-
ceptions of leaders are cartoons.
Instead of character studies,
they become caricatures.
These become so d G p y
burned into public conscience
thought that they live on into
permanent history until. per-
haps, some d e bunker comes
along years or ages hence 10 re-
establish past personages in their
true human elements.
There was II oover. He was
superman when elected. The
general impression at the time
1929 was that Mr. Hoover had
more superior qualifications than
any man who ever had run in
politics. But since 1882, he
has been the world depressor.
WHATEVER caused that great
w debacle beyond the natural
ineptness of man and his natu-
raj ineptness of man and his
natural greed for ever greater
and greater profits on credit. the
common understanding of Al
Smith has been as overdrawn
and distorted as any of the con-
ceptions which make good men
inferior and average men great.
1t leaves him in his grave
rather uncouth East Side New
Yorker, unaware even OF social
amenities, tough-talking street
man who did not know how tc
pronounce radio but called it
"rad-dio." That stigma o. poll
tics he lacked the strength to
destroy in his later years.
AS matter of fact. he was
not only far above. average in
telligence. but a brilliant and
superior governor who could
handle intricate problems of
finance in the budgets or taxa
ton or legal legislation as ex-
pertly or better than any one
who has held that office before
since.
AL SMITH affected what he
"A thought was the language
of the common people. 1t was
the tongue of the common peo-
pie of New York City and no
more important in measuring
intelligence than a southern ac-
cent measures the intelligence
of the South.
With ii and a gayly-waving
brown derby he won continu-
ously among the people who
knew his real inner quality. but
the country did not understand
either his language or his derby.
Their hearts did not warm to
Smith as the voters of all
classes and creeds in New York
had done.
His tactics indelibly stamped
him to them as some one lack
ing taste. II was the tragedy
of his career from which he fell
into an epilogue of bitterness.
How completely popular illu-
sions were turned on him is
illustrated by a cartoon in the
New Yorker in the 1928 cam.
paign. 1t showed rich dowagers
with lorgnettes sitting around a
Long Island estate. saying:
Imagine the Smiths in the
White House,"
This was intended TO scar
with irony the stupidity of high
society. but the country
strangely came to accept the
notion in reverse.
DOLITICS is a funny business.
L Smith and his associates
alone repealed the false corrup-
tive ideal of prohibition. Not
even Bryan moved so many
people so much in speeches on
the stump. No one ever aSsailed
his honesty or integrity. AS a
product of Tammany machine,
he reformed it instead of letting
IL run him in the corrupt old
boss style.
l did not know him we'll per-
sonally. but / knew him we'll
publicly as a reporter, travelling
with and covering him for many
years, and l knew the injustice
of the abuse heaped upon him.
i knew him as superior and a
good man.
The lesson of his life and
death for the people is that they
should look beneath the surface
OF political character-contriv-
ances in making their estimates
of public men. They should
strive to cut through the arti-
fees Of whitewash and crimson.
not only to do greater justice to
their leaders. but to do greater
justice 10 themselves in their
government.
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