AMERICA TO-DAY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 287, 4 September 1928, Page 8

AMERICA TO-DAY

AN AVERAGE CITIZEN’S VIEWPOINT In a recent letter to a school teacher cousin iu Chicago, a well-known M ellingtou resident made some jocular references to America—its social life, presidential election campaign, and prohibition activities —based on cablegrams published in New Zealand papers. The letter in question provoked a serious reply, which is reproduced, in part, as giving an average Chicago citizen's viewpoint. The writer says: —"I am neither sufficiently informed nor sufficiently partisan to adequately define our political situation, but both Hoover and Smith are regarded as being qualified; they have iiad considerable experience in the management of public affairs — Smith was Governor of New York State for a period which covers my actual political memory, and Hoover was head of the Bureau of Food Conservation during the war, and as a member of the Coolidge Cabinet. Although Smith is supported by one of the strongest and perhaps one of the most corrupt political machines—Tammany Hall—lie has a large liberal following because he is almost a symbol of the New Americanism—an un-Anglo-Saxon American. Surely the present American is not Anglo-Saxon; they are in the smallest minority. Most of the old families have died out or are near extinction. However, our tradition in Presidents Ims remained Protestant and Anglo-Saxon, or, as the greatest deviation, Scotch-Irish. Over 90 per cent, of the Jewish vote is proSmitli, also the Jewish financial support, which is never- to be scorned. They see in an Irish-Catholic President the possibility of a Jewish President. Perhaps the Jews represent the strongst racial unity in this campaign, although there is considerable solidarity among the Italians and Slavs. The German a- 1 Swedish vote is questionable. “We are concerned with questions of prohibition—a most amusing farce — farm relief, which the Republican Party has failed to aid, tariff, etc. I bad better not expose my meagre knowledge on these points.” Referring to Chicago in particular, because of a reference to gangsters in the letter from New Zealand,, the writer says :—“I stopped teaching over a year ago and since that time I have had a position as a sort of social service adviser in the public schools. My schools all lie in the poorer districts—perhaps our slum conditions are not as bad as they are in much smaller European cities, but they are far from desirable, and are being improved. Two of my schools are in the very heart of gangland, and among my choice acquaintances are some very notorious gangsters. I have never lieard or seen any ‘fireworks’ while in this district, although some have taken place, but I am sure not as many as an outsider is led to believe. Please don’t expect a beer war with Cadillac machine-guns, because we should find it difficult to provide this thrill.”