COMPLETING PLANS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 239, 6 September 1928, Page 7

COMPLETING PLANS

AMERICAN ELECTIONS. PRESIDENTIAL CONTEST. QUESTION OF PROHIBITION. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Coypright). NEW YORK, Sept. 4. With the summer rapidly drawing to a close, both Presidential candidates, Mr A. L. Smith, Governor of New York, the Democratic nominee, and Mr H. Hoover, the Republican npmineo, and the huge campaign organisations of both parties are completing their plans for an intense effort. Both Mr Smith and Mr Hoover have chartered trains which, interestingly enough, will nroceed in directly opposite directions, the former going west for the invasion of the Hoover strongholds—possibly including California, which is avowedly the most Republican State in the Union—and the latter going cast, ostensibly to storm the industrial areas of America, whore Mr Smith’s appeal is distinctly predominant. The speeches of both will bo broadcast, so that they will virtually reach the whole country every time they make an address. Mr Smith states that he will speak wholly extemporaneously. Mr Hoover’s pronouncements will bo prepared and carefully considered. DEFENSIVE ROLES. Because of the deep cross-currents that are underlying the Presidential contest, the Vice-Presidential candidates are scheduled to play strategically ■defensive roles Senator Robinson, the Democratic candidate, will tour the Southern States, which, despite the fact that they are traditionally Democratic this year, require sonio attention. Senator Robinson will act as a salesman of Mr Smith’s good points, particularly engaging in the interesting venture of reconciling Mr Smith’s avowed intention to enforce prohibition which the promise, if elected, to counsel Congress to modify the prohibition law. Senator Curtis, the Republican candidate, will take for his battlefield the broad flat acres of the groat agricultural Middle West, where the McNaryHaugen agricultural relief measure is the Bible of farm relief.

Mr Hoover is against this measure. Senator Curtis will endeavour to explain the overwhelming superiority of the substitutes Mr Hoover has in mind.

Far and above all other issues prohibition has progressvely. assumed the largest proportions, and promises to absorb popular interest at a rate which will make it .probably the single issuo when the ballots are cast. Prohibition has markedly cut across party lines; in many cases, it will break them. It must be remembered that, although the Presidential campaign may be fought exclusively on this one question, it is not the President who can alter the prohibition law. That is principally in the hands of Congress, and even if Mr Smith is elected Congress can still remain predominantly dry.

Small dry constituencies and wellorganised dry lobbies can assure a dry majority in the Congress, even if the Presidential election should prove to be a prohibition referendum. It is for that reason that an assault has begun upon candidates for Congress. The association _ against prohibition amendment is asking all candidates for Congress to express their views on prohibition, and there is some expectation that because of its pre-eminence the issue may penetrate into every congressional district. TWO NEW ELEMENTS.

An important role may be played by two comparatively new elements in American politics, namely, women and negroes. It is increasingly evident that more women will vote this year than ever before, and the party managers are making shrewd bids for this vote. Women members of traditionally Republican and Democratic families will probably yoto with their husbands, but prohibition is aligning women according to their personal views, as are the personal appeals of candidates. Mr Hoover’s work as food administrator during the war, when lie cooperated with many women, lias given lus managers a basic organisation on which to appeal to the female electorate, and this is being done. One of Mr Smith’s closest advisers is a woman, and she is conducting a campaign in the ranks of women for Mr Smith. . Moreover, the nomination of a negro congressman in St. Louis by the Democrats has led this party to attempt to organise the negro votes in such debatable States as Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri and Maryland. This is an effort to cliango the negroes’ politics, which, if anything, have been Republican since Abraham Lincoln’s days. Twenty of the thirty-five seats of the Senate to bo filled are now occupied by Democrats, thirteen by Republicans, and there aro two vacancies duo to deaths. Ten of the Democratic seats at issuo are in the States, one Senator of which is a Republican. The issue as it is concerns the Senate is not joined. -It is quite conceivable and wholly possible that a Republican President _ may find himself with a Democratic Senate, or vice versa. It has happened before, President Wilson’s second administration being a notable example. The last Senate was Republican by grace only of Senator Shipstead’s vote. He was a farmer Labourite. The Republicans state that it is very necessary that they should control the Senate, since they have in mind a possible special session shortly after the election for the revision of the tariff. They say that only 7000 dollars are all the funds needed for the Senate campaign. Actually it is estimated that the party which will win the Senate will probably spend a, million.