Women and Automobiles

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 507, 9 November 1928, Page 9

Women and Automobiles

WHY SMITH WAS DEFEATED

“Riding to Power on Keg of Beer”

WOMEN and automobiles,” are the two reasons given by an independent paper for Governor Al. Smith’s defeat in the Presidential election. “He will go down in history as the man who wrecked the Democratic Party,” it says.

(United P.A. By Telegraph Copyrightl (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) (United Service) Reed. 10.45 a.m. NEW YORK, Thurs. The Denver “Post,” whose politics are . Independent, has a unique explanation for the election result. “American people have spoken. Prohibition is here to stay, and woe betide the candidate or party who attempts to nullify or repeal it. “Women and automobiles are the two explanations of the crushing defeat administered to Al. Smith. He will go down to history as the man who wrecked the Democratic Party. “Never again will any great political party dare try to ride into power on a beer keg, or a whisky bottle.” The Arkansas “Gazette” says: "The greatest reason for the regretting result of the balloting is that religious freedom has been called into question in a land founded upon the principle of religious freedom.” It is reported in banking circles that within 10 days Al. Smith will be offered the chairmanship of the board of directors of a newly projected Wall Street bank, which will have a capital of £11,000,000, the largest with which any bank has been organised in the United States. Mr. John Raskob, Mr. Smith’s campaign manager, will probably also be connected with the bank. He is not to return to General Motors. COMPETENT PRESIDENT ENGLISH PRESS OPINIONS (Australiati and N.Z. Press Association) (United Service) LONDON, Wednesday. All the English newspapers devote editorial articles to the United States Presidential election. The “Morning Post” says: “We do not expect a change in America’s policy toward Europe. As for the League of Nations, it is rumoured that Mr. Hoover is touched with the Wilsonian doctrine, but is not likely to try a fall with the Republican members of the Senate. “Now that the election is over, we trust Britain will no longer be accused of deep, dark designs against the security of the United States.” The “Daily Telegraph” says: “The Republican Party appealed for a re uewal of confidence on the broad ground that the United States, under the Republican regime, had enjoyed unexampled prosperity. In Mr. Hoover Americans undoubtedly will have a competent President. He is remembered with gratitude in Europe lor his services in relieving destitution during and after the war.” The “Financial News” describes Mr. Hoover as the only President who had become widely conversant with the world through his own travels before he was chosen. Mr. Hoover is credited with exceptional capacity for understanding the complications of modern industrial and commercial problems. The “Daily Chronicle” says: Though Mr. Hoover based his appeal on the ground that the completely prosperous country had better not change its Government, he is not the man to sit idle and refrain from initiating new courses. So far as foreign affairs are concerned, he has solid knowledge and personal experience beyond those of all previous Presidents. Perhaps nothing matters more than that. The “Daily Express” says: With a united party behind him and millions of women anxious to register their votes against drink, against the Roman Catholics, and against the Bowery, Mr. Hoover was on velvet from the start. Mr. Smith made a dramatic and forceful fight. He might have won a country like England, tolerant, distrustful of extremes, and with few sectarian prejudices. We congratulate Mr. Hoover, who has first-hand knowledge of European affairs such as no previous President has equalled. This is some guarantee that he will approach world politics at least with a semi-international mind. The “Daily Herald” says: Why should the average American defeat the Republican Government and elect a Democrat one? The difference between them is negligible. The false party system prevented the development on genuine lines of a cleavage. If, as is not improbable, the election destroys the Democrat Party, it will permit real economic and social issues to assert themselves. This will result In a struggle about things that matter, which will be the first step toward a Socialist Government in the United States. STRATEGIC VICTORY ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE MAJORITY (United Service) NEW YORK, Thursday. It will be weeks before the ultimate total of the popular votes cast in the Presidential election yesterday will be known. However, it seems to be indicated that Mr. Al. Smith, the defeated Democrat candidate, received 14,000,000 and Herbert Hoover, the successful Republican nominee, 21,000,000. Under the American electoral system the party which gains the popular majority in each State secures for its candidate the whole electoral college vote of that State. The Republicans’ victory was amazingly strategic, permitting Hoover to secure 444 electoral college votes against Smith’s 87. In spite of Smith’s large popular vote he obtained fewer electoral college votes than any Democrat Presidential nominee in history. The latest definite returns show that i Smith lost the following States which | voted Democrat at the last Presiden- j tial election in 1924: Florida, North I Carolina. Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas j and Virginia.

By winning Massachusetts and Rhode Island, however, Smith secured two States which voted Republican in 1924. His victory in these two States merits examination. They are suffering from depression in the textile manufacturing industry. They have large Roman Catholic populations. and their cities are notedly “wet” in sentiment. SOLEMN RESPONSIBILITY HOOVER REVIEWS HIS WIN (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) NEW YORK, Thursday. The President-elect, Mr. Herbert Hoover, in an interview to-day at his home in Palo Alto, California, said the result of the election was a vindication of great issues and a determination of the ti'ue road to progress. He appealed for the co-operation of all the country’s leaders as the only way to enable him to succeed in the oflice of President. Mr. Hoover said he could not adequately express his gratitude for the overwhelming confidence of the people. The Republican Party again had been entrusted with a great responsibility. In this hour there could be no feeling of victory or of exultation. Rather it imposed a test of solemn responsibility and of complete dependence upon Divine guidance. The President-elect will probably remain in California for a month resting. He will deliver no public addresses. Any report as to the selection of the personnel of his Cabinet at this time was, he said, based on theory rather than on fact. DOUBTFUL AND DARK DEMOCRATS’ FUTURE (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) NEW YORK, Wednesday. From the wealth of editorial comment explaining Mr. Smith's defeat a leader in the “Register," published at Wheeling, West Virginia, is one of the most interesting. It says: “Mr. Hoover’s smashing victory shows that the country is opposed to having a Roman Catholic as President, and favours Prohibition, as if no other issues counted. “With a wedge driven deep into the heretofore impregnable South, the future of the Democrat Party is both doubtful and dark. The farmers of the West are too deeply imbued with Republicanism to give any hope of agrarian strength. The East is too self-sufficient to bother with minority parties or the possibility of a Republican Party split. “A new party, new issues, new principles constitute the outstanding hope of the dissatisfied element in the population.” A dispatch from Washington to the New York “Times” says: “The consensus of opinion in Washington seems to be that Mr. Smith’s crushing defeat assures the maintenance of Prohibition as a national policy for many years to come. This at least Is the view expressed by the leaders of the “dry” groups, and it is shared to some extent by some of the administration officials in their private discussions of the lessons taught by yesterday’s election.” N.Z, ALLIANCE REJOICES (Special to THE SUN) WELLINGTON, To-day. At a meeting yesterday, the Standing Committee of the New Zealand Alliance resolved to send the following congratulatory cablegram to Mr. Herbert Hoover: “The New Zealand Alliance sends heartiest congratulation on your election as President. We rejoice that the citizens of America have demonstrated their confidence, both in you and in the Prohibition policy, which you have determined to sustain and enforce.”