National Affairs: Off The Sidewalks

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"There is something on the track. There is something standing in the way of a clear-cut statement. ... I will leave it to your imagination, but let me say this, putting it in as mild a way as I can, the Administration in Washington must, to some slight degree, have been in sympathy with the propaganda that was put out through this country by the joint committee [Power Lobby] of the National Electric Light Association."

In Montana. Passing through Wyoming, the Brown Derby was greeted by Republican Governor Frank C. Emerson and gazed at (from a hotel window) by aged Republican Senator Francis E. Warren. Democratic Senator John B. Kendrick was off in the wilds, campaigning.

Thus the Nominee came to Montana, home state of U. S. Senator Thomas. J. Walsh, arch-flayer of things oily and scandalous. He lost one of the brown derbies, a gift to Mrs. George Rathburn of Billings. But he found inspiration from two sources. The first was an early-morning remark of Daughter Emily:

"Father, did you know that a few hours ago we passed almost within the shadow of Teapot Dome?"

"It has a long shadow,* Emily," said the Nominee.

Second of inspirational sources was a recent Hooverism:

"A new generation must begin now to take over responsibility of the party and carry it out."

Upon this inspiration, the Nominee both pondered and acted. At Helena, Mont., he fulminated, thus:

"The record of the last seven and a half years is as well-known to the Republican candidate for President as to any other man in the United States. Nobody will deny that. Mr. Hoover sat in the Cabinet for seven and a half years, yet I search in vain for any word from him of protest, of condemnation or of repudiation of this black chapter in his party's history. On the contrary, in the face of that record, in his speech of acceptance he said:

' 'The record of these seven and one half years constitutes a period of rare courage and leadership and constructive action. Never has a political party been able to look back upon a similar period with more satisfaction.'

"Would Mr. Hoover have the American people believe that in the light of the [oil scandal] disclosures I mentioned there was any rare courage, any leadership or any constructive action?

"Above all things, would he have the American people believe that a political party with that record in office could look upon it with satisfaction?. Does Mr. Hoover want the people to believe that he looks back with satisfaction upon that record? It will not satisfy the American people to have him pass that question on to the chairman of the Republican national committee; nobody can answer that but himself."

^{*So pronounced by Nominee Smith. To some ears, some other
Smith pronunciations are "foist" (first) "poisonally" (personally)
"alcoholic content (alcoholic content) "comparable" (comparable).
Nominee Hoover, as radio listeners have learned, seems to say
"incomparable," "prerequisite," "pardner," "ammilerate" (ameliorate).
*Robert Latham Owen, onetime (1907-25) Senator, Smith bolter
(TIME, Aug. 6).

†John William Davis last week contributed a "portrait" of Alfred Emanuel
Smith to the New York World. Excerpts:}