The Bismarck Tribune

By D. Harold Oliver
(Associated Press Staff Writer)

Albany. N. Y., Aug. 21.-(AP)-

Democratic legions swarming into Albany from all sections of the nation to see their new leader officially notified of his presidential nomination tomorrow night, today found Governor Smith calmly waiting his hour of triumph as well as the reaction to his sweeping counter thrust at critics of his long record in the New York legislature.

Clearing his desk for the momentous event, the governor made public a detailed reply to William Allen White's charges that he favored the saloon and was lenient towards gambling and prostitution in his votes on a long list of bills while an assemblyman-an answer which he said must be considered final.

Declaring his legislative record "as an opponent of immorality is fixed and secure," and that he was satisfied the people of New York state did not concur in the "slanderous attack," the nominee assailed the Republican National committee for "openly associating itself" with a matter he regarded as personal.

Raps White, Straton
He aimed the rejoinder principally at the Kansas editor. but he intended it to apply to his other critics, including Dr. John Roach Straton, New York Baptist minister. who has charged the governor with being the greatest foe of the forces of moral progress in the country today.

After taking up each bill covered by White, the nominee denounced the whole thing as "unfair, unmanly and un-American," and added "I have the satisfaction, however of knowing that it is not concurred in by the people of my own state who have year after year expressed confidence in me, notwithstanding that a large part of this matter herein referred to was laid before them in the past by agents of my political enemies."

He said he was "glad to have this matter out of the whispering stage and put in the open." He regarded it as "purely political," and said "when the campaign begins I do not propose to have the issue of that campaign befogged by controversy over irrelevant things, such as the discussion of my votes as a legislator some 20 or more years ago."

Criticizes Allen
"No one in all of the 25 years of my public life has ever dared to make the vile suggestions which emanated from Mr. White," with the approval of Henry J. Allen, publicity director of the Republican National committee the reply continued. Then, referring to White's cablegram from Europe denying he had "retracted" his charges as to gambling and commercialized vice and which Governor Smith said was given to the newspapers by the committee as an "official release," it went on:

Tackling first White's charges dealing with liquor measures, Gov. Smith said there had been "a deliberate attempt" to show that "my votes dealt with a far greater number of so-called liquor bills than in fact they did." that the intent of many had been misrepresented. and that almost invariably Republican leaders had voted as he did on them.

As to commercialized vice, the governor took up his vote against a bill introduced first in 1919 and which proposed to regulate the renting of rooms in hotels, this measure, he contended, was "unquestionably unconstitutional and unworkable."

All of the gambling measures referred to by White had to do with race track betting, the governor said, explaining that he had voted with Governor Hughes against them, but later, at a special session, voted "the other way" as a protest against the "unjustified action of the governor in calling the legislature back into extraordinary session after the matter had been fully thrashed out and disposed of at the regular session."