Races

Jews. Almost as a retort to recent racial increments of the Smith following (see p. 8), announcement was made last week that Herbert N. Straus, secretary & treasurer of R. H. Macy & Co. (Manhattan department store), would be Republican treasurer for New York State. At the Kansas City convention, Mr. Straus offered to bet large sums at 2 to i that Hoover would carry, not merely New York State, but New York City itself against Smith. His first public stroke in his new office was to write letters to 3,600 golf clubs and ask them to close for a few hours on election day.

Italians. Another racial question was raised last week when a Dr. Charles Fama of the Bronx, N. Y., promulgated the prophecy that 90% of the country's Italian-American vote would be pro-Hoover. The reason, according to Dr. Fama, was that Italians have been taught to favor "separation of church and state." Dr. Fama charged that secret orders were coming from Italy instructing U. S. Fascists to vote for Smith. Such orders, he said, would be indignantly disobeyed.

Germans. Even higher--95%--was an estimate placed upon the pro-Hoover vote forthcoming from German-Americans. The estimaters were a delegation, mostly Chicagoans, who had been chosen by a recent German-American conference in Manhattan to wait upon Spokesman Hubert Work. They said they represented the German-Americans of New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin.

Hoover headquarters lacked specific knowledge of what outstanding German-American individuals or families--such as the Busches, Pabsts, Ehrets, Vogels--favored the Beaver Man. There were several reasons to suppose that 95% was an extravagant figure to quote in this question. President Hans A. Koenig of the Milwaukee Steuben Society said: "Nothing could be more ridiculous than such statements. The sentiment of the German-Americans of Wisconsin is overwhelmingly for Governor Smith."

Secretary Charles Wolfram of the Steuben Society of America denied that any significant conference of German-Americans had been held. A poll of local sentiment was being taken, he said, and would be summarized at the Society's national convention in September.

Traditionally, Germans cherish beer and Hooverism is not beery. Supposedly, they still dislike the Hoover who interfered with Germany's War measures in Belgium.

Counterbalancing, is a belief, cherished by some branches of the Hoover family that Andrew Hoover, Maryland Quaker, progenitor of the family in the U. S. and the Nominee's great-great-great-grandfather, came to this country in 1740 or before, not from Holland as some have said but direct from Germany. He signed his name Andreas Huber at first. He spoke "high" German. He is thought to have become a Quaker after his arrival in the U.S.