Governor Smith's Speech, New York City, 3 November 1928 in Alfred E. Smith MSS., New York State Library

ALFRED E. SMITH PAPERS, NEW YORK STATE LIBRARY, ALBANY, NY, Folder 8317, Campaign Addresses 1928, Oct. 1 to Nov. 5,

"Governor Smith's Speech at Madison Square Garden, New York City, on Saturday Night, November 3rd, 1928:

p.1 "Under our American system of politics a campaign should be a debate. There could be no other conventions as early as the month of June unless it was contemplated that the candidates would use the time between nomination and election day in an effort to make clear to the people of the country their stand on the great problems that are the subject of platform declaration[s].

"No such debate has been held in this campaign, because the Republican candidate has contented himself with six or seven speeches in which he deals with the problems under discussion in the most general way; and instead of debatinK himself, he has been represented in public discussion by prominent members of his own party who acted as his spokesmen.

"That is exactly what the people of this country desire to I get away from. They have had all they can stand of the spokesman i idea and they want a leader who will talk out plainly and clearly to them, acquainting them with the facts and giving the ordinary man and woman a little more information about the operations of their government in Washington.

"Early in the campaign Chairman Work openly made the statement that the Republican candidate would not be drawn into any controversy with me. Obviously that attitude defEats the I whole purpose of a campaign. A national campaign, in the very nature of things, is a controversy between political partie: (p.2) as to which policies or methods are best calculated to promote the well-being and prosperity of the United States.

"It is hardly fair to the American people for a man who is aspiring to the high office of President to ask them to rely on what somebody else says about the issues. The people of this country, I am sure, would like to have heard directly from 11r. , Hoover because, after all, he is the ca~didate and he is the man who will be charged with the responsibility in the event of his election.

"However, I never ran away from a debate in my life, and I therefore I have had to take them all on.

"Following its old tricks, the Republican party sought at the outset of the campaign -- and is still continu ing -- I~o set up a smoke screen behind which they hope to hide the record of r the last seven and a half years. To perfect the smoke screen they use the time-worn and broken down cry of prosp~rity as though there were some patented formula by which the Rcoublican party alone promotes the prosperitv of this country."