Sadly, but without rancor, we concede the fact that Hoover won and Smith lost in the Presidential race.

From a Hungarian point of view, this Presidential election was a lesson. We wished to jolt the laboring class of Hungarians out of their lethargic indifference, into which it has been sunk for the past few years.

We tried to turn their attention to the American problems, which have such a decisive influence in our daily lives.

We were personally convinced that the Hungarians were thoroughly aroused by this Presidential race. And, today we are confronted with facts, not guesswork.

We know the wishes of the American citizens, the voters' verdict. We feel it our duty to analyze this verdict--to explain this victory and defeat.

Three fateful factors were instrumental in Hoover's victory in the Presidential race by such an overwhelming plurality.

First, religion.

The United States is a Protestant country. The majority of the population was influenced by the propaganda against the Catholic Smith to such an extent that other good qualities of his were dimmed in their eyes.

For example, one of the points in the anti-Smith propaganda was that if Smith would be elected, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church--the political power of the Pope--would be so great in the United States that 3all marriages not blessed by the Catholic Church would be declared illegal.

For centuries the Catholic Church has declared that all Protestants and Jews are apostates. This was recalled to their memories now.

The first settlers here came from European countries where they had been persecuted because of religion. The story of these persecutions has been handed down through generations, and now Al Smith has to suffer for what the Spanish and French Roman Catholic Church did in the Middle Ages and later.

Every argument or convincing proof collapsed every time the religious feelings of the American people were put to a test, that is, every time progressive Protestantism and the son of conservative Catholicism were put on the scales.

For millions of people--good staunch Democrats--the outcome of the Presidential election was a foregone conclusion when Smith was nominated.....

The second important factor was Prohibition.

Besides the influence of the Church, the women voters had a great role in this question, and through them Hoover received millions of votes.

We, the residents of large cities, deplore Prohibition and the violations in connection with it. But America is not composed of large cities only.

The people of small towns and villages accept the Church's advice on this question and disapprove of beer and whiskey.

Undoubtedly, the women are afraid of a return to pre-Prohibition days.

Women, especially mothers, are the ones who suffer the most when a father or son squanders his wages on liquor. Besides, quarrels are more frequent when men are intoxicated.

Women remember from personal experience the time when husbands spent their whole salary on drinks and came home drunk, spoiling the week-end for their families.

Millions of women [voted for Hoover] because of their personal sad experiences during the pre-Prohibition era; other millions because of the influence of the Anti-Saloon League's propaganda, and still other millions because of the influence of the Church, which, advocating Prohibition, rallied around Hoover, under whose administration Prohibition would be strictly enforced. They were afraid of Smith's regime because they imagined that he would bring back the drinking debaucheries of the pre-Prohibition era.

The third reason why Hoover won the Presidential election is a political delusion--prosperity, an election slogan, an American trick. They promised good times and plenty of work under the Republican administration.

This plank in the platform was used to bring pressure on the materialistic-minded ignorant people, who are terribly afraid of unemployment.

We are positive that Hoover, as an economic expert, knows that the election of Smith would not have created panic or unemployment.

The natural resources of the United States, coupled with its geographical location, the development of its industry, and the genius of its financial leaders, insure prosperity for future generations. The normal fluctuation, the intervals of economic retrogression, cannot be stopped by Hoover or any of the Republican campaigners.

This victory convinces us that it is not we Hungarians alone who need political enlightenment; the Americans need it, too, especially those who follow their instincts, traditional legends, and illogical ideas.....