Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-10-19
WAR ON CANDIDATES.
The Cocktail Episodes Has Set Tenn
 peranee People to Work.

peIdllCe 1eOple tO WOAh'
 Washington, Oct 19.-Cocktails are likely to cut almost, if not quite, is important a figure in the approaching national campaign as the tariff. or ganized .'temperance" workers throughout the country have declar- ed war on all candidates who either indulge in the festive drink them selves, or furnish it to others AL ready they have begun ito make it hot" for those candidates who do not conform in their practices to the ideas of the prohibition organizations, and they have the strength to make their influence felt. This influence is due not alone to numerical strength, but in part to that strength aroused by an apprehension in the minds of the candidates that they dare not run counter to the anti-cocktail ele- ment.
 . Curiously. enough, practically every man thus far mentioned as can didate for the presidency by either republicans or. democrats is tenn perance man in the strict acceptance of that word. Not one of them is what ordinarily referred to as drinking man." Some of them some times drink wine or even liquors, but none of them drinks to excess. They are strictly temperate in their drink ing, as they are in their eating.
 Many of them-perhaps a consider able majority-supply wines at for nal dinners and various punches at receptions, not particularly because they desire such things themselves, but because it is custom of the time. President Roosevelt furnishes wines to his guests at the white house, and at his country home; Sag amore hill. Personally, he is very moderate drinker. Sometimes he takes a glass of champagne, which he sips occasionally during a dinner or other social function at which he may be present; but as a. dinner drink he pre- fers a light sauterne, in the proportion of one part of the wine to two parts of some mineral spring water. He rarely, if ever, takes drink of whls- key. although at a recent dinner in St Louis he is said to have evoked applause by drinking part of cock tail, as others drank theirs to a stand ing toast. He not only evoked ap- plause of the dinner guests, but he evoked the wrath of the prohibition ists, who have been giving vent to their shocked feelings ever since.
 Vice President Fairbanks looks upon the wine even less than the president, if that can he possible to one who drinks anything at all. Like the president and other public per sonages, he serves wines at his sOciaI functions. At q recent formal lunch con which he served i'll Indianapolis in honor of President Roosevelt, the caterer served cocktail to each guest. Notwithstanding the fact that neither the president nor the vice president touched his drink. a furOre quite disprOportionatc to the incident was raised by the prohihitionists. They carried the fight into the Metho dist church. of which Mir Fairbanks long has been a prominent and con sistent member. and succeeded in de- feating him as a delegate to the gen eral council of the church. They propose. too. to make the incident the basis for their opposition 10 him as a presidential candidate.
 Secretary Taft. too. is q moderate drinker. as also. are other presiden- tial aspiTants of whatever political party. Secretary CortelyOu probably drinks as little as any man who has been mentioned in connection with the nomination. At notably rare in- tervals he sips part of glass of wine. but he drinks nothing else. He is not hide-bOund about the matter. however. believing that others should do. within moderate limits. as they like.
 Just now the wrath of the prohi- bitiOnists is being directed against Governor Charles r.. Hughes of New York. who. at q dinner given on New York day at the Jamestown expOsi- tion. drank his cocktail like a man. much to the satisfaction Of the other guests who were watching tO sec what he would do He is a thorough believer in temperance. not only in drinking but in aIl things
 The cocktail issue has come to stay. however. and it will br next year a lively question in tho national cam- psign-
 Speaker Cannon knows q good drink when he tastes it and he is not asham- ed of it. although he Is q moderate About the only thing be does to exceSs tS to smoke Thirty o- forty cigars a dsy frequently 20 up in smoke in h5s mouth He enioys a Sfzsr u9-p than snvtffug else.