The Washington herald., 1914-07-28
Texas Turns to Real Issues.

Texas has followed Alabama in dropping political
fads. Thomas H. Ball is one of the big Democrats
in Texas, and he had the support of the President
Secretary Bryan, Postmaster General BurIeson, and
all the Democratic organizations in Texas in his cam
paign for governor. But he was beaten at the Dem.
ocratic primaries last Saturday by a man who had
been in politics. who had never been candidate
for anything, is only a country banker, and few
weeks ago was unknown outside his own neighbor-
hood
1t looks ike political turn over in Texas, and
it probably is, but only partisan Republican would
go far as to see in the defeat of the administration
candidate vote against President Wilson and re-
pudiation of his policies by the Democrats of Texas
The Democratic explanation is that the friends of
Ball continued to hold to a political fad after it
had run its course.
Senator Sheppard owes his seat in the United
States Senate to prohibition and he is the apostle
and prophet of that fad in the Senate as Capt Hobson
is in the House. But Alabama led the way and Texas
followed in dropping the fad to take up legitimate
political issues Alabama repudiated Hobson to stand
by Oscar Underwood, the Democratic leader who
stands squarely Democratic doctrines in appealing
to Democrats, and who represents what has been the
Democratic economic policy for several generations.
Thomas H. Ball is not like Capt. Hobson, a man
with only fad for an issue. He is big in brain and
Drawn, is known all the country as one of the
able and popular leaders of Texas, but he was
forced upon prohibition platform by those who had
witnessed the success of Senator Sheppard and who
believed that the hysteria was still prevalent in the
Lone Star State. They were mistaken Mr.. Balls
brilliant record in Congress- the support of the ad-
ministration his reputation as a great lawyer and
successful business man. and his personal popularity
were not enough to save him from overwhelming
defeat by unknown country banker. because he
handicapped with the same hysteria which Under
wood had cured in Alabama.
Mr.. Ferguson, the successful candidate expressed
the opinion that Texas had had too much discussion
of the liquor question, that too much talk about
liquor was almost bad as too much liquor, that
the agitation about prohibition had side tracked all
real political issues and prevented the Democratic
party from settling a number of grave questions in
which the people seriously interested and which
must be settled to insure the prosperity and tran
quiity of the State. He would have none of it He
would leave to individual citizens all questions of
purity morals and religion and to the various COM
munities the regulation of the liquor traffic but he
was opposed to dragging it into State and national
campaigns because incorporate agitation of the tenn
perance question could help settle the land ques
tion which is live issue in Texas, or the question
of taxation and the intelligent administration of the
affairs of more than four millions of busy people
The Democrats of Texas seem to have agreed
with Mr. Ferguson, and decided to drop hysteria and
get down to business. Texas is now the fifth State
in the Union in population, ranking along with New
York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois. 1t has passed
the calow state Immigration has poured into Texas
from the North and West and with millions of acres
of rich land to make it the agricultural empire of
the world, with oil and gas to build up great indus
tries, with great cities and big commercial enter
prises the people have something to think about other
than grand-stand agitation to make the whole world
sober by law. So Thomas H. Ball, with the support
of the administration and all the politicians of Texas
was defeated because the plain people of Texas
decided to conhne politics political affairs and
leave the liquor traffic to be regulated by local COM
munities in. harmony with the majority will.
1t is sad reminder to Senator Sheppard that the
glories he has the infant prohibition prodigy
have departed in Texas but he is still young and agile
enough to grab firm hold of the tai-gate of the
Ferguson business band wagon, and turn his elo-
quence to pctring the real glores of the Lone Star
State, and his prophecy to the time when it viii