Evening journal., 1915-04-08
DRY" Democrats
WOULD CRAB PARTY
Bryan PlaDS TO Capture Next
Convention and Force
Prohibition Issue
HOPE TO WIN
WILSON TO CAUSE
BY JOHN EDWIN NEYIN
United Press Stafr Correspondent


WASHINGTON, April S.---Tlie anti
liquor forces expect to capture the
Democratic national committee I'M
mediatcly after the next Democratic
convention. Secretary OF State
Siyan's declaration that all national
committeeman shall be ant-liquOr
men was accepted IN political circles
today as the opening gun in the vets
and the drys battle for the national
Democracy. Dry advocates freely
claimed that President Wilson Will
be compelled to take a positive posi-
tion on this question as soon as Con-
gress reconyencs, It not smoked out
sooner.
The President has refused thus far
TO discuss the liquor question. Al the
| White House today il was said he
would not comment on the letter
| Bryan sent to l.. w. NenningtOn, of
4 the Iowa state committee. declaring
( that whoever is chosen az successor
TO Judge Martin j. Wade as Iowa
national committeeman should b@ an
anti-hquor man. II was stated. how
ever, that there was no reason TO
! believe the President had changed his
mind since writing gs governor OF
/ New Jersey in answer TO a request
to define his position on the local
option question. that he considered
| tho liquor problem moral question
which should be decided for each
community as il thought best, declin-
/ ing TO admit that IL was political
problem of the sort to be dealt with in
party platform.
tIt "A O. u
that the President couples woman's SUI
frage and prohibition in his mind. llo
has declared hc believes suffrage a qucs.
tion for each State TO decide for itself
and while favoring the general principle
does -, believe the Federal government
should settle it, ln the ease of prohi.
bition. those closest to him hclic,e he
likewise believes each state should dc.
eide for itself
The drys are planning TO force him 10
take concrete position on prohibition
Two of his cabinet are aYowed prohibi-
tiouists. though both insist it will not
be an issue in the next campaign They
arc Secretaries Bryan and Danicls. The
drys declare both will stump against
liquor domination in several States
Daniels today, in endorsing Bryan''
views, said he considered that ''lik,
woman's suffrage. it is a state and not
a national issue.'
The drys' plan, as outlined here to
day. is as follows;
In States where the liquor inter
csts essay to control the Democratic
organizatian wet and dry issue will
be raised prior to the election OF dele
gates to the national convention
Where the national committecman is
: elected by primary vote. an avowet
dry candidate will he nominated and
: supported This will be true espcc-
tally in the Middle West. Where tho
delegates to the national convention
elect, efforts will be made for a dry
majority. that a dry national commit
toeman may be chosen
The drys already feel confident ol
dry national committeeman from
Il most of the Southern States. The big
. fight will be in Ohio. Indiana, Illinois
Iowa. Nebraska. the Dakotas and pos
sibly Pennsylvania. Bryan is expec'
ted to take the stump in such States
as have advisory primaries. II is eX-
pected he will make an especial drive
against Indiana and Illinois, cohiroll-
~ Gu lCrDttllNNlN VN lbhA aH-olN hhN
Roger Sullivan.
With the national committee dry
the anti-liquor Democrats feel conf
. cent they could write prohibition
plank into the 1920 national platform
swallowing the Prohibition party.
Wet leaders admit that they believe
this is the program, and say every
, thing possible will be done to defea
. IT,
Bryan refused point-blank TO out
c line his plans today. He said tha
wherever the liquor question was Al
r issue he believed the national coln
= mittceman should represent the ma
7 jority; in general he considered tina
p the majority was dry. Asked spcci
x hCally about Ohio and Indiana, h
S said
Il will discuss each State only Al
IL il comes up