The Washington herald., 1918-07-29

Boston Tea Party's raid are known
everywhere. Of course, but the details
Of the new Boston ''T' party's at
tacks-the Temperance party-are yei
to be worked out
Which means that dignifed but al
ways liberal old Plymouth State is
worked up to a fever heat over the
| prohibition matter. and while this city
does not share the feeling with the
same intensity that the rural sections
do, the Indication is that something
will happen this fall nodded largely
by the prohibition sentiment
Politicians view the prohibition mat
ter with fear. the people view it with
seeming approval and the prohibition
lists themselves view 1t with delight.
For they have been hammering away
at 1t so long with no tangible evil
dences of real advancement that the
sudden victory, brought on them by
the war, makes II seem too good to
be true. Political leaders who want
to hold the wet brigade in line natur-
ally lean against the President. and
are offering great amounts OF quota
tions from P. NJ. G. Burleson and Mr..
Colby and others Of the administra-
tion family to show that the White
House is not friendly to the prohibi-
tion proposal at this time.
The people, however, do not care to
be put of. Even those who have hith-
erto leaned toward the wet cause-but
never as its directors-admit the force
OF the prohibition argument, and de-
clare that a stoppage Of the traffic
at this time is unquestionably to be
seriously considered, and might also
serve the purpose Of giving a trial to
prohibition in those communities where
the contention always has been" that
1t could not be successfully enforced
Point to Maine.
Thoser who think of prohibition
without that prejudice bred in most
of its most ardent proponents natur-
ally 20 to Maine for examples of en-
forcement-or rather lack Of 1t. They
have become weakened when they
thought of the tremendous load of
law and order that must be brought
onto the communities to enforce pro-
hibition, but they have straightway
admitted, when the record OF some
other States Of the Union was shown
to them, that 1t Is entirely possible
to have sane and eminently safe en-
forcement without entailing too much
expense and without bringing any
communities into overwhelming dis
repute.
To state the actual fact Of a great
deal of the public sentiment here.
however, one must admit that a
compromise would be. favored IL II
could be effected between the wets
and drys of the State allowing the
moderate sale of beers and light
wines without involving the prostitu-
ton of any of our food resources.
There are some of the drys-that Is,
the wartime drys-who would favor
this, and there are multitudes of the
so-called vets who would be ready
to favor 1T. The fact that ratiicais
on both sides stand out against this,
however, leads to a vain hope in this
connection, 1t Is believed The fight
has gone too far the nation over to
permit now ,of such a compromise.
Had this taken place. years ago the
prohibition CRUSADE would probably
have not been as strong as 1T is now.
Certainly the evils which have
brought on the prohibition affair
would not have been so pronounced,
and the drys would not then have
had recourse to many OF the forceful
arguments they make against the wet
condition.
The legislature of this great Com
monwealth ratified the Federal pro-
hibition amendment which would
seem to indicate decided dry trend
to affairs. But the vote OF the rep
resentatives hardly indicates the real
sentiment. here. we are told by i'm
partial Judges. In fact, the state
ment Is made that Statewide pro-
hibition could never be Imposed here.
Some of the members who voted for
the Federal amendment believe q ma
tion-wide law can be made effective
and will be made effective, but, that
1t would be "a useless step to adopt
State prohibition.
The senatsriaI Campsign.
The hope is expressed .by some OF
the Republicans-o the State that Sem
ators Weeks will not run into the
party split which the Democrats fond
ly hope will be brought about, and
which will enable them to name a
successor to senator Weeks. Governor
Mccall. who Is opposing Senator
Weeks for the Republican nomination.