New-York tribune., 1918-04-27
County Leaders Fear That
Big Normal Majority
May Be Wiped Out
Class Issue Worked
Foreign Element, Fighting
Drys, May Go Bodily to
the Democratic Party
By Charles T. White

the result of the wet and dry election,
is giving the Republican managers in
Onondaga County more worry over
what may happen in the fall campaign
than they have had in many year
The county ordinarily is safely Repub-
lican by from 5000 to 5000. but as
result of the torn-up condition of the
Republicans following the wet and dry
campaign the Democrats predict that
they will carry the county.
The Democrats are basing their
hopes on the fact that the drys were
defeated by H. 400 votes and that, gem
orally speaking, the people VINO voted
the wet ticket are naturally sympa-
thetic with the Democratic party.
Hence they count not only on captur-
ing Syracuse, but they expect to so re-
habilitate the Democratic party as to
keep Onondaga in the Democratic col
umn for long time
The drys were outfought at every
step of the way The interests allied
with the brewing industry in Syracuse
not only successfully appealed to the
business interests OF the city, but they
successfully worked q class issue. The
North Side of the city of Syracuse is
populated very largely by the plain
people, who work in the shops. The
wealthier people live on the South Side.
The managers of the wei campaign
made the voters on the North Side be-
lieve that their more fortunate neigh
bors on the South Side intended to de-
prve them of all their personal liber-
ties. using the abolition Of the saloon
as the first step.
Whole Story Might Be Worse
The scare worked to perfection, and
the majority of II 400 against the drys
does not tell the whole story, for Of
the 5000 votes spoiled more than 1000
were wet votes, and in addition to
this the vets say that Of the 5000
soldiers who were out of town fully
1000 would have voted wet. In the
aggregate they figured that the wet
ards. would be nearer $4,000 than
11,C00.
Chancellor James r. Day. of SYRIA
cuse University. in commenting to day
to The Tribune representative, said:
81 notice by the papers that it is as
serted that $4,000 of 1000 Syracuse
women voted wet. l hate to think that
there is such disproportionate number
Of drinking women rs might be indi-
Gated by the figures. am more inclined
to think that several thousand of the
women who voted wet were persuaded
to vote that way under the stress of
emotion, of excitement. and as re-
suit of Misrepresentation used by the
managers Of the wet campaign"
A Syracuse Republican Of state wide
prominence had this to say:
"Unless the friends of Governor
Whitman are able to allay the hostility
developed by the wet and dry fight the
Governor next fall will lose Onondaga
very popular with intelligent Repubi-
cans, as he has made good record,
and until the wet and dry campaign
complicated the situation there was
every prospect that the Governor would
receive his full share of the German,
Irish and Italian vote in Syracuse. But
now it is different. The sweeping wet
victory proves more forcibly than
words that many thousands Of Repub-
drive as an attack on their personal
liberty.
Walters Faces Hard Fight
at is going to be very difficult for
Senator j. Henry Walters to succeed
proposition in the late campaign, with
the result that it will be an uphill bat
tie for him to win out in the primaries,
to say nothing of being elected.
"Assemblymen George Fearon, Har-
ley Crane and Manuel Soule can all go
back to Albany if they want to next
year The same can be said with ref
erence to Congressman Walter w. Ma
gee, who has not voted in way to Of
fend the vets.
efforts are under way to bring about
a compromise between the extreme
views held by the liquor people on one
hand and the prohibitionists on the
other. The brewers are disposed to
assist the reformers to bring about
the closing of every positively disrep-
utable saloon in Syracuse. They were
willing to do this before the drys be-
gan the campaign this year, but the
drys were confident of their ability to
put all of the liquor sellers out of
Over in the city of Ithaca DR.. Lib
erty Hyde Bailey is a possible can
didate for Governor on the Demo-
! cratic ticket In the late wet and dry
campaign in Ithaca-won by the drys by
a large majority-Dr. Bailey tiocked
with the drys. This probably VIII hurt
! hip in Tammany Hall and Coney
Island if he should run for Governor,
but it makes him very solid in Ithaca
| and Cortland, which also went dry by a
large majority.
Cortland Republicans Hopeful
While the result of the wet and dry
/ fight is still live topic in Cortland,
the politicians are beginning to specu-
! late about the fall campaign. Repub-
lican leaders seen yesterday by the
Tribune representative are confident
that they will elect their Congress-
man, Senator and Assemblyman They
also say that Governor Whitman is as
strong as ever in Cortland County. 1t
is understood in Cortland County that
Senator William H. Hill, of Bingham
ton, will not in any circumstances ac-
! cept nomination for Senator, but will
stand or fall in the fight which he con-
templates making for the Congress
nomination. The new Senate district
i is normally Republican by about 5000.
Assemblyman G. H. Wiltsie, of Cort-
land. who has served four years in AL
bany, can have Il denomination If he
desires.
Cortland is in the Congress district
with Onondaga County. Walter W. Nc
Gee is the Representative. and it Is un-
derstood he will not be opposed by any
Republican. His election is conceded
by the Democratic leaders.
| The dry campaign in Cortland had as
of ho q =.