Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1919-05-02


balance of power-it holds minority
of votes which it throws to one polit-
ical party or the other, according to
the necessity of the moment"
In the early days of the league in
Ohio, it would get dry pledge from
minority party candidate and with
its comparatively few votes elect him.
Before long it got strong enough to
pledge both candidates in fairly close
counties-and then, of course, it
couldn't lose.
Finally it got strong enough to
control the Legislature, no matter
whether the Democrats or Republi-
cans had a majority. And when once
it controlled a legislator the league
surely controlled him all over. Then
it was in position to trade and deal
with other controlling influences. The
public utilities had played with the
"wets" for years, but when the "drys"
got stronger they began playing with
the "drys."
For several years now the league
has been powerful enough to control
the nomination of governors as we'll
as egislators-and judges, too. By
shrewd management on its part and
stupidity and greed on the part of
the brewers and liquor interests, the
league has steadily grown in power
until its fight against the saloon will
make the nation dry this year.
Just as Perley Baker, after sue
cess in Ohio, grabbed off the entire
country for his field Of activity, the
organization will now tackle Europe
and South America. And it is some
organization. Worlds Work says it
has a plant at WestervilIe, that cost
S5OO,O0O collects $1,500,000 year
from the churches, and "has thou
sands of men who have never known
any occupation except that of fighting
the saloon"
How much more it collects from
other sources is not known, for the
public really knows little about the
inside workings of this wonderfully
efficient organization. What they do
know is it gets results. State after
state was made dry by its activities,
and finally it controlled Congress and
forced it to submit a prohibition
amendment to the constitution of the
states for ratification.
1t would be interesting to know
what its receipts are, where they
come from, how they are spent, who
is on the leagues payroll, how much
is spent in politics and who spends it
and where and for whom. 1t might
be interesting, too, to know what part
the league played in winning the war.
But the politicians in both parties
are afraid Of it, and the newspapers
are about as much afraid as the poll
! ticians SO the chances are it won't
! be required to file any statement of
receipts and disbursements even
when spent in political campaigns.
! Anyhow it is a fact that this power
full political organization actually con-
trolls politics in Ohio and many other
states, and yet permits Republicans
and Democrats to strut up and down
the state as if they were acting the
whole play.
The secret of the leagues political
success lies in the fact that is can
swing the votes it controls wherever
! it pleases. If labor were as wise
politically, it could control politics in
practically every state in the Union.
But labor doesn't vote as labor. 1t
splits its vote among Republicans,
Democrats, Socialists, vets, drys and
whatever else is lying around loose.
The result is that legislative bodies
generally give labor the laugh, while
they jump through the little hoop for
the drys.
Labor might learn something to its
advantage by studying the political
tactics of the Anti-Saloon League
Toledo News Bee