The Washington herald., 1920-02-15

1T, Is Jlikely to have shorr shift In
| either convention.
Neither party can monopolize the
credit nor bear alone the odIum II
one looks upon 1t that way-of es-
tablishing national prohibition. That
change In national policy, proceed
ing from the people. PASSED through
the stage of State legislation. in
which Republican and Democratic
States were equally concerned. TO
the point of congressional action
and ratification by legislatures with
no visible line OF demarkation be-
tween the two parties. A few weeks
ago II seemed improbable that pro-
hibition would be an issue between
the parties, or for that matter, ere
ate any conflict of opinion in the
Committee on Resolutions of either
convention. Recently, however, the
savage attack Of Governor Edwards
of New Jersey, upon prohibition per
sc. and the suggestion of Governor
Smith of New York. that the ques-
tion of local enforcement of the law
be left to a S6te referendum have
made the prohibition question a
very live issue in Democratic ranks
1T is improbable, however, that even
the clamor of the forces which are
ment can persuade the Democratic
convention to declare itself in favor
of the amendment but against its
enforcement
; Organized hostility to the prohi-
bition amendment is in the main
confined to a small group of Eastern
States-Rhode Island. Connecticut
and New Jersey that refused to rat
ify the amendment. and New York.
+ Pennsylvania and Maryland. that
ratified il, but in which powerful
political forces have since declared
themselves antagonistic to it's liter
al enforcement TheI country as a
whole Is strongly for prohibition.
Under the operation of local option
and State laws a large majority of
the States, and OF the people were
under prohibition and had accus-
TONED themselves to its limitations
before federal action was taken.
Political reforms founded upon
moral issues have never gone back
ward. 1t would have been as rea-
sonable TO expect a political party
IN 1868 to declare for a modification
OF the ani-slavery amendment by
permitting the maintenance of a
modified form of serfdom, as to call
upon either party today to qualify
and weaken the eighteenth amend
ment, even before its operation and
enects have been given a reasonable
test.
Seek Victory I'm West.
At present it would appear that it
Is only within the Democratic party
/ that any attack upon the amend
I ment is to be expected. And one
effect of the agitation has been TO
! convince some prominent Democrats
! that these Eastern States from
which the demand for a pro-liouor
policy proceeds. must be in a meas.
ure abandoned in the coming cam
paign, and the victory sought where
/ 1t was won in 1912. in the West.
I They argue that not only in liouor
legislation, but in all matters of So
clal concern the Democratic party is
the party of liberalism and prog
ress. To abandon and repudiate the
liberal record Of the last eight
years. would, they hold. be suicidal
But the forces Of reaction are strong
/ in New York, New Jersey and ad-
Jacent States, none Of which were
carried by the Democrats in 1916.
! Their delegations are likely to
, travel to San Francisco demanding
a platform as reactionary on an
points as the embattled wet Cover
nors would have il on the Iouor
question. On such a platform, so
at least the progressive Democrats
declare. the national party orcAni-
zation could never be held toCeth-
T. er. and the great gains in the West
made four years ago would ineyf-
! tably be sacrificed
Obviously this point Of view af-
. al
those candidates who come from
the Seaboard States. Though Nc
Adoo and Palmer possess personal
/ records entirely satisfactory to the
prohibition forces. the attitude as
sumed by their State organiza tions
may prejudice those forces to their
detriment-
Bryan still n Power.
/ Moreover. il is a matter of gem
eral recognition that the fulnina-
tions of Governor Edwards, and
those in sympathy with him, have
resulted in the revival of Mr.. Bry-
ans strength in the Democratic par
/ ~ Mr. Bryan has always been a
force to be reckoned with whenever
circumstances gave him an issne
upon which he could go direct 10
the voters Of the land Four wears
ago no such issue presented itself
= and four years ago was the only
! time since 1896 when Mr.. BRYAN
was not power in the convention
and except in 1904-the deternin-
( ing power. He has never been over
popular with party leaders. Their
, acQuiescence in his leadership has
always resulted from their belief
that his hold on the people was Too
strong for them to prudentIy an
tagonize.
When that hold seemed broken,
MS influence in party councils
waned. Six months ago il seemed
at Its lowest But the Presidents
suggestion that the ratification of
the treaty be left open until after
election afforded Mr.. Bryan an on
portunity which he instantly seized
to get on what has proved To he
the popular side of that question
The agitation by Democrats in the
| populous but exceedingly proyin-
cial middle-Atlantic States against
prohibition opened the way for him
10 rally about him once again the
great middle class, rural or small
town element in our electorate
which has always constituted his
strength in politics. Mr.. BRYAN is
always at his best in defending a
moral, or perhaps a sentimental, re-
4 form. Peace and prohibition are
issues eminently fitting to his abil-
lues, and in advocacy of which he
can best organize his followinp
into coherent phalanx. Whether
he can effect his own nomination
is a matter of very considerabIe
doubt. Whether he can even he
delegate to the convention from