The Washington herald., 1920-03-07
LIQUOR ISSUE
LOOMING LARGE,
THOUGH FUTILE
Vets Trying to Make Right
To Drink Axis Of Both
Parties.
DOOMED, SAYS ABBOT
Dry West and South Will
Swing Vote Balance,
Says Writer.
Ry wuLIs ). ABBOT.

ropolitan newspapers and the talk
about political headquarters in this
city the pending presidential cam
paign is. not likely to turn upon
such triies as the record of the
Wilson administration. the league
of nations. militarism. or the de-
mands Of labor. The irrefutable
right of the thirsty Individual to
get drink of any kind when he
wants 1t Is the vital issue upon
which our next president is to be
chosen.
The friends OF Governor Edwards.
who at first presented his presiden-
tial candidacy merely as a protest
against prohibition, now profess to
believe that he will make consid-
cradle showing in the San Fran
cisco convention. and may not i'm
probably win the nomination. They
are pointing with pride to the fact
that he will not only have his own
state delegation behind him. but. in
view of the anti-prohibition resolu-
tions adopted by the State Demo-
cratic convention of New York, is
logically entitled to the support of
the Empire State delegation as well.
In Illinois the Edwards petition.
signed by more than 5000 voters Is
the FIRST. and indeed up to the mo-
ment OF writing. the only Democrat
ic petition presented to the secre-
tary of state. In Missouri the effort
10 control the delegation for him is
well under way. Rhode Island. as
vne of the States refusing to ratify
the Eighteenth amendment, is ex-
pected to- favor his candidacy.
OF Superheiaf Importanee.
At a time when there has been
marked hesitaney on the part OF
Democrats OF recognised strength to
enter the fisht for the nomination.
because OF the Presidents refusaf
70 make hfs own position Known.
this active start by Edwards is vest
ed with a superficial importance
which upon analysis IL is seen not
to possess. The New York news
papers. almost without. exception.
are giving to it certain aid and
comfort by chronicling under
warmly approving headlines every
item of news which seems to indi-
cate a distinct reaction from the
moral sentiment which caused the
ratification of the prohibition
amendment by all save three of the
States of the union. The theory Of
the metropolitan press appears to
be that the people are aghast at
what they have done. and that a
few months of agitation, stimulated
by the brewers and distillers. will
persuade them to undo what re-
quired half a century of argument
to persuade them to do in the first
place. This journalistic attitude is
fairly expressed by this excerpt
from an editorial Of Wednesday:
Now that the saloon is out of the
way and the opponents of prohibit
ton by Federal amendment are not
handicapped by the sordid interests
of the liquor trade. the revolt is in
creasing in force and area every
day"
1t is pertinent to ask what, ex-
cept the Federal amendment put the
saloon out of the way in New York
and the adjacent States for which
the paper quoted especially pro-
fesses to speak? And as for the
present attitude of the "sordid in
terests Of the liquor trade" the &C.
tivities of the breweries of New
York and New Jersey, including
those who recently financed a
Washington newspaper for the pur-
pose of protecting their own "sor-
did interests" sufficiently indicate
where their sympathies lie.
The Political Power of Prohibition.
I have no desire to discuss here
and at this time the merits per sc
of national prohibition. But as a
veteran observeraof politics would
like to point out certain facts that
think must be discouraging to
that little group of earnest drinkers
round about New York who. think
that successful campaign for the
Democratic party can be waged with
a candidate and a platform hostile
to the Eighteenth amendment. '.
1t may be pointed out to begin
with that every State thar cast its
electoral vote for Wilson in 1916 rat
iied the Federal amendment. But
we may go even further. On JAM
uary I, 1919. months before the rat
ification OF the Federal amendment,
all of the States which afterwards
voted the Democratic ticket, were
dry. as . result of local legislation.
with the exceptions of California,
Kentucky. louisiana. Maryland and
Missouri. These States cast a total
of 81 electoral votes. But they are
not to be classed as wholly wet.
kAll subsequently ratified the amend
pent and even before that went into
>rect ali were more or less dry by
tue Of local option laws.
California. for example. more
half the territory. and nearly
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