Evening star., 1921-09-04
WET AND DRY ISSUE
TEST IN BALTIMORE
Legislative Candidates PoIIed
on State Enforcement of
Prohibition.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

BALTIMORE. September 3.-Not-
withstanding the fact that national
prohibition has been in effect going
on three years, the wet and dry"
held in Baltimore. and the primaries
on next Friday have proved no ex-
ception to the rule.
That the men elected to the next
legislature from Baltimore city will
be strongly opposed to the passa ge
act and in favor of a liberal Sunday,
whether democrats or republicans
are chosen. is indicated by a poll of
the candidates of both parties, which
was taken by one of the daily papers
this week.
were asked these questions:
Are you in favor of a state Vol
stead act?
Are you in favor of a more liberal
Sunday or opposed to it?
All the forty-six democratic candi-
dates answered the questions OF
the thirty-six republican candidates
thirty-two replied. The results
were:
Democratic: For a state prohibition
act, 2; opposed. 33; non-commttal.
IL.
For a liberal Sunday. 81; opposed.
Republican: For a state prohibition
act, 1; opposed, 1S: non-commital. Is.
For a liberal Sunday. "a; opposed.
0; non-commital, s.
Total Of United Vote.
If the forty-six democrats and the
thirty-six republicans. making
total of eighty-twe, are thrown
together, the results show the vote
as follows:
For a state prohibition act. 3; op-
posed. 81: nOn-cOmmital, 25.
For liberal Sunday, 81; opposed,
o; non-commital. II.
From this it will be seen that no
matter which party Is successful
lature. it will be impossible to enact
any dry" or Sunday blue laws legis-
lation.
with the primary election. which
will be held in every county of the
state, as well as in Baltimore. less
than a week off, in few bailiwicks is
there as little political excitement as
in this city.
The one and only exciting feature
of the campaign so far has been the
attack made upon the democratic har-
mony plans of Gov. Ritchie, by which
tions together. by Danny" Loden.
former right-hand man of Sonny"
Mahon. who charged. in a speech in
his stronghold, the nineteenth ward.
that 1.-The" Kelly had succeeded in
selling out the city democracy to the
state crowd and that after the cleo
tion Mahon would find himself hold
ing an empty bag" with Kelly in alb
solute control of the city organiza-
tion.
Whispered RumOr Abroad.
This attack would probably have
been passed by with little or no no.
tice had it not been for the whis-
pered report that Loden was backed
by former Mayor Preston. who, it is
said, is also dissatisfied with the deal
that has been made by the city lead
ers with Gov. Richie. Outside of
this rumor, Loden's attack on the
harmony ticket is looked upon as the
natural result of having been left
out Of the combination entirely by
his former political boss, as well as
an effort to hold his leadership in
the nineteenth ward.
There have been rumQrs this week
that the former mayor is taking part
in the talk of an Independent ticket,
he has. But Mr.. Preston has said
nothing publicly either for or against
the present democratic slate and is
non-commital on all questions of a
political nature that have been put
up to him.
The talk of an independent ticket
being placed in the field also seems
to have died a natural death, and it
Is now known that such a move was
started among the ultra vets, who
thought they saw a chance to put
across something on the dry element
in both parties.