New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-28
w no Took Away
Our. Wet Plank
1al,11nnany Asks
Rank and File Want an Ex-
PLANTATION OF the Shelving
of Their Demand for Beer
and for Light Wines
Boss Fails to Satisfy
AZ Smith Told Judge Scud-
der Thought Upstate OPP
position Might Develop

There is intense and iIl-concealed in
dignation among the rank and file of
Tammany Hall over tho failure Of the
Democratic State Convention to put a
wet plank in the party platform.
Charles +. Murphy yesterday at Tam
many Hall explained to the district
leaders as we'll as he could the why's
and whcreforcs of the silence of the
party on prohibition, but the reasons
for leaving cut beer and light wine
plank did not suit the little people in
the organization, who see in the omis'
sion grounds for more exultatlon on
the part of the drys.
The leaders intended to have a wet
plank up to the very moment of the
convention. At the Union Club confer
ence on Sunday there was no voice
raised against a wet plank, and the
leaders who gathered at the Commo'
dorc on Monday forenoon were under
the impression that theirs would be
such plank.
Upstate Suspected
1t appears to have been knocked out
in a small conference just before the
platform was whipped into final shape.
Whether the pressure came wholly
from upstairs is not certain. Charles
f. Murphy and Ex-Governor Smith
were in control of the convention. The
chairman of the platform committee
was cx-Justice Edward j. McGoldrick, a
prominent member of Tammany Hall
and confidential adviser of former Gov
ernor Smith. In the final conference
over the platform, it was learned yes
terday, Mr.. Smith asked about the beer
aud light wine plank. He was told that
objection had been raised and that
there was pressure from tie women to
leave the wet plank out.
Apparently the prohibition women
among the delegates had sounded a
they were inviting trouble by includ-
ing any reference to prohibition. They
pointed to the downfall of Judge Has
kell IS an object lesson. Mr.. Smith
wanted to know the real reasons for
emitting it, and he was told that in
addition to the objections of the women
the friends OF Judge Scudder, who was
slated to be the candidate for judge
of the Court of Appeals, objected to a
wet plank, on the ground that the Re-
pu5llcans had none, and that Judge
Scudder would be at disadvantage up
state ii the wet plank was put in.
No Congressional Vote
Another reason urged by the drys
was that no Representatives are chosen
this year and that there is no reason
or relevancy in adopting wet plank
when no one is to be elected who
might be instrumental in influencing
Federal or state legislation.
The latter reason came nearer tic
satisfying Mr. Smith than anything
else, and finally he told the leaders
that il they wanted platform without
a wet plank they would have to be re-
sponslbie for it, as he was on record as
Governor as favoring 2.75 beer.
1T was recalled yesterday that las;
year at San Francisco, where Alfred
H. Smith was the choice OF a large
block of delegates for the President
domination, the Ex-Governor stood fol
beer and light wine. The New York
delegation in caucus, at the instigatior
of Mr.. Smith, went on record in favor
of beer and light wine, and Mayor
Lunn and one or two upstate delegates
were the only ones opposed.
"A groWl also came yesterday from
the dyedin-the-wool liquor men, who
had not abandoned hope that Murphy
and Smith would stand by their wet
principles and go on record against the
Mullan-Gage enforcement law and all
other restrictive measures. The fail
ure Of the Tammany men in the con.
ventlon to make fight for them has
filled the LIQUOR men with disgust