Evening star., 1922-12-11
Former President Expected
to Lead Progressive Move
in Own Party.
MODIFIED DRY LAW
LIKELY TO BE ISSUE
Rapidly Increasing Physical
Strength Points to His Re-
turn to Power.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Talk of third party and progress
sive" blocs has hitherto been confined
to its effect on the republican party
and has been looked upon really as
revolt inside that party. but there
is every reason to believe the pro
sressive" movement will soon break
out in the ranks Of the democratic
party.
Woodrow Wilson's recent decision
to take an active part in democratic
politics. or. rather. his rapid physical
recuperation. which has enabled his
physicians to permit him to dig into
his correspondence and see callers. Is
significant of a change in the mood
Of passive silence which has charac-
terized the democratic party during
the recent outcry OF the republican
''progressives" for a new deal In pol
itics.
Works Two Hours Daily.
Mr.. Wilson is not by any means the
active man that he was when Presi-
dent. Probably he never will be.
But he is physically stronger today
He is capable of at least two hours
Of sustained work every day and he
takes advantage of it to write many
letters and to see people. He has
been seeing An average of one caller
a day and some days he has many
more. Most OF them have been old
friends. but some have brought him
information on the political state of
affairs. Every one has gone away
with the impression that the mind OF
Woodrow Wilson Is as alert today as
and that his reasoning powers are
as clear as they were In the days of
wartime chaos
The former President naturally holds
close to his heart the international sit
uation, but he Is much too good a politi-
cal diagnostician to ignore the wave Of
sentiment on domestic affairs which
made itself manifest in the primaries
and the elections this year. The demo.
ocratic party. under his leadership. prided
itself on tho name progressive" Mr.
Wilson won his nomination at Balti-
more in 1912 because he was progress
sive. and because the democrats felt
that they, too. must offer a progressive
to win the seemingly popular support
that was attaching at that time 10 the
bull moose movement.
Must BE Prosreasive.
If hisotry is repeating itself ard II
the progressive bloc Of today is en-
deavoring to capture control Of the re-
publican party now as it tried in 1910.
and falling In that helped to form q
third party, then the democrats must
chart a course which will put them in
progressive channels. too.
Woodrow Wilson considers himself
the leader of his party and the
spokesman of the progressive ele-
ments in democracy, which he feels
have dominated in the last eight
years. Certainly the Wilson forces
namely. a combination of Palmer an6
troll the last democratic convention
when the platform was under discus
sion. And the democratic nominee
James M. Cox. promptly went to see
Mr.. Wilson and won his Endorsement.
So that the Wilson view may still be
said to be predominant in the demo-
cratic party.
Now here comes the most important
question Of all-prohibition. The
former President knows what a par,
it plays in American politics anG
probably agrees with President Hard.
ing's recent statement in his address
to Congress that the matter has by
no means been cast out of politics
but is playing vital part in Local
elections.
Assailed BY Drys.
Mr.. Wilson, it will be recalled
vetoed the bill which would have
extended wartime prohibition after
the armistice, but the drys were able
to pass it in Congress over his veto
He was bitterly assailed for this by
the dry" organizations. His record
on the prohibition question has not
been what the drys would like. He
started out in New Jersey by insist
ing that it was a moral and not q
political question and declared for
local option. He agreed to wartime
prohibition, or rather the making OF
2.75 beer, chiefly because of the need
for conserving the ingredients which
were used in the manufacture of beer
And when the San Francisco conven-
ton of the democratic party was in
session. there is well defined story
that Mr.. Wilson sent q beer plank
to that city despite Mr.. Bryan's
known attitude on prohibition, and
despite the feeling of so many demo-
Gratis that the issue had better be
ignored in the platform altogether
The plank was never offered on MI
Wilson's behalf.
Since those days, Mr.. Wilson has
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