New-York tribune., 1922-11-16
Friends Defeat
Seen Back of
Harding View
Continued srsm sss. sne)

Senator Reed, was so surprised that
he withheld his own vote while he
hastened to Senator Stones seat, where
whispered talk ensued. Stone later
made the same explanation that Hard
ing had made to his friends before he
voted-that he wanted tc pass the
question on to the states and get this
particular political fight out of Con-
gress.
Such drys as could be reached to-
night scoffed at the idea quoted by
the President, that the liberalization Of
the prohibition enforcement act would
lessen the Importance of prohibition as
a political issue. They declared that
they would go on just as before and
hight every Con FRESHMAN who voted to
weaken" the prohibition act every
time he came up for reelection.
Some of the vets, while not so en-
phatic in their statements, said that
they proposed TO keep mp their fight
until some happy day. the Eighteenth
Amendment itself would be repealed.
Mrs. Robinson Assailed
One of the Presidents advisers ex-
pressed indignation tonight at Mrs.
Robins on's use of the letter. He said
that If Mrs. Robinson regarded the
letter as confidential she should not
even have referred to it, On the other
hand, he said, If she felt free to use
the letter, she certainly should have
given out the text so that the Presi-
dent would be protected from "a gar
bling, Of his itieas. .sas y
Asa matter of fact, this adviser OF
the President pointed out the Prests
dent has written a good many letters
to Mrs. Robinson since his nomina-
sion. Mrs. Robinson was one of The
ardent supporters during the pre-con-
vention campaign and at the conven-
ton @ OF 1920 of Major General Leonard
Wood. She made speech at the Chi
cago convention seconding the nomi-
nation of General Wood. During his
efforts to harmonic all the factions of
the party after the convention 8 warm
dent and Mrs. Robinson, s" which Viii mas has
resulted in this correspondence.
While there was no time for reac-
tlons in Congressional circles, the drys
are confident that no recommendation
will be made by President Harding for
| amendments to the Volstead act, If he
should make them, however, they claim,
1T would change very few votes in
either the House or Senate. They be-
lieve this because, they say, the wet
and dry issue is not really a party
question, ard therefore is not one on
which even the strictest party man
would feel obliged to vote with his
party leaders. They claim also that the
dry members of Congress are dry be-
cause OF the political situation In their
! own districts or states.
VETS Are Hopeful
In view of President Harding's oripi-
nal motive5 in voting for the Eighteenth
1 Arnendment, the vets tonight were
very hopeful that the President would
get behind a fight TO liberalze the Vol
stead act and possibly even go to the
/ extent of legalizing light wines and
beer They pointed out that the Presi-
dent had never advocated prohibition
Tor prohibitions sake, but had merely
4 voted to pass the decision on to the
states and thus get rid of the issue in
national politics.
Therefore, they point out. there
! would be no inconsistency in the Pres;.
dent now taking a moist" position
| Inc enort to remove prohibition from
poiitlcs IS spectacular failure. as
| evidenced from last TUESDAYS election
In his letter to Mrs. Robinson 'iH1, tbe
President intimated that if the enforce.
ment law should be hberalized the i'm.
portance of prohibition as a political
issue would grow less. Hence, the
| vets point out, advocacy at this time
by the President Of such liberalization
would be perfectly consistent with his
original vote for the Eighteenth
Amendment, his theory in both cases
being, so far as possible, to lessen the
Importance of prohibition as a political
! issue.