Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-11-18
MANY IN CONGRESS-
TOFOLLOW CROWD
ON PROH| CHANGES
By DAVID LAWRENCE
LEASED Wire Service to The Journal.)
(Conyrirht 1927

Copyright, 1929
WASHINGTON, Nov. II. - Is
there any hope for beer and light
wines? Did last weeks election help
the "wets" or the "drys" and when
can the next move on either side
be expected-and what will come
Of it?
These questions have been asked
a thousand times since the two
national organizations fighting for
and opposed to prohibition, began
their series of conflicting claims.
The truth lies between the two,
as usual. Each side can present
convincing figures to show that con-
gress is still dry or will be wet, as
the case may be. But when one
finds each side claiming some of
the same men as being wet and
dry, and when the doubtful or non
voting group is examined, and when
some Of the wavering ones are can
vassed, the conclusion is unacceptable
that nothing is definite till the
roll is called and that the prohibit
ton issue will be decided in the
next congress by an opportunist
bloc, which will wait to see which
way the cat jumps.
Scores Would Switch
In other words, there are scores
Of members Of congress who have
voted dry" who will be tempted
to switch to the other side if the
National Association Opposed to
Prohibition, which is trying to pa
allel the work of the Anti-Saloon
league, can show that the wet
votes in their respective districts
will be sufficient to elect these mem
bers next time.
The fight has become more inten-
sive. After permitting the Anti-Sa-
loon league several years start, the
National Association Opposed to
Prohibition is finally getting under
way with state organizations, speak
ers and vote solicitors in the hope
that they can swing a political club
just as the Anti-Saloon league has
done.
On the face Of the last election re-
turns, however, the case looks better
for the drys than it does for the
vets. New Jersey, New York, Mas
sachusetts and Maryland have al
ways been considered wet states
They stayed wet. Ohio has been dry
and stayed dry by defeating the wet
amendment. California, however,
the wine-growing state which has
always been thought wet turned out
to be dry, defeating the referendum.
organization in that state was too
young to be effective and that there
will be next time"
In Illinois, you can take your
choice as to what the election
meant. The straw vote for 2.75 beer
was not opposed by the drys at the
polls-at least it is claimed that the
drys were asked not to vote at all so
as to see If the vets could muster a
majority Of the votes cast. Some of
the drys voted anyhow but the or
CARNATIONS contend they made no
fight. Out of 100000 votes cast,
100000 were in favor of the beer
amendment.
Verdicts Not Clear
Senator Pomerene, Democrat, Of
Ohio, was considered a wet" and
in his place Simeon Tess, a pro-
nounced dry, was elected. Senator
Hitchcock, Of Nebraska, Democrat,
was openly Endorsed by the National
Association Opposed to Prohibition
but he made it clear that he didn't
favor a modification of the Volstead
act. Although his defeat has been
attributed to the opposition of the
drys, many of his friends insist that
a goodly number of the 10000 Ger
mans in the state really punished
Mr.. Hitchcock for his championship
of the Wilson cause after the war.
So even the dry leaders frankly adj
NIT that there is a doubt as to the
meaning of Nebraska's vote though
they claim the state is dry, which
undoubtedly it is as Senator Hitch
cock himself was a convert to the
cause.
Dry headquarters concede the wet
strength to be about 135 and argue
that in the next congTses 296 will
be definitely Cry. This is on the
basis Of ga old members who voted
dry. Wet headquarters start with
about 125 known vets and contend
that sixty vets have been elected
in place of drys. This would make
a total of 1856, but that isn't ma
jority, which must beat least 21S.
The difference between 1875 and 218,
however, is expected to be gained
out of the ninety members who pri-
vately are said by the vets to have
promised they would switch if it
could be proved the country was
swinging and their own districts
would support them.
No Real Test This Year
The National Association Opposed
to Prohibition is endeavoring to
prove to the wavering members
that they had better turn to the
wet side, but the chances are no real
test will be afforded before the con-
gress just elected is called into spe-
cial or regular session some time