The New York herald., 1922-08-29
VETS in House RACE
LACK ORGANIZED AID
No Powerful Body to Com
pare With Anti-Saloon
League Behind Them.
FUNDS ARE DEFICIENT
FIGHTS for 100 Seats De-
pend Almost Wholly on
Local Support.
BREWERY CASH MISSING
Seekers After Personal Lib
erty, Not Liquor Interests,
Chief Contributors.
BREWERY CASH MISSING

This Is the second of series OF
articles on the part prohibition will have
In tho coming Congressional elections.
The third article will appear tomorrow.
New York Herald Bureau.
Washington, ID. C.. Aug. 2S.
The supreme handicap wet candi-
dates for Congress are experiencing is
the utter lack of organization in the
movement. Upwards of twenty asso-
Citations, each striving for modifica-
ton of the Volstead law and eventual
repeal Of the Eighteenth amendment.
have sprung up within the last two
years, but none has made much head
way.
Not one is to be compared with the
powerful Anti-Saloon League and
kindred organizations. either in scope
of influence, with the result that the
100 Congressional campaigns in which
prohibition is an issue are being con-
Quoted in the main with little else
than local backing.
Chief among the organizations seek
ing beer and wine through modification
of the Volstead law is the Association
Against the Prohibition Amendment,
With headquarters in New York city.
Ransom II. Gillette is Its general coun-
sci. On the wet side of the prohibition
issue 1t more nearly approaches the
Anti-Saloon League than any of the
ether organizations, most of which have
ben handicapped because of lack of
financial support.
Funds are lacking in almost every
district where candidates are running on
beer and wine platforms. The situation
IS in sharp contrast with the popular
fancy that the liquor interests are well
supplied with money and are ready and
anxious to spend IL to, further the wet
cause. 1t is very different. too. from
that OF the dry candidates. who have
adequate financial aid at their beck and
call in case OF necessity.
Funds Gone With Breweries.
Political organizers, in Washington.
Keeping in touch with developments out
around the country, say the inability OF
wet candidates to get money to help
Ileif campaigns Is DGCduSt Tie DQupl
industry virtually was put out Of busi-
ness by the eighteenth amendment and
the Volstead law Put out of business,
that is. as an organized industry. with
responsible direction and recognition.
1t Is obvious. OF course. that there is
no organization among boctleggers.
In wet and dry elections OF the past
the backbone of the anti-prohibition
campaign has been the brewery inter-
ests. the distillers and wine producers
taking second place. The owner of a
brewery always could be counted on to
supply a large share of the needed
money, this to be augmented by dis
tillers. wine producers. landlords rent
ing to saloons and others who had
mora or less personal interest In pre-
venting prohibition.
Canvass Of the country within the
last sixty days shows that four out Of
five breweries in operation when the
country went dry no longer are brew
cries. Many of them have been dis
nrantied, their owners believing that
prohibition had come to stay. Others
have been converted into candy fac
tories, plants for the manufacture of
breakfast foods and for many other
-hings.
The few that could easily 30 back to
making beer again now either are
locked UP or devoted to making soft
drinks and near beer. 1t Is said that
an occasional lot OF the latter gets
through without the extraction OF the
alcohol. The outstanding result. how
ever, Is that brewery interests are not
coming through with contributions
that might be expected OF them, and
there is virtually no prospect OF their
doing so at the present undeveloped
stage OF anti-prohlbition sentiment.
Dry Finances Dependable.
The owners of dstilleries have suf-
fered great losses and are hesitant OF
ucnding good money after bad. The
growers OF the grapes that used TO go
into wine. notably in California, find
X profitable to, sell their products for
grape juice and raislns. Landlords
whose property was desirable for
saloons have been able In a vast ma
jority OF cases 10 obtain tenants In
other lines OF business willing TO pay
fully as much. thereby being relieved OF
the great responsibility that fell to their
lot under the law in the last days of the
wet era.
The result has that funds TO con-
duct the beer and wine campaigns have
come largely In small amounts from
individuals who felt that their personal
liberty has been interfered with by the
prohibition laws There have been some
large contributions from persons OF
means. but not many. Candidates who
are making modification of the Volstead
law an issue have found Il more profit
ehle to obtain campaign money by virtue
- their party affiliations. Republican or
Democratic.
on the other hand, such organizations
as the Anti-Saloon League, while. not re-
celving the large contributions they did
before they attained their goal. are not
severely pressed FOR funds Their make
up is such as TO enable them to get
aizable sums from those wh) per rsonaily
benefit by prohibition, such az soft drink
manufacturers, and also through
churches and numerous 20 o,ieties. even
OF children. These societies respond
generously to appeals tor funds ~ time
of emergency and provide fixed re-
.urns In the form Of dues FROM mem
berg.
Among wet members OF the House
the belief prevails that the present cam
paign will stimulate the organization
of the wet forces throughout the coun-
try so that when the issue comes up
again, as It will, OF course. there may
be better preparation. Even slight
increase in the wet strength In Con-
Ercss. they feel, might give sufficient
strength there 10 formulate concrete
Issue which would W before the coun-
try for decision.