Evening star., 1923-06-22
EDITORIAL DIGEST

eral prohibition laws are enforced or
not" And the Hartford Times (dem-
ocratic) agrees that New York has
pretty conclusively said that it in
tends to obey the Eolstead act only
to the extent to which the federal
government is able to enforce it"
Since liquor has been obtainahle with
comparative ease" in New York any
way. the Norfolk Ledger Dispatch
feels that the repeal does not mean
much one wav or the other" but un-
fortunately. objects the Manchester
Union Independent republican,, pub
lie opinion cannot ignore the effects
of his action upon law enforcement
throughout the country"
There is no question" the syria
cuse Herald independently admits,
hut that many other states havr
been watching this drama in New
York with absorbing interest" Pre-
cisely for that reason the governors
action is significant, the St Louis
Globe-Democrat republican, thinks.
because lit is the formal protest. ut
of the Union. against the stringencies
of the provisions of the Folstead act.
and the feeling thus expressed. "it
is needless to say, is not confined to
New York" In fact; in declartns
sounded a call for support by al
elements in the voting population
which believe in state rights and IN
q more liberal Interpretation of III"
prohibition amendment" the Ann
Arbor Times News Cindependenti
states.
BY a "shrewd political handling Of
the situation" Smith has. the Chicae"
Tribune independent republican, be
lieves presented himself before the
entire country as the most conspicu-
Gus figure in the most conspicuous Is
sue" If that is true, the New YORK
Herald independently agrees that he
will stand out as a bigger polluca'
figure than he has ever been, though
in all the party there is today no big
ger figure as an individual force and
political geniussthan AL Smith. ana
the Buffalo News independent repuh-
lican), toe, feels that eff the fight is
to be made on these lines, he is the
man to lead it" On the other hand,
we read in the New York Tribune
republican, that there can hardly
be a question that in signing this Dill
in the field of national politics: IN
the South Bend Tribune Gndependent
republican, that he has written a Pc
riod after his political career; in the
Paterson Call (republican) that he
has wiped out any chance he might
have had: in the Houston Chronicle
(democratic) that "he wrote his own
death warrant as a candidate for ~
presidency"
But the real service Gov. Smith has
uOnS, dS the DelTOll A>S"S
ent) sees It, "is to focus the whole
long drawn issue of the eight
eenth. amendment in such way that
nothing short of knock down and
drag-out fight with a conclusive de
cision can result from it, as a result
of which, the Minneapolis Tribune Gre
publican) observes, "Volsteadism goes
into national politics with bang.
Moreover, the Roanoke World-News
(democratic) says, in forcing the is
n
standard for political honesty" and
has brought "the situation to the
point where we must either modify
the prohibition laws or else take
steps to bring about rigid enforce
ment" The Constitution imposes pro
hibition, the Chicago Daily News Gin
dependent) comedies. but 'it does not
impose the Volstead version Of pro-
hibition," and had that version been
a reasonable one. the Rochester Her
aid (independent) is certain that the
story of it's enforcement would have
been very different"