Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-10-23
SCRAMBLE FOR DRY
VOTE MAY RESULT
IN VETS ELECTION
Pinchot, McAdoo and Cool
idge All Counting Favor
of Prohibitionists- Modifi-
cationiSt Candidate Looms
BY ROBERT It. SMALL
(Leased Wire Service to The Journal.)
downright 1921

| WalCn1ng the ndllOn-WlQe struggle "
some aspirants for the presidency
to climb aboard the water Wagon
the past week with a feeling akin
to elation. The vets figure it out thai
the wild scramble to grab the prohi
bition vote may scatter that very
same vote and give modification
ist" a chance at the polls.
The death of President Harding
who had espoused the cause of pro
hibition during the last few months
Of his life, seems to have left the
field open for all who seek a dry anC
dusty road to the white house. Mr.
Harding had virtually been assured
the support of the organized "drys'
and was counting heavily upon thai
vote as a means Of reelection. Now
there is a general rush to get into
linen busters.
AS a result OF the weeks maneu
vering it is shown that:
Mr.. Ford is out for the dry vote
|
vote.
Mr.. McAdoo is out for the dry
vote.
And Mr.. Coolidge does not see why
any one should be casting wet eyes
at him.
The recrudescence OF the Ford
| Lao~o ood, +ba ,oranioito tio0 Of the
wet and dry issue into the campaign
all within the space of a few days
have given politics such an impulse
that many persons are inclined to
date the beginning of the 1924 presi
Dental race from these ides Of Oc
tober. The querulous position taken
by Governor Pinchot toward the
national administration on the pro
hibition enforcement issue has been
regarded as political trouble enough
| for one week, but when this con
tinuing incident was followed up by
Ford activities throughout the coun
try eliminating in an announcement
from the chairman Of the prohibition
party national committee that MFR
| Ford could have the prohibition nom
nation for president if he cared fol-
| it, the politicians began to sit up
and take notice in earnest.
Ford and PrOhibitionists
Naturally, Mr.. Ford could not be
| content with the prohibition nomina
| ton alone. AS a separate and dis
| tinct party, the prohibitionists have
been unable to make any great head
way in the past. In the 1920 cleo
| ton, out of nearly 27,000,000 votes
cast, the prohibition candidate got a
grand total of 1S9,408. Prohibition in
| politics began to be effective only
when the Anti-Saloon league began
boring from within the two old par
ties, just as labor had been doing
some years before.
But Mr.. Ford probably would not
object to the prohibition party in
dorsement of his candidacy if he de-
cides to run on an Independent tick
ct, which now seems probable. Henry
Ford is known as a dry of the true
believer type and it is certain. his
candidacy would be gratifying to
large proportion of the dry ele-
ment of the country.
Republican party is going to make
a great bid t orthe dry vote, no mat
ter who it's candidate may be. Mr.,
Coolidge already has undertaken to
carry out the Harding policy for
better enforcement as evidenced by
| his conference in Washington today
| with the governors of nearly two
| thirds of the states Of the union.
With Mr.. Ford and the Republi-
can candidates splitting the dry vote,
the wet Democrats will make a strong
fight in their convention for what
they term a liberal treatment of
the prohibition question. Whether
they can gain any real ground along
that line is questionable. 1t is true
that platform declaration requires
only majority vote in the Demo
cratic convention, whereas the NOM
inee Of the party must be named by
a two-thirds vote. Therefore it would
be easier to declare for modification
than it would be to nominate mod
ificationist. Even in Democratic
ranks the sentiment for prohibition
still is strong in the south and west
and, although some of the big east
ern states will have powerful delega-
tions to fight for modification
plank, they will find the most mill
tant of opposition headed as usual
by the never-say-die William Jen-
nings Bry1n.
Puzzles Both Parties
The Anti-Saloon league and the
other reform organizations fighting
for prohibition enforcement will not
be content in pledging two or three
of the presidential candidates. They
will seek to control the Democratic
convention as well.
Both Republican and Democratic
national leaders profess to look upon
the Ford candidacy on a third party
ticket with complete equanimity. The
Republicans say he will weaken the
Democrats; the Democrats say he
will play hob with the Republicans.
Although his boom is booming
again, after an adjournment of sew
eral months, following the death Of
President Harding, it does not ap-
pear that Mr. Ford has ghost of a
! chance of capturing either the Dem
ocratic or Republican nomination.
There - a very good chance. how
ever, that he may have some pledged
delegates in both conventions. II his
managers go ahead with their plans
for placing him in the primaries of
! both parties. Democratic leaders
! have sent out word to knife Ford in
any primary in which he makes a
hid for Democratic SuDDOrt They