Evening star., 1923-10-08
governors CALLED
TOHEAR, NOT TALK
Ten-Hour Conference to Be
Devoted to Outlining of Fed
eraI Enforcement Ideas.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Governors of the several states who
have been invited to confer with the
federal government on the subject Of
law enforcement will be- told what
is wanted by the Washington admin
istration and virtually no time win
be given for the airing of the views
of the respective governors.
The announcement that the entire
body of governors would come to
the National Capital and would be
here for a few hours on the afternoon
of Saturday, October 20, occasioned
much surprise owing to the brief
period allowed for such an important
conference, but on investigation it
develops that the federal authori-
ties decided they wanted to do all the
talking and wished particularly to
in the first prohibition conference,
when one or two of the governors
took the umelight and carried on a
discussion of the merits of prohibi-
tion itself.
Politically, there is no better oppor-
tunity for a man on either the wet or
dry side of the controversy to get
publicity than at a governors confer
ence Oh the prohibition question itself.
BrOadens Scope.
President Coolidge has let it be
known that he wants the federal gov
ernment's plans for corporation with
the states to be fully explained and
that the object of the conference is
to get the fullest Cooperation in law
enforcement. He has broadened the
conference from it's original program,
which was to have been devoted to
wants all questions of law enforce
ment brought to the attention of the
governors.
AS if<they were not satisfied with
given to prohibition, the tdry" side
will stage a citizenship conference at
Washington in the days Immediately
preceding the governors visit to
Washington. Gov. Pinchot of Penn
sylvania is to preside and there are
enough political subtleties in this oc-
casion to excite already a good deal
of gossip. Mr.. Pinchot is a potential
presidency-his friends say they are
aiming for first place only.
Mr. Coolidge hasn't taken as pro-
nounced stand on prohibition as has
Gov. Pinchot. Nor has the Chief Exr
ecutive made himself 100 per cent dry
to the satisfaction of the Anti-Saloon
League as did the late President
Harding, who at Denver appealed TO
the people of America to cease drink
ing intoxicantS and even to give up
acquired. This was generally regard
ed as about the most effective appeal
that had come from the White House
since the eighteenth amendment and
the Volstead law were adopted.
VIII Address Meetings.
There are those in the dry" camp
who believe President Coolidge would
gladly have evaded the question of
governors conference on prohibition
if ne could have gracefully done SO.
He found out, however, that Presl-
dent Harding had pledged himself TO
call such a conference. Mr.. Coolidge
did consider for a time plan where
by the governors would not be asked
to come to Washington, but their
views solicited and the federal gov
ernment's plan explained by an ex-
change of memoranda. This, however,
of a few hours in Washington sub
stituted. Originally Mr.. Harding
planned q conference that would have
extended over several days.
Mr.. Coolidge will, of course. speak
at both the citizenship conference
and the governors meeting. He will
have an opportunity to advocate law
enforcement in as general or as
specific terms as he likes. So far as
the drys are concerned, he will be on
trial Will he go as far in the advo-
cacy of prohibition as does Gov.
Pinchot? This will be his opportunity
to remove all doubts, for be it known
Mr.. Coolidge was at one time an at
torney for brewing interests in
Northampton, Mass, in the days when
the local option fight was at its height.
Since that time his veto message of
a beer bill passed by the Massachu-
setts legislature won the comNenda-
ton of the Anti-Saloon League. Mr..
Coolidge comes from state in which
the wet-and-dray question is not all
ope-Sided and there are those in his
own following who wish he would
simply come out for law enforcement
and let it 20 at that. They do not
want sLGc n become committed to
prog.Hz. e.s TO modification of the ex-
isting Situation by Congress or the
states. With most questions. Mr..
Coolidge can wait till the December
session of Congress before he makes
known his views on pending issues.
ON prohibition he will have to de-
clare himself within the next ten