Evening star., 1923-06-06
Politics at Large
BY N. o. MESSENGER


within the democratic ranks. The
action Of Gov. Smith of New York
last week in signing the bill re-
pealing the prohibition enforcement
law of that state has created a tense
situation in the democratic party over
the question whether modification of
the Volstead act and a demand for
the legal use of light wine and beer
is or Is not to be an issue in the next
presidential campaign.
The question is regarded as being
more pertinent to the democratic
party than to the republican, for the
latter party Is in all human prob
ability likely to take the side of the
drys whenever the issue arises.
X
A resident of Washington, who
talked with Gov. Smith a day or
two before the executive signed the
repeal bill, brings back with him an
interesting account of a conversation
with Gov. Smith, which throws
an Illuminating light upon the gov
ernor's recommendation, in the mem
orandum which accompanied the
signing of the bill. This informant
says the governor remarked that in
making the recommendation he was
guided by the realization that 10 per
cent or the voters may be considered
as embracing what the governor
called the fanatical vets and the
fanatical drys." That Is to say, he
explained, the extremes of the two
elements-those who would go to the
exf2nT al uyfyn nfyc
vestige of alcohol OF the earth-the
fanatical drys" and those who make
no pretense of wanting all the al
cohol they can get-and the strongest
of its kind; the 'fanatical vets"
Intermediate of these two classes
are the rest of the voters who are
intent upon moderation. who realize
the unsatisfactory conditions now
and who are seeking a practical So
luton of perplexing conditions. Gov
smith. the Informant said, feels very
deeply on the subject and wants to
find way out of the maze that now
prevails which will be satisfactory
TO the 80 per cent of the voters out
side the 10 per cent of fanatics"
1t is pertinent. in elucidation Of the
foregoing. to reiterate what Gov
Smith said in his memorandum on
this subject:
1T is impossible" he wrote, ito di-
vorce from the public mind the i'm
preston that the definition of an
intoxicating beverage as containing
not ore than one-half of per
cent of alcohol was written by the
fanatical drys in defiance Of the gem
eral experience of mankind and of
actual fact.
IN Iat
backed up by good medical opinion.
can find a more scientific definition
or what constitutes an intoxicating
beverage. Such a definition should
be adopted by Congress as a proper
and reasonable amendment of the
Volstead act. and a maximum alco-
holic content should be prescribed
by Congress which would limit all
states TO the traffic in liquors which
are, in fact, non Intoxicating within
amendment.
Subject to that limitation. each
state should therefore be left free to
determine for itself what should
States which then wished TO limit
traffic TO beverages containing not
more than one-half per cent of alco-
hol would be free to do so and
those which desire to extend the
traffic to the maximum Limitation al
lowed by federal statute would be
equally free to do so. There could
be, within the limitations of the max
imum. many differences of degree
extending even to the complete pro-
h!bition by some states of traffic in
liquor containing any alcohol what
ever"
1t may be construed by some that
this suggestion of Gov. Smiths is in
fact a form of local option. That is,
indeed. believed by some of his
friends to be what the governor has
in the back of his mind-not the
local option OF old. under which a
community decided whether 1t want
ed whisky and beer or not, because
there was in the old local option
plan no restriction upon the alco-
holic content.
Under Gov Smiths plan the
eighteenth amendment would not be
violated. That amendment prohib-
tied traffic in Intoxicating beverages.
and Congress defined an Intoxicating
tanning more than one-half of l per
cent of alcohol. II could just as cas-
lily, it is held. set the limit at or
per cent for beer and 10 or Is for
light wines.
Then. with this federal maximum
fixed. Gov. Smith would allow the
state legislatures and the voters to
decide whether the people of the
state wanted to avail themselves of
the maximum limit. Iowa could re-
fuse to take advantage of the max
imum, being a dry state. and New
York. New Jersey, Massachusetts,,
Pennsylvania and other states could
avail themselves of 1t.
Gov. Smith classes himself in the
memorandum as an inveterate foe of
the saloon. which institution he says
can never and should never be re
instated in this country.
y =
Politicians declare that discussion
and consideration of the New York
executives suggestion is certain to
find echo in the national campaign
of 1924. 1t will be to a marked ex-
tent, 1t is predicted. a feature of the
congressional campaign. If the DEM
ocratic party In its national plat
form should recommend modification
for. election to the national House of
Representatives and to the Senate
would be expected to stand on the
platform or quit the contest If 1t
should not be a part of the platform
in words and terms explicit, the poll
ticians can aver that many candi-
dates for the House will elaborate
the national platform by declaring
that they will vote for modification
If elected.
To that extent the Smith plan also
will find sympathy among many re-
publican candidates. 1t is to be re-
membered that in New York and New
Jersey some republican members of