The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-04-29
1CBErLIcHTS fal Hn ACIJ I.\NATIONAL MH
 OCAPITAL Es@y sE Ss,

Over the dream of the bibulous of Washington there has come a distinct shadow. Once everyone. aware of the danger of indulging in the connections the era of Vol stead made current. pictured the delight of visiting some more lib- eral country. and with his foot on the rail, quenching long thirst in a quieting sense of safety.
 Now it develops that danger turks in liquors even when served in Havana or Port au Prince; or at any rate, one of the guests of Secretary Denby on the recent cruise in southern waters, will so testify. A hostess served him a rum toddy "sweetened" not with food nutritious within itself, but unsafe when subjected to certain chemical processes.
 It is not published whether the member in question was in the beginning of the cruise wet" or dry" It is declared, however, that while confined to his state room the entire trip home, he foreswore all indulgence in mixed drinks, whether in the tropics or elsewhere.
 In connection with the almost uninterrupted discussion of the liquor question, prohibition au- thorities in Washington are pub fishing daily the most disquieting reports. In. Chicago. it is said, the drink is denatured alcohol and ether. One of the officials, animated by a deep and abiding love for his fellow man, expressed the fear that some morning, the nation would be shocked to learn that hundreds of residents of the Windy City had toppled over dur ing the night, never again to stand erect.
 And Philadelphia. not to be out done by even such a progressive community as Chicago. is said by enforcement officers to be drink ing daily denatured alcohol col ored with no less a potent irri- tant than iodine.
 It becomes apparent that re- specting alcohol for beverage purposes. the best of all letters" is to letter" alone.
 At the same time. much to the regret of Democratic politicians, there is unceasing gossip that Democrats in the next convention will force into the platform a ten tatively wet" plank. Until to- day there was no thought that any representative man in the fold would advocate a proposition which. if adopted, would hurl in stantly into the grave" the mo- ble heart of William J. Bryan, and tend to divide the party in the moment it had an opportunity 70 return to power.
 And now Fred W. Vile. a eyn- dicate writer. declares in the Star Wilson has either in mind 1T on paper wet" plank providing for the repeal of the VolSteai act, anG, legislation making legal the sale of wine and beer. This repor. is generally discounted. but, it is admitted, that it would be an tx- ample of the daring and indeDend- ence of the former president, were he so directly to defy She clo- quent Floridian, and to rebuke the Republicans who, during the next campaign. will "pussyfoo." regarding prohibition.
 MT. Wilson, it is recalled, ve- toed the Volstead act. but those who vote dry" in congress were strong enough to enact the legis- lation despite his opposition.
 MT. Vile declares that the ten tative Wilson platform cont;,i0s other blanks. all of them admit tedly radical" One, he alleges. provides for an unqualified and unconditional entrance by the United States into the League of Nations, and participation in the electiop of judges of a permanent court of international justice.
 A second Wilson plank. accord ing to this writer, would advocate government control, though not ownership, of the railroads: and a third would provide for the na- tionalization of coal mines.
 In the Vile story there is one statement which is true. Mir. Wilson is deeply interested in the and will have much to do with the preparation of the platform and the nomination of Il 
 It is reported that he is more interested in the platform 'han in the man. At that, it is known that he would prefer-and may insist upon--a man WhD stands flat atfootedly for League of Ma. tions with the Unit ed States Il stal~art and proud adhcren;.