The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-06-13
THE G. o. ?. SPECIAL.

In the various and sundry efforts
 of the Republican party to find an issue that might distract the public
 attention from the demoralized condi- ton brought about by the blocs and
 factions pulling in opposite directions, out of the hole in which it finds itself
 on the eve of a campaign, onlookers find a ludicrous spectacle. As re-
 spects big things which affect the peoples welfare, such as taxes, trans
 portation and the tariff, now famil- iiarly known as "The Three T's," from whose burdens pretty much everybody
 is looking and hoping for relief, the party has acted and continues to act
 as if it were hog-tied. It shows no purpose to handle these questions in
 the peoples interests. Thus the very things that develop a popular demand for relief are left severely alone.
 During almost an entire presidential term practically nothing has been ac- complished to solve the pressing do- mestic problems from solution of which large part of the needful votes are normally expected. The Repub- licans seem to realize that something must be dug up as an issue, something more or less startling, catchy, so to speak, something having no bearing on the party's record, because that constitutes little more than varied assortment of unified pledges.
 There come reports that the party is trying to drag an issue out of the prohibition situation, which appears to have kicked up something of sea about the ship of state during the party tenure up to date. These re- ports set forth that the campaign may be directed along lines that would take no definite stand for or against the eighteenth amendment, for or against the Volstead act, for or against local option, ,or for or against the continuation of the legally "bone-dry'' regime; but for enforcement of ex- isting law. Such a position might demonstrate the highly artistic attain ments of the Republican party in the school of neutrality, because being neither for or against anything in par ticular would leave ample loopholes to wriggle out of almost any situation that might arise with the people. One trouble with this policy would appear from the outset when questions pop up from audiences in the campaign as to why law enforcement was not se- riously undertaken before the boot leggers developed into formidable and some states were encouraged from the situation to try kicking out of the traces. Another embarrassing question might be why this late official espousal of law en- forcement should come on the eve of a campaign, since observance of law is moral, social and economic prin- ciple, not political expedient.
 Truly the party is hard pressed for an issue when it must fall back on a principle the application of which no voter, irrespective of his party utilization or the bloc to which he attached himself in his hopes for relief, would make bold to oppose; principle to which everybody readily agrees, except the bootleggers, and that is the enforcement of law. The time for law enforcement was before a political situation developed and not after a vote-getting slogan was badly needed. The "G. o. P. Special" doesn't seem to maintain a satisfac- tory schedule.