Evening star., 1923-11-04
PUTS DRY
ISSUE IN 1924 RACE
Governors Policy Has Made
Question Outstanding In
Presidential Fight.
,peciai Dispatch to The star. .

,peciai Dispatch to The Star.
HARRISBURG, Pa, November s.
'ov. clifford Pinchot has made such
droit use OF the prohib: ton enforce
.ent situation that there Is not much
SO talked about in Pennsylvania
olitics and, in spite Of all the efforts
- months to keep 1t out OF the 1924
campaign, II BIDS fair to stalk
, through the count .es when they elect
their national delegates and state
comn1itteemen and nominate congress
sional and legislative candidates next
April. In some Of the districts the
speeches and letters on the subject
have dimmed even interest In local
elections. always more or less en-
gaging here the year before a presi-
Dental contest, and a plan to hold a
meeting here in December to or
ganize to prevent the governor from
getting delegates simply aroused his
partisans.
The republican state organiza tion
Is act for election of an uninstructed
Pennsylvania delegation and the
Pinchot course has been to go
around it. To all intents and pur-
poses, while never discussing wheth-
er no intended to be candidate or
not, he has been creating sentiment
In other states. 1t might be said
Pinchot Is farming in the middle west
and letting his home garden take
care OF itself. The extent of this
cultivation in the valley of the
Mississippi has made some of the
Pinchot- people In Pennsylvania rest :
less. and when the meeting to block
election of delegates who would be
FOR Pinchot at any stage of the con-
start something. Apparently not
much encouragement was given be-
cause some of the men who wanted
to launch booms got into the class
with the old 1912 Bull Moosers. who
10 not like the idea of Pinchot having
anything to do with the regulars.
Speech Tonr National,
The Pinchot speech -n,ak king sched-
ule Nor November certainly has a ma
tional flavor and a western outlook.
The governor Is to speak to the Ma
tional Grange in Pittsburgh the mid
die OF the month end then journey to
omaha to address the National Farm
ers' Union later in the month, with
visits here and there in Pennsylvania.
which will afford opportunity for dis
cussion OF matters of interest to
woman voters who will meet here
economists who will be in Philadel-
phia. educators and various other
groups. And ri the time the prohi-
bftion enforcement issue will be kept
moving. Next Thursday the COVER
nor hopes to have a further powwow
with the anthracite coal operators.
who have shown no Inclination to
join his project to absorb the miners
wage increase before 1t perches on
the coal bin. So the situation Is Mr..
Pinchot will be much In the public
eye for a while.
Friends' Ardor coels.
Various senatorial statements that
the delegation should be uninstructed
have sunk in at Harrisburg and
probably led TO the cooling of the ar
dor of some of the Pinehet. boosters.
Friends of the governor realize he
would face a tremendous battle If he
contested for the delegation. His op-
ponents are willing to vote for him
along with their slate for delegates
at large, which will include the two
senators and Secretary of the Treas.
ury Mellon, and maybe to give him
compliments, but beyond that they
wish to maintain that some term tns
traditional Pennsylvania attitude.
Prohibition seems to have dried up
the democratic excitement, which
showed signs of getting under way 4
again after the election.
One of the interesting slants on the
election in this state Is a new $50,
100000 highway construction loan.
This takes a constitutional amend
uent In careful Pennsylvania. and as
the Pinchot administration will spend
the money, some leftover feelings
from the recent legislative session
and still older animosities seemed
likely to assail the loan as a drive at
r.
been Strengthened out, but until they
were the situation was the reverse of
Ave years ago, the, rural counties
favor In the loan and the cities. for
political reasons chiefly, the other
way. Outside Of the loan there were
numerous county and municipal bat
ties which will have bearing upon
delegate elections next spring, al
though Pinehot is not directly an is
sue A. BOYD HAMILTON.