San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-16
POLITICS GETS
ASTART WITH
OPENING TALKS
Statements by Ford and
Pinchot Start Ball
Rolling.
COOLIDGE IS ATTACKED
Prohibition in East and
Farm Discomfort
in West.
COOLIDGE IS ATTACKED
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

1
far as attack on the administration
of President Coolidge is concerned.
The battle of opposing aspirants
for the Republican presidential nomi-
nation has begun,
Two months having elapsed since
the new President took office, the
opposition in his own party has come,
firs', from the elements which hope
to make an issue of the discomfort
of the farmers and second, from the
groups who believe the administra-
ton isn't sufficiently "dry" on the
prohibition question.
| ] Try Ford's brondsidc of criticism
against Secretary Weeks for selling
| the ~Gorgas plant at Muscle Shoals
to the Alabama Power company, an
act which President Coolidge has de-
Tended, is in line with the CRY of
the American Farm Bureau here for
5-cent fertilizer which Ford opera
ton of the nitrogen plant was to
have obtained.
Governor Clifford Pinchot's vehe-
ment denunciation Of the policy of
the federal administration with re-
spect TO enforcement of the prohibit
tion laws is partly presidential poll
tics and partly prohibition campaign
ing.
To understand the Pinchot speech
in which he calls on the federal gov
eminent to put down liquor insurrec-
tons and assist states to cope with
municipal problems of enforcement
and to get clear idea also of what
William Jennings Bryan is driving
- l. Ia n,,t
and the members of the cabinet to
take pledges as teetotalers as an ex-
ample to the nation, one must know
what is really going on in the Treas
ury Department.
layman as strange that anybody
should be attacking the Coolidge
administration for lack of effective
ness in enforcing prohibition when
Roy Haynes. the federal prohibition
commissioner. who has charge of en-
fOrcement is absolutely satisfactory
to the anti-saloon league.
4ie may be called fanaticai in his
views by opponents, but the "drys"
think he is sincere and capable.
| Why All the Fuss?
Then why all the fuss?
A. The truth of the matter. is Mr..
Haynes is subordinate of the. ;sec-
/ rotary of the treasury. Andrew w.
Mellon, of Pittsburg. Pa. and Mr..
Mellon is credited with having SWEET
sympathies."
The whispers in anti-saloon league
circles for many months have been
| to the effect that Roy Haynes,
| prohibition commissioner, was to be
hampered at every turn by official
| red tape and the obstruction of Sec
retavy Mellon.
The late President Harding was
aware of this situation and to satisfy
the "drys" he dealt direct with Mr..
| Haynes.
Incidentally Secretary Mellon
wasn't offended by this indirection
and took no active part in opposing
the "drys."
Since Mr.. Coolidge came into office,
| the "drys" have feared the new Presi-
| dent would listen to the secretary of
the treasury rather than Mr.. Haynes.
| The President has several times
conferred with Mr.. Haynes and has
arranged through him the program
| of the governors conference here next
Saturday on prohibition.
| Mr.. Haynes spoke in behalf of the
| President last Saturday and assured
the citizenship conference that Mr..
| Coolidge was as sincere in his attitude
toward law enforcement as was Presi-
dent Harding and Of course the lat
ter in his Denver speech won the
hearts of all drys.
| He advocated the giving up of
stocks of liQuor even though lawfully
acquired and later on he permitted
newspaper correspondents to tell the
public that he himself had ceased
] taking even the occasional drink
which in recent years he would take
after a golf game.
Inside the ranks of the "drys' the
dissatisfaction with Mr.. Cooolidge's
| silence on the prohibition question
/ has been disconcerting.
They want him to take the same
active part in enforcement that
! President Harding did.
! Governor Pinchot comes from Mr..
Melons own state.
In this he finds the powerful hand
of Secretary Mellon lined up against
him.
The shrewd leaders Of the dry move
ment know this and actually set in
| motion a citizenship conference at
which Governor Pinchot is not only
chosen to preside but is given chance
TO make an attack on President
Coolidge's administration which he
couldn't very well make at the gov
ernors' conference next Saturday at
the White House where the visiting
governors will be personal as well as
offiriaI guests
Mr.. Pincifot is used TO smoke out
Mr.. Coolidge or rather to build fire
under him 30 that next Saturday
Mr.. Coolidge will say the words that
want to be said by the head of the
nation.
Coolidge From Wet State.
Furtherm9e. Mr.. Coolidge comes
from the wet state of Massachusetts,
where the battle for the final enact
ment of a state law TO enforce the
eighteenth amendment of the federal
| C 1stituti still RACES.
A petition can hold m the present
! law for a referendum vote and the
drys feel that Mr.. Coolidge's support
in his own state will help them a
lot there.
Former Governor Henry J. Allen
of Kansas. thinks the Coolidge admin
| istration has done its best on prohibit
ton enforcement and has prepared
reply TO Governor Pinchot.
II. natls ottanfton 20 fhe faNf that