The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-07-05
WE | CANDIDATE
ABSURD SAYS
BRYAN
Liquor Question Win Not Be
an Issue II Campaign.
AYERS commoner
BY WILLIAM JENNINGS
BRYAN.
Special Correspondent Tor The
Washington Times

BRYAN,
Special Correspondent for Tho
washington Times
NEW YORK. July 5.-The eve
ming session was more peaceful:
the BON was opened yesterday AFTER
noon. and the patient Is likely to
be comfortable unless another bon
appears.
/ have in previous articles dis
cussed the economic issues, the
war questions and the plank that
would have introduced an acute re-
ligious controversy At this time
desire to call sattention 70 the fact
that the wet and dry issue, though
| little discussed, is really very I'M
portant factor in the voting. No
thoughtful observer can fail to
notice that the vets have q bloc
that can be relied upon TO support
no candidate who Ii not known asa
liberal, which is q Euphonious syn
Onym for p wet.
Wherever the vets control. they
are either for Governor Smith or
! for some other wet, and nothing
can shake them. They have argued
themselves into the belief that no
body but q wet can win, and they
think that they are helping the
PARTY when they. try to eliminate
any man with q dry record.
VETS Ont Of Proportion.
The vets have an advantage in
this convention beyond the proper.
ton Of vets in the country. There
are thirty-three States that went
dry by their own act, and the dele.
/ gates from these States have q
considerable majority in this Con-
ventiOn. But all through the dry
States, vets slipped into the delegar
tions, though not one OF them ran
on q wet platform. Wherever the
dryS are in the majority, the vets
plead for harmony. and asserting
that the liquor question Is settled,
beg for recognition and harmony.
But when they get to the conveT-
ton, they blossom out into support
Of wet candidates. They put their
personal views on the liquor ques-
\ ton above the settled and deter
mined policy OF their constituents.
The delegates who contend that
only q dry has any chance of eIlc-
cess have all the facts on their side.
| Prohibition came at the end Of 4
| struggle that had lasted for nearly
fifty years. have already man.
toned the fact that thirty-three
/ States went dry independent Of zach
other: then two-thirds OF both nousee
4 submitted prohibition; then forty
SIX States ratified prohibition and
passed laws putting State enforce
mnet back of national enforcement.
! We have had five dry Congresses
In succession, and three Of them
have passed dry measures by more
than q tWo-thirds vote.
Congress Support.
4 TO make the case sfill stronger.
Democrats, ana more than two
thirds Of all the Republicans in both
Senate and House have supported
every dry measure for many years.
We have few wet newspapers
that still denounce prohibition and
hold out false hope to encourage
the vets to keep up the agitation
Tor change. With thirty-three dry
states. represented by Sixty-six
Senators-seventeen more than q
majority OF the Senate-what chance
has any modification bill to become
3 law. And yet many Of the vets
VINO came to this convention thought
that they werc going to get q, wet
plank in the platform. Only two
OF the subcommittee Of twelve voted
for wet plank, and they did not
take any minority report into the
convention. These are the facts.
and whether they be pleasant or
unpleasant. they control the situa.
ton and compel the nomination Of
dry ticket.
II the vets ere interested In parry
success, why do they not accept the
situation and join in making the
fight on economic issues?
The two parties have platforms
very much alike so that the liquor
question win NOT be an issue ii
tne campaign. But enforcement
VIII De one OF the duties OF the
PRESIDENT 10 1t likely that tho
fathers ana mothers who have for
years fought the saloon and firaJiv
won will look kindly on the idea
Of putting In the White HouSa "a
enforce the law, q man who has
opposed 1t and stu hopes for a
Of It. --->
| We are told that IL the question
- settled no discrimination ought
70 pc shown against q wet because
o. former opposition to prohibition.
That would be true II it were 4
passed issue, but enforcement Il 4
continuing issue. The law Is abso.
luteiy useless except as It III an.
forced. Az long as the vets can
send to the convention a large
group Of determined modification.
lists. who bitterly denounce every
dry candidate and rally to the
standard Of every wet candidate the
drys cannot be indifferent to the
issue raised.
Question Of v. p.
There is a great deal OF active
concern about the Vice Presidency,
The delegates are called out ana
urged 60 support this man or that
man for Vice President. OF course
information is valuable at all times
and the facts given can be laid
away for use when the question
arises; but it is well to remember
J that the selection Of the President
largely determines the selection Of
} 1.-The Vice President, and therefore
no one can intelIigently discuss the
second place until the first place Is
! filled Geographical arguments have
; q great deal OF weight In the &c.
] Election of q Vice Presidents
. much so that the selection OF a
J Presidential nominee from the East,
, would compel the selection OF his
running mate from the South or
West.