Evening star., 1926-09-17
Is Liquor to Be a Party Issue ?

ne DeInOcFdtlC party IN COnneCtl-
cut, in convention. has declared for
repeal of the eighteenth amendment
to the Constitution of the United
States. No pussyfooting there. 1t re-
mains to be seen what the Democratic
State convention in New York will do
| with this Issue. In some quarters it
| has been urged that the New York
Democratic party need not write a
wet plank into its platform, that with
! Gov. Smith and Justice Wagner head
ing its ticket sufficient "wetness" will
have been shown. But such course
would scarcely meet with approval of
| a large part of the party in the En-.
| pire State
Coincident with the action of the
| Democratic State convention OF Con-
nect!cut on the prohibition question,
! William a. CASTOR. Democratic NOM
inee for Governor of Massachusetts,,
! has declared that he is a wet and will
| make his campaign for election as
| such. VIII he be able to drag former
Senator David /. Walsh, candidate for
election to the Senate against Senator
| William M. Butler along with him on
the liquor issue? So far both Walsh
and Butler have avoided this issue. 1t
does not appear reasonable to suppose,
however, that the Democratic ticket
in Massachusetts can long remain
only half wet.
The declaration by the Democrats
OF Connecticut against the eighteenth
amendment and the announcement of
Col. Castor that he will run as a wet
for Governor of Massachusetts are
| merely further manifestations of the
| impossibility Of keeping the prohibit
ton issue out of party politics. 1t is
true that prohibition was written into
the Federal Constitution in non
partisan. or rather bipartisan, fashion
But as prohibition has become again
an issue at the polls, the difficulty of
keeping it non-partisan issue has be-
come more and more apparent. And
gradually, Notwithstanding the arid
ness of the solid South" the Demo.
cratic party is being more and more
forced into the roll Of crusader for the
wet cause
1t is true that in some States the
Republican candidates for office are
running as "wets," because in those
States wet sentiment Is supposedly
strong. But Republican State plat
forms have not declared for repeal of
the eighteenth amendment. 1t Is true
that in New York Senator Wadsworth
has announced himself in favor of re-
pealing the prohibition amendment,
but the Democratic party in New York
is more solidly wet than the Repub
lican. In Illinois George E. Brennan,
Democratic national committeeman,
is running for the Senate on a strict
ly wet platform. Indeed, it is his sole
issue. Harry Hawes. Democrat, is a
wet candidate in Missouri for the
lican, Senator Williams.
The effort of the Anti-Saloon
League in the past has been to work
through both political parties in the
dry cause. 1t has been highly success
full. It's effort now will be to prevent
either party in national convention
from declaring for the wet cause.
There is little doubt. however, but
that the results of referenda on the
liquor question in many States, and
the elections of candidates for office
in November, will have their bearing
on the matter. Some of the drys are
already convinced that the national
campaign in 1923 will be fought out
along wet and dry lines. and the vets
are earnestly hoping that this may be
the case. If so, will the Democratic
or the Republican party carry the wet
standard? What will the South do if
the Democrats should nominate wet
presidential candidate?