Evening star., 1926-03-13
PRESIDENT WARNED
NOT TO Be M|SLED
BY STRAW BALLOT
Anti-Saloon Leaders Confer
at White House on Dry
Enforcement.
ACT SEEN AS FIRST STEP
IN COUNTER.0FFENSIVE
Senator Edwards. in Meantime,
Vigorously Assails Bootlegging
and Drinking at Capitol.

During a brief conference at The
White House today between Presl'
dent Coolidge and members OF a sub
committee of The national executive
committee Of the Anti-Saloon League
of America. the President was toid
that the straw votes on AMENDING
the Nolstead law being taken By
newspapers in various sections OF the
country should not he taken seri-
ously. as they are neither signif1cant
nor indicative of the actual feelings
Of the public in general.
Matters concerning effective en-
forcement Of the prohibition act ais"
were brought up during this CONFER
ence.
The conference was looked upon as
the first step on the part Of the "dry
leaders Of the country 10 assume
counter-offensive as a result OF the re
cent activity in Congress on the part
of advocates of modifying the N"!-
stead law.
Edwards Makes Assault.
While the Anti-Saloon League mem
bers were i'll conference with the
President another assault was being
made on the dry law at the Capitol
Senator Edwards. Democrat, New Jer-
sey. attacking conditions here.
DR.. Arthur g. Barton of Kansas
City. Mo, who was chairman of the
dry" committee. stated, after seeing
the President. that the primary OBJ
ject in coming 10 the White House
was to discuss matters regarded by
the Anti-Saloon League as being OF
great Importance to the effective en-
fOrcement Of prohibition, and that the
discussion of the newspaper straw
votes was Of lesser Importance.
With DIR. Barton were DR.. A. II.
Briggs Of San Francisco and William
NJ. Forgraye of Boston.
Silent on Interview.
The matters referred to by them
as important TO the enforcement o.
prohibition would not be revealed by
the members of the subcommittee
after leaving the Presidents Office.
They did not think il would be expe-
dent to discuss this part Of their
conference at this time, but though
it best TO confine the account OF their
conference TO what they told to the
President regarding the newspaper
straw vote. they said. The latter was
explained in the following statement
which the committee gave to the
press:
THE advance press reports OF our
visit 10 the effect that the chief mat
ter to be presented to the President
would be the straw vote being CON
Quoted by some OF the newspapers
were in error. This matter was men
toned only incidentally. We did call
the Presidents attention to the fact
that this straw vote is not a matter
Of any serious significance. Such
votes do not express the sentiment OF
the people. There is no qualification
for voting except the possession OF q
ballot clipped from a newspaper: the
constituency of each newspaper il
mainly local.
Most of the papers engaged in this
matter are in large cities where the
sentiment for prohibition has not
! been strongly developed and We have
credible evidence that wet organ
/ izations are pushing voting: no
restrictions can be imposed on the
socalled voting: and any number of
ballots can be made out in any num-
ber of fictitious names.
Drys Keep Hands on.
THE friends of prohibition. as a
class. will not take any part in these
so-called votes and will not be seri
ously concerned about nor disturbed
by the results of the ballot In effect.
whether so intended by the news
papers or not, the straw vote is n
part of the wet agitation and
propa Ganda which is being carried on
in advance Of the congressional elec
tions of this year: it may be ignored
by the dryS and cannot he considered
as an expression of the sentiments
of the qualified voters or of the ma
jority of the people.
'If the Anti-Saloon League and the
other temperance organizations had
the large sums of money which the
vets have ard were TO put forth
the effort which the vets are put
ting forth concerning this matter, and
il they were willing TO adopt ire
sponsible methods or to fall in with
the irresponsible methods adopted by
others. the straw vote would show a
big dry majority.
''The vets may adopt such methods
and may carry on their propaganda:
the 'drys' will not be disturbed. They
will pursue the regular legal methods
Of aScertaining the views and the will
of the people and will maintain and
enforce the eighteenth amendment,
the national prohibition code and the
several State laws enacted both be-
fore and since the adoption Of prohi-
bition as a national policy Of the
people.
''The main matters put before the
President today are not expedient to
discuss