New Britain herald., 1926-10-01
POLITICAL PARTIES AND PROHIBITION


 If 1t he true, as some assert, that prohibition is now outside the realm Of politics. that 1t is not to be identified with political plat forms or made part of political aspiration, then what is the use Of referring to the subject at all What is to be gained In the realm Of modification or repeal of the Volstead act and the 18th amend mcnt if the politicians, of the grand old party especially, are in tent upon not seriously referring 10 prohibition during their election campaigns?
 Haven't we been told from time immcmorial that the way to achieve results in this democracy is to tack our reforms and our re- peals to the political band wagon? Haven't we been told that If some thing is to be achieved in the realm Of government, the way 10 do it is to make it a part of po- litical aspiration?
 Most surely that is the case. That is the way prohibition came about in the first place - through the ramificauon of the Anti-Saloon league and the dry interests gen. erally with one or both of the ma jor political parties. For several generations prohibition tried to make headway through it's own Prohibition party, and the way it did it was 10 make scarcely sufIi- cicnt headway to justify it's votes being counted on election day. They were always about onc-twen- ty-ffth of the other voters.
 Thon the Anti-Saloon league started anti u-salooning and devised the plan of interesting politicians; churches backed the league and were Identified with it; dry organ izations lined up behind it: the original Prohibition party and its decrepit record was entirely for gotten. And thus we came to the point where prohibition began to prohibit - at least, so the law tried to make it appear.
 Now, after inc political party - the dominant political party-has been identified with the prohibition cause from the inception of the Anti-saloon league, we suddenly discover that it is being claimed for it that there is no longer any need for making Of it q paramount political issue.
 The Republican newspapers in New England on the whole are as deadly in earnest against the pro hibitioa era as any newspaper run by Governor Al smith Of New York would he. The Republican organs. in truth. are more con sistcn' fighters against prohibition than any other newspapers; yet when it comes 10 the point of ac- tualy achieving something by definitely attaching anti-prohibition to the party scheme they reueg violently, saying prohibition has no place ia politics any more
 What ls the Use of discussing the subject. then. if it Is not to be a part Of the political platform What is the use of advocating mod ihcation or repeal if thumbs are turned down on the only manner in which that can be achicvcda
 In one such issue of a party or gan we read that prohibition re- mains the most important question before the body polite. In the next issue w read thai prohibition must not become a part of the party aims. If the latter statement is true, then the former need scarce lv be mentioned more than once in three years for all the good it will do, 1T the former statement is true then a political party should have courage enough to take stand "as ie one.