The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-12-03
PROHIBITION AND THE 1928
CAMPAIGN
BY n. ID. Cochran

If the political strategy Of the Ant-saIoon League
works out prohibition will be live issue in 1923 until
after both parties have held conventions
and then it will drop sight Their plan of cam
paign is to force both parties nominate dry can
didates commit the Democratic party to prohibition
in it's platform and then the Republican party get
by with a plank favoring law enforcement
This means blanketing the Democratic party and
putting 1t out Of the running 1920 and
1924.
The AntSaloon League campaign now takes form
as fight against Governor Smith. primarily because
he is openly wet, but the most will be preu-
dice against him because Of his religion And Anti
Saloon League won't talk much about that but its
ally, the EuKlux Khan, will work It for all it is
worth
The tactics are easily understood Without the
Solid South there isn't much to the Democratic party
The South is predominantly Protestant and dry be
cause OF the great strength of the Methodist and
Baptist Churches. Although the bosses Of the Anti
Saloon League Ohio Republican observation-disclosures
they have access to most Protestant pulpits from
which they can preach politics in the guse of prohibit
ton righteousness.
They won't jump on Smith because he is a Dem
ocrat but because he isn't prohibtonist. So they
will use their influence to delegates the Dem
ocratic national convention who for McAdoo or
any Democrat who is dry and against Smith Prob
ably the favorite SON. racket will be worked in order
to get dry delegates for dry favorite various
States. The main object will be to get anti Smith
delegates.
Then will follow row in the Democratic conven
ton between the vets and the drys like that 1924
Then another Republican landslide on election day
Wayne Wheeler and his associations will take care of
the Methodists and Baptsts and VIII Hays will look
after the Presbytertans The foxy film politician is al
ready at work. He is heading a campaign to raise
fund Of S15O0OOO 600 to provide pensions superan
nuated Presbyterian preachers
McAdoo who has gone both dry and antiCatholic
Will be lured on by the tempting hope that the dry
West will hitch with the Solid South and elect a
Democratic President. But anybody who knows any,
thing about politics ought know that the West ism =
going Democratic for McAdoo anybody else simply
because he happens to be dry When he put his presi-
Dental eggs in the Dry-Relgious basket he merely
got ready to be scrambled.
1t is true that the AntiSaloon League bosses licked
Wadsworth In New York but that was done to frgbten
Republican vets elsewhere and to help keep the
Republican praty sufficiently inundated so the vets
couldn't make any Roadway in that party while the
cerfcopoliticians putting the finishing touches
on the Democratic party. For if two dry candidates
are dominated there will be nothing for New York
and other wet States to do but run along with the
Republican party
To carry out this plan it is necessary to make the
Democratic national convention dry and prevent the
nomination of Smith; for there is some danger that
the South might Democratic If Smith should he
nominated. and along with it New York New Jersey
and other Eastern and possibly Middle Western
States. If the Democratic South gets away from the
cunning Ohio Republicans who the AntiSaloon
League and always play the presidential game with
Big Business and the Republican organization there is
no telling what might happen