Evening star., 1926-09-13
W.C.T.U. CAUTIONED
ABOUT 1928 BATTLE
Chance of Presidential Con-
test Turning on Prohibi-
ton Is Stressed.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
The next presidential campaign
may be fought out on the wet and
dry issue. in the opinion Of some
Of the leading drys in the country.
1t is the hope of leading vets that
this will be the case.
In the final message to the dele
gates to the fifty second annual con-
vention Of the w. c. T. u, at Los
Angeles, September 26, Mrs. Ella A.
Boole of New York, national presl-
dent. in a statement made public
today said significantly:
Despite the announcement of Rep
resentative Tilson of Connecticut and
other political managers of cam
paigns now in progress that pro
hibition has no part in politics,
American voters are lining up on one
side or the other of the prohibition
question and all major political STRAIT
egy is directed toward that division.
The next Congress will be dry if
every dry voter votes on election
day: but after that the Association
Against the Prohibition Amendment
will reorganize for a final assault on
the eighteenth amendment. Their
and will be to elect a wet President,
and it is to avert that possible ca
lamity that the w. c. T. U. conven
ton will bend it's efforts
Wheeler Sees Vets Failure.
Wayne B. Wheeler, general coun-
sci of the Anti-Saloon League, is of
the opinion that the vets in both
major political parties will do their
best to nominate wet candidates and
to write wet planks into their nation
al political platforms in 1928.
But they won't succeed" said Mr.
Wheeler, emphatically, today. "They
tried it at the last national conven-
tions of the Republican and Demo
cratic parties and failed. The position
taken by the Anti-Saloon League and
by the Republican and Democratic
national conventions has been that
prohibition is a part of the Constitu
ton Of the United States and no wet
and dry plank was necessary. A law
enforcement plank was written into
both platforms, and a strong one."
Mr.. Wheeler's belief is that in
neither party convention will a wet be
nominated for President. nor will
wet plank be adopted. The drys will
see to 1t that this does not occur. If
he is correct, the national campaign
will not be fought out along the lines
of the wet and dry issue.
Two.Thirds Rule Obstacle.
A hope of vets who look to the
Democratic party as a possible advo-
cate nationally Of modification or re-
peal Of the dry laws is that the two
thirds rule of nominating candidates
for President and Vice President will
be abolished in the next Democratic
national convention and a. majority
rule established. This is a danger
which drys recognize and are ready
to combat. For with majority rule
the nomination of Gov. Al Smith Of
New York, Gov. Albert G.. Ritchie of
Maryland, Senator Reed of Missouri,
or former Senator Pomerene of Ohio,
all regarded as possible leading aspir-
ants for the Democratic nomination,
might much more easily be accom-
plished than with the two-thirds rule
in effect.
The democracy of the South is dry,
while that Of the East and West is
wet in large part. The South has
insisted on the retention of the two
thirds rule in the past so that it
could WELD a veto power, if neces-
sary, on candidates put forward by
other sections Of the country. 1t is
not likely to relinquish this power in
the convention of 1928.
Mr.. Wheeler and other drys frank
ly admit that If a wet candidate, like
Smith, Richie. Pomerene or Reed
should be nominated by the Demo-
Gratis for President. it would mean a
real wet-and-dry fight in the national
campaign. With such a nomination.
efforts to insert a plank favoring
modification or repeal of dry laws
might be possible.
Wadsworth's Future Discussed.
Even with a majority rule govern
ing, as 1t does, in the nomination of
the Republican candidate for Presi-
dent in 1923. the drys feel that no
out-and-out wet will be selected
President Coolidge, many believe. is
likely to be the nominee to succeed
hlmself. But If he should not, wet
strength among the Republicans
might concentrate in favor of Senator
Wadsworth Of New York President
Nicholas Murray Butler Of Columbia
University and Senator Edge of New
Jersey have been mentioned as other
wet candidates for the nomination
IN that event also, though not too
seriously.
The drys insist that Wadsworth
could not be nominated in a Repub-
llcan national convention. But the
drys are forehanded in the matter.
uney are seeking to prevent Senator
adsWorth's reelection to the Senate
IN the Empire State this Fall. I'm
fortunately for them, however, the
election of Senator Wadsworth is
deemed imperative to the Republican
party nationally. If he should lose.
the control Of the Senate by the Re.
publ1cans might slip over to the Dem.
ocrats. But If the drys can beat Wads-
worth at the polls in November, even
though a wet Democrat be elected in
his stead, some of them feel they will
nave eliminated him as a presidential
possibility in the future.
Popular Interest Stirred.
The wet and dry issue has come to
the fore in recent months more promi-
nently than many of the drys believed
possible, though they looked for a
fight by the vets.
With referendums in Illinois, New
York, Missouri, Wisconsin. Montana
and other States. the question is
being agitated prominently before the
people. The successes of Ware in
Pennsylvania. Blaine in Wisconsin,
Brennan in Illinois, Hawes and Will
liams in Missouri and other candi-
dates for senatorial and congress
sional nominations in the primary
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