Evening star., 1926-11-28
I;Y @. G0ILD LI\COI.N.


- IL. stir caused by the small
band oi vets in the Senate at
Tia" hast session of Congress is
declared to he only a curtain
raiser 10 the uprOar which the
anti prohibit ionists plan for the com
in% session.
on the othcT hand. the recent cleo
t"ns. including the referenda in eight
States. have inlica ed 10 the dryS tina
they must fight desperately if they
are to retain the hold they now pos
scss aud are not to lose further
ground.
The wet and-iry issue is not TO he
allowed 40 drag by either side. II is
perfectly true that the dryS still main
tain large, even oNerW helminG, ma
joritics in hUjh houses of Congress,
hut il is equally true that the vets
made 'nroads on the drys in the last
elections. Particularly noticeable was
this i, the senatorial elections. where
WALSH of Massachusetts. Blaine -
Wisconsin ard Ware Of Pennsylvania
all diSlndGed Senators regarded as
drys. ANA Halves of Missouri and Tyd-
ings ut Maryland defeated men who
Siraddled the issue. seeking both Vet
and dIy support. The drys ha' the
defeat of Senator WadsWorth ir New
York as a victory for their side But
tft5 iff'i ItNuit, ~ LII 't9 liit t7Flt'Alt ~
Concerned. was to elect Justice Robert
i. Wagner, more strongly wet than
W adSWorth. is possible.
Sought as Major Issue.
The danger to the dryS and the
hone of the vets is the possibility and
even probability of making the wet
and-efry issue Il major issue in the
national campaign Of 1928, It true
that the drys may win in Suci con
test but il would be Il recognition of
the fact that the prohibition q testion
is by no means politically dead, as the
drys have endea vored to make it ap-
pear ever since the adoption of the
eighteenth amendment.
The view of the vets. as expressed
hy Senator Bruce of Maryland. is that
the wet and-dry issue cannot be kept
out of the next national campaign.
He visualizes the nomination nf wet
Democrat-Smith. Ritchie. Reed of
Missouri or another. He doea not be
1ieVe that dry Democrat would have
a Chinaman's chance to carry the
election for President. He does be-
lieVe that a wet Democrat would have
a real chance of success.
If tho vets can drag the wet and
dry issue into the national campaign,
they figure they will have accomplish
ed a great deal. This is the chief aim
Of their leaders i'm Congress at the
coming session. rather than the enact
ment nf q legislative pragram. They
realize they have no chance of amend
ing the dry law. The most they can
do is to prevent the strengthening of
these laws. They insist that they are
not worried by continuance of
ma jortN Of drys in both Senate and
House.
See Shift i'm Strength.
One" the wet issue is taken into a
national political campaign and devel
ops considerable strength. the vets
believe there will he n great shift in
the dry voting strength III the House
and Senate,
In the opinion of Senator Bruce,
scores pt members Of Congress are
waiting only for some definite indica-
ton by the voters of how they feel
regarding the proposed amendment or
repeal Of the dry laws. He made q
statement or The floor of the Senate
that not more than of the 80 mem
bers of that body We're personally dry.
and he insists that it was never chal-
lenged.
The vets in the Senate and House
plan to hold a conference early in the
coming session to determine Just what
course they win adopt. one thing is
certain. however. they plan to con-
tinue what they have termed a cam
paiCn of education. seeking at all
times to show that the prohibition
laws have failed TO prohibit 1t may
be expected that speech after speech
win he delivered in both houses along
these lines. ana every effort will be
made 10 obtain for them the greatest
publicity.
The wet strength in the Senate viii
receive additions Immediately upon the
meeting Of shat body. Senator-elect
David /. Walsh of Massachusetts and
Senator-cleCt Harry Hawes of Mis-
souri,, both of whom We're elected as
wltngnG vets. will present their Gre
dentials and he sworn in. The vets
are looking to Walsh to carry Il CON
siderable hurticn Of the wet propa-
ganda. They are counting on turn
Ing his ability as a speaker to good
account.
The Latest move of the atiministra-
tion--SecretarN Of the Treasury Mel
Ion and Assistant Secretary Lincoln
c. AndrCWS-IS Re proposal that the
Government uue-rtake TO set up dis
tillcrle- f. J" .G}tiaCtUre medicinal
whisky which = authorized under the
CnuS- sutton and by law. A bill for
this purpose viii be transmitted TO
Congress when that body assemblies.
These dStilerirs. under the plan now
advanced. would bo financed by pr-
v#te capital. hut so closely under the
supervision nf IA" Government as to
amount practically TO Governments
controlled n'ants,
Wheeler AGAINST Proposal
The proposal has caused some con
fusion in the prohibition ranks.
Of the Auti Saloon League. is against
Il. Gorlaring that there IS enough
whisky now in the bonded warehouses
10 meet uU needs for medicinal whisky
foa. tho next sc'.-u or eight wears
Ever = ne srirply should run out,
ssr Wheeler believes the better plan
would be - import Equor from
Europe or Canada To meet the needs
here for medical treatment. lie dis
likes greatly the idea Of the establish
ment of new diStillcricS in the United
states.
On the other hand. there are drys
st the CAPITOL who believe that the
adoption of some such plan as that
NOW advanced by General Andrews
might result in The better supervision
of whisky uSed for medicinal purposes
and prevent much of the diversion of
medicinal whisky To beverages pur-
,4cS.s, vShts'N now goes on. They so
~ far as 10 say that i the plan should
r,roxc 4 success III the manufacture.
distribution and sale OF medicinal
whisky. il might he undertaken also
for the manufacture and distribution
of Industrial alcohol. which is now