Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-03
Illinois Anti-SaIoon League
Will Urge Prohibitionists
to Refuse to Vote.
INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE
FOR SENATE IS FEARED
Might Split Vote and Result in
Sending Wet to Congress,
DR.. Stafford Warns.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
Staff Correspondent of The Star.

Illinois Anti Saloon League will have
nothing to do with George E.
Brennan's personally conducted refer
endum on the wet and dry question,
the petition for which was filed with
the secretary of State at Springfield
yesterday. 1t will do nothing, that
is. except to denounce it. The plans
of the league leaders already have
been laid to urge all the drys in Illi-
nois to abstain from voting in the
proposed referendum next November.
DR.. George 3. Stafford. State supeE-
intendent of the league, today said
that when the proper time came the
appeal to the prohibitionists would
go put, and that he felt confident
it would be needed.
With the dryS abStaining from the
vote on the referendum the wet vic
tory. he insisted. would he idle. These
were the tactics of the Anti Saloon
League when q referendum on the
modification of the NOlstead act to
permit the manufacture and sale of
light wines and beer was held i'll
1922. The w. G. r. L. and other
dry organizations. he said, would
give the same advice 10 their men,
bers AS the league.
Will Go After Brennan.
But while the league plans to
ignore the referendum. il will not
ignore Mr. Brennan. Democratic can
didate for the Senate on Il wet plat
form. 1t is out to beat Brennan.
Tie referendum. the league leaders
hold. is a mere gesture. mea ninglesS
and without real effect. Iii" election
OF Mr.. Brennan as Il wet to the Sen
ate would be a very diffcren! thing
The vets are fond Of those straw
ballots, hoping to impress the public,
and particularly members Of Congress.
thereby" said DR.. Stafford. The drys
do not intend to aid Them in this cam
paign. The eighteenth amendment
and the VoIstead act were brought
about ttrnugll constitutional methods;
1t they are to he modified or repealed
they should be modified or repealed
through. the same CunStitllt.0 .0nal
methods. The vets know they can.
not overcome the overwhelming dry
majoritcs in the Senate and House.
We are perfectly willing to meo: them
in contests for senatorial and con-
gresSionIl elections and W. Will.
Smith Not \lluring.
The drys arc not particularly over
joyed at the prospect of voting for
Col. Frank l.. Smith. the Republi-
can nominee, against Brennan. in
.iaw of the disclosures made before
the Senate investigating committee
showing the heavy contributions
made to smiths primary campaign
by Samue; insult. public utility mag
nate. Still they prefer Smith to Bren-
nan. Smith voted for the Nn!St oati
act while he was in the House, they
say, and his record on the wet and
dry issue has been satisfactory
Moreover. in their opinion, Brennan
shows up no better in the Senate com
mittee investigation than Smith, since
insult contributed almost the whole
sum which was used by Brennan in
the primary campaign and if he had
had real opposition in that campaign
they believe insult would have given
as much more as Brennan wanted.
The drys ordinarily might be in
c,ined to support an Independent can
didat for the Senate against both Smith
and Brennan in view Of the insult incl
dent. But what they fear is that with
Smith in the race an independent
seeking the protest vote would only
spill, much Of the opposition to Bren-
nan Brennan they want to roll in
the dust next November. They recall
with msgivings what happened in
Pennsylvania last MAY when the wet
William S. Ware received the Repub-
lican nomination fOr the Senate. Sen
ator Pepper and Gov. Pinchot split
the dry vote and allowed the vets to
win, they say.
Oppose Independent Race.
SO the thumbs Of the drys are down
right now so far as independent can
didates for the Senate are concerned.
AS many of those who are Disguised
with the situation look at it there is
only one man In the State who might
succeed as an independent in this
election, and that. is former Gov
Iowden. which will have nothing to dc
with the independent candidacy. He
10 a Republican and would never run
as an independent. Furthermore, II
he Is to be a candidate for the presi-
dental nomination in 1928, Gov. Low
den wisely will keep out of the< Hill
nois muss this year.
Without Disgusting their dislike OF
what happened in the senatorial prI
maries, some of the farmers, who
are also dryS, are getting little sat
isfaction out of the fact that the
money uSoQ Ill the CdIlk)dlSl ii Ott'
of the pockets of the public utilities
instead of out of their own. If, as they
are told by political leaders, it is essen
tial to spend large sums of money tc
get a candidates arguments and prin
ciples before the voters, why not let
the wealthy utilities bear consider
able part of the burden. This argu
nent is not general but it merely
tends to show that voters in Illinois
are not taking the campaign fund
disclosures as seriously as they are
being taken elsewhere. This atti
tude is reminiscent of the story of a
State legislator who. in the days
when railroads were permitted to give
masses. spent most of his time de
nouncnig the carriers.
While he was delivering a fiery de
runciation of the roads and their al
legged iniquities, he was interrupted by
a heckler.
Don't you and all the members oi
YOUR family have annual passes from
these railroads." was the question.
Without pausing, even to draw
breath. the legislator replied:
Yes, but I believe in foragi or
the enemy
The vets are charging tl,at the
continued on Page 2. Column A.
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