Evening star., 1926-10-03
Referenda in Nine States
and Positive Stands by Nom
inees Force Question.
NEXT CONGRESS TO SEE
PROHIBITION MAJORITY
But Gains by Ants Expected in
Both Senate and House From
November Races.
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN.

ten by voters in some OF the states
this Fall because Of their interest In
the wet and dry issue. In other States
the two old major parties have them
selves seized upon the prohibition Is
sue. naming wet candidates and in
serting wet planks in their platforms.
or naming dry candidates and declar-
ing for prohibition in their platforms.
The issue has leaped into far great
er prominence than the drys had ex-
pected or the vets had hoped. In
part, this is because there are no
great issues today dividing the Re
publicans and the Democrats, their
differences are largely in degree rather
than in principle. Differences In de-
gree are difficult for the people to
grasp. But the wet and dry issue
every one believes he understands.
Certainly every voter has decided
opinions about 1t.
The wet and dry fight this Fall is
confined to no single section Of the
country, although there is one sec
ton in which the issue has not been
raised-the South. II the senatorial
race in Louisiana is excepted. The
question has been raised by referenda
in nine States. 1t has been raised in
senatorial and congressional elections
in many more States. And it has been
written into party platforms In a few
of the States.
States Having Referenda.
The States in which the referenda
will be held are California. Colorado,
Illinois Missouri. Montana, Nevada,
New York. Oregon and Wisconsin.
The petition for referendum in Ore
gon has just been filed by the Oregon
Prohibition Referendum Corporation:
In Ave of these States the referenda
submit to the voters the question
whether the State dry enforcement
codes shall be repealed. These States
are California. Colorado. Missouri,
Montana and oregon.
In the other four States, Illinois,
Nevada, New York and Wisconsin.
the referenda appeal to Congress to
change or modify the prohibition laws.
In New York and Illinois the ques-
ton submitted in the referenda 1s'
Shall the volstead act be changed 50
as to leave to the States the decision
Of what constitutes an Intoxicating
liouor?" In Wisconsin the question
is whether Congress shall be requested
to modify the Volstead law. The WIS
consin referendum merely propounds
the question as to whether 2.7o per
cent beer shall be legalized. The
referendum in Nevada proposes that
Congress be asked to call a, constltu-
tional convention so that an amend
ment to the eighteenth amendment
may be proposed.
Voting Opposed by Drys.
The attitude of the dry organiza-
tions of the country, particularly the
Anti-Saloon League. varies regarding
these referenda. 1t is, of course, an
attitude of opposition to all OF the
referenda, for the drys hold that the
prohibition question has been settled
and all the agitation today IS oesloe
the mark The vets take the oppo-
site view. But while the dry organi-
cations urge their followers to vote
in the referenda of the first group,
those in which it is proposed to repeal
State enforcement laws, they are
strongly opposed to having the dry
voters take part in the second group
of referenda, which they declare are
unconstitutional referenda.
With the drys assuming this atti-
tude toward the referenda in Illinois.
New York, Nevada and Wisconsin, IL
is a. foregone conclusion that the vets
On the other hand. the drys will
fight tooth and nail to prevent the
repeal of the dry codes in California.
Montana. Colorado, Missouri and Ore
Son believing that the repeal OF State
codes merely plays into the hands of
the bootleggers and lays too great
burden on the Federal enforcement
units. The drys have an advantage.
too. in mere proposals to repeal the
state codes. Throwing the State code
into the discard means merely the
announcement of lawbreakers within
the State, and even many persons who
believe the eighteenth amendment and
the Volstead act should be modified
are opposed to doing away with en-
forcement officers as long as the
eighteenth amendment and the Vol
stead act remain unchanged.
Attitude Of Wet Leaders.
| The attitude Of the vets has been TO
60 through with all the referendum
/ fights in the States. except that in
Missouri. Their candidates acceptable
! to the vets have been named for the
/ senate by both Democrats and Repub-
licans While Senator Williams, Re
publican. is not the dripping wet that
| Representative Harry Hawes, the
| Democratic candidate, has become. he
! is regarded as moist" and accept
able So the wet leaders have ad-
vised their followers to LAY off" the
referendum in Missouri and to con-
| centrate their efforts on electing wet
officials Senator Jim" Reed has
frowned on the referendum, and so
have the national officers of the
I A A. p. A.
| This is the attitude of the dry or.
/ ganizatlons toward the referendums in
| Illinois and New York. for example.
| There they are advising drys to pay
| no attention to the referendum but
to concentrate on the defeat Of George
/ E. Brennan, the Democratic nominee
| for the Senate, running on wet plat
| form in Illinois. and wet candidates
! for the House OF Representatives and
/ to concentrate on the defeat of Sena-
| tor Wadsworth. wet Republican leader
of the Empire State.
! The drys maintain that the refer
enda in New York, Illinois, Wisconsin
and Nevada are unconstitutional and
+ should be ignored. Further, they tn-
sist that such referenda can have no
real effect on the situation. They
/ hold that the Constitution does not