Evening star., 1927-10-03
pr ROHIBITION SEEN DEAD ISSUE
IN 1923 BY WALSH OF MONTANA
Says Question Likely to En-
ter Local Fights, but
Not Party Battle.
Places Tariff First-PIans
Two Inquiries Into Big
Business Operations.
BY ROBERT BARRY.

tana, permanent chairman of the
Democratic national convention in
1924. and an undoubted power in his
party. says he cannot conceive of the
prohibition question rising to the dig
nifty of a national issue in 1928.
The Senator is stanch advocate
of national prohibition. He declined
to alter his stand after Montana had
voted in 1926 to repeal the State en-
.forcement act, except those provisions
against sales to minors. The result
of that referendum was an overturn.
the State having voted in 1916 for
'bonedry" State law.
"One need only refer to recent tests
in both houses Of Congress" Senator
Walsh declared. "to satisfy himself
that in so far as public sentiment is
whelmingly dry.
AN exceptionally accurate Wash
ingt0n correspondent says Congress
is as dry as to /, and that in four
CONGRESSES since constitutional prohi-
bit:on was adopted there has been no
retrogresSion. There must be, there
fore, very substantial change of
sentiment before repeal becomes
live issue.
'The wet and dry question undoubt-
edly will enter into many congress
sional contests, but it is unthinkable
that either party will declare in favor
Of repeal in whole or in part, or for
reversal Of the policy"
Views of Nominee.
Senator Walsh was asked whether
the individual views Of the party's
nominee might not be more important
than any prohibition plank in the
party platform.
''If the vets have a candidate" the
Senator replied, his attitude will, in
all probability, be so well known as
to make a declaration in the platform
unnecessary and from the standpoint
of practical politics bone-headed."
The Senator hesitated.
"Is that quite clear to you?" he
inquired.
"You mean," the reporter asked.
THAT if the candidate should be a
wet it would be bone-headed for the
party to be dry in its PLATFORM"
Precisely" Senator Walsh said.
rot what value, except to make the
party ridiculous. could a platform
declaration be. since the personal
views of a wet candidate would be
controlling and, after all, that is what
the people would be swayed by"
Issues Are Outlined.
you do realize, however, that
there are those who wish to have the
wet-dry thing fought out to finish
In the Democratic convention" it was
suggested.
II am not unaware" Senator Walsh
declared, that there are men who,
either from wholly ocmmendable
motives or from obviously sinister de-
sign, would like to have the Demo-
cratic party rend itself over this
question, but am not persuaded that
the party is going to do anything of
the sort, for the reason I have just
stated.
There is little excuse, If any, for
nistaking the sentiment of the Ameri-
can people on this. issue"
Assuming that the Democrats would
not attempt to make prohibition an
issue or the issue in 1928, Senator
Walsh was asked to outline what in
bis opinion were questions of larger
Importance to engage the talents of
the party spokesmen.
He said he had not the slightest
hesitancy in doing that. He disclosed
then his purpose to sponsor two i'm
portant inquiries during the next
Congress.
Places Tariff First.
Senator Walsh listed issues in the
following words:
First. The tariff, with the very
obvious necessity for reform in that
particular.
Second. Farmer relief, involving
the working out of practical plan
to afford the farmers an equitable
opportunity.
Third. Political corruption, includ-
Ing corruption of the electorate
through expenditure of vast sums of
money in congressional and senatorial
elections.
Fourth. The growing exactions Of
trusts and monopolies."
AS the author of resolutions of in
quiry into the Aluminium Co. of
America, and the prosecutor in the
Teapot Dome and Doheny oil lease
Inquiries, Senator Walsh was urged
to outline his ideas ON the fourth of
his issues.
Plans Two Inquiries.
II shall offer in the next Senate
resolutions for two inquiries" he said.