The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-09-16
Seymour Lovman Dry Gar Speaks
His Mind Despite Official Nxdqes
Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury Has Been Saying
Things That Make Some
one Sore Ever Since He
Went Into Office. August /
Humorous Spectacle in
Prospect
RY RODNEY DITCHER

Washington, Sept. 10 NEA)--
Seymour Lowman, who is supposed
to be in complete charge of all pro-
hibition enforcement activities. has
learned that this is a soft pedal town
whore a government official who
speaks his mind promptly becomes
as unpopular as polecat at cat
show
Seymour Lowman, assistant Sec
rotary of the treasury. is Il phenome-
non. He is a rough diamond among
many stones so finely polished that
you can't see them for their glare.
He is hard boiled, somewhat rural
gent from upstate New York who was
given his present high post as a sort
of political arrangement with the idea
that he would be figurehead who
wouldn't ever embarrass anyone
An Al Smith, Casualty
Lowman's superiors knew that tact
and diplomacy were not in the man
that as New York politician he
had been SO frank in hurting out
his thoughts that he was sometimes
accused Of atrociously bad taste But
they took him as one who had served
the party vaiiantly only 20 become
one OF the states numerous Al Smith
casualties, and because he was a dry
who worked hard at ii and hence had
the support of the Anti-Saloon
League.
Ever since he went into office on
Aug Lowman has been saying
things that made someone sore One
day ne angcred the vets, another day
he angcfed the drys, another day the
New York Democrats and finally the
Republican party and the administers
ton.
His blasts against "fanatical vets
and fanatical drys," his admission
that It would take 80 900 men to dry
up New York. and his violent attack
on Governor Smith back on the home
grounds eliminated the other day in
an amaginzly frank statement which
has led to widespread reports that
Lowman would soon be forced out on
the heels Of his predecessor, General
Lincoln G. Andrews.
Frantic efforts have been made to
gag Lowman since he asserted that
the prohibition service was full of
crooks and bribe-takers and that the
country would be lucky If prohibition
were enforced within 50 years. An
expression Of paincd surprise grew
on the countenance Of Secretary Mel
Ion when he read that statement
frohlDitlon Commissioner ID oran,
when he read it, went way up in the
AR. according TO those who observed
him.
Just the day before, Under Se.-
rotary Ogden Mills. I.owman's old
political buddy from New York. had
read the riot act to Lowman after
the latter's speech attacking Smith
for the wetness of New York. Mills
Is one Of Smiths most virulcnt en-
emies and the speech was quite all
right with him. but the howl Of pro
test from up New York way at the
remarkable spectacle Of a federal of
fetal invading the state to attack an
important governor forced linn to tell
Lowman to pipe down.
1t would be interesting to know
whether Lowmans startling state
mcnt the next day was an overt
defiance of Mills. 1t will be even
more interesting to see whether the
talking-to which Mellon is said to
have administered to Lowman serves
to quiet the new "dry car" If
LoWman decides to keep right on
shouting what he believes to be the
truth, the country is going to witness
gorgeous and intensely humorous
spectacle.
Hard to Fire Him
Just how Uncle Mellon can fire
Lowman is hard to see. As an old
Anti-Saloon man, Lowman has the
full confidence Of the drys, who
know that he is just as hot for the
cause as anyone they could name.
If Lowman is fired. there will be a
grand howl that he was fired for
his honesty and the drys are so sus-
picious of Mellon on account of his !
former distillery connections and the
present state of enforcement condi
tions so wildly described by Lowman
that Lowmans discharge might cause
a serious upheaval.
The whole trouble is that both
political parties are doing all they
can to soft-pedal the prohibition IS
sue on the eve Of presidential year.
Lowman himself took the opportunity
to deny vehemently that his superiors