Evening star., 1927-10-09
LEAGUE !
WILL SPEND $1,75O,OOO
Dry Organization to Investigate Every
Candidate Long Before Primaries
of Next Campaign.

lustrate their addresses with lantern
slides or moving pictures. Debates in
high schools and churches are promot-
ed and occasionally the radio is press
ed into service. Such work, entailinE
considerable expense. is regarded by
the dry leaders as part of their rOu-
tine educational campaign.
At Westervile. Ohio. the league
maintains a mammoth printing estab-
lishment devoted almost wholly to dry
propaganda. A weekly newspaper.
The American Issue, is published
there not only for the national organi-
zation but in special editions for vari-
Gus States A stream of propaganda
flows out continuously from Wester-
Vile to every section of the United
States. More often than not the thou
sands of circulars or pamphlets are
sent wholesale to the various State
orga nizatiOnS, paid for by them and
by them distributed.
1t would be difficult to say where
the purely political work ends and the
pure propaganda begins. The one
dovetails into the other so neatly that
in a campaign year the pressure of
the entire effort makes itself felt in
the campaign.
300 Paid Workers.
Between 300 and 500 paid employees
of the league will draw regular salaries
from the national and State organiZa-
tiOns during the coming year. Most
of these are stationed east of the Mis-
sissippi New York with % paid work
ers, Illinois with sc. Ohio, 25: Pennsyl-
vania, IS; Massachusetts, 10; Indiana.
10, these are among the best manned
States of the East. =
California leads the western states
with a paid force Of about 20 workers
attached to the league and other States
average forces about as follows: Wash
ington, 8; Oregon. 3; Idaho. ,; Utah, /;
Nevada. l.; Wyoming. =; Montana. 8;
Colorado, 3: New Mexico and Arizona.
3; Iowa. 10, Minnesota, 10; Wiscon-
sin, 8; Michigan, 10.
In the South and along tho tor -
the dry line is thinly held. Plans for
1928 include the employment of s
workers in Texas, 2 in Louisiana, In
Arkansas, 10 in Missouri. 6 in West
Virginia and similarly small numbers
in other States.
AL, told. the plans for 1928 contem.
plate a minimum of 200 to 300 field
workers on the pay roll during the
coming year. In addition. there will
be the necessary complement of clerks
and other office workers. The fore
going figures do not include the force
employed at the printing plant at
Westerville.
While the field organizations OF
the league are throwing themselves
into their local political fights. the
| national headquarters at Washington
will devote much of it's attention to
the coming legislative session.
Legislation Is Sought.
It's program has been partially
drawn up and the list of measures
which the drys will ask Congress to
enact into law includes the following:
A law providing for the deportation
of aliens convicted of dry law VIOLA
tions.
A law increasing the penalties for
violation of the dry law. designed
chiefly TO prevent the imposition of 81
| fines and other light sentences by wet
or moist Federal judges.
| A law to permit the employment Of
| retired officers of the Army. Navy and
Marine Corps in the prohibition en-.
| forcement service.
| There will be other requests. too,
but the foregoing represent the main
features of the legislative program as
| far as it has been worked out at the
present time. At the Washington
| meeting of the leagues directors. to
he held in December, it is likely that
this program will be amplifed.
Fight on Candidates.
Reverting to the proposed political
activities of the league next year. the
dry leaders have decided against a
drive for law enforcement plank in
party platforms on the theory that
the American people have already set.
tied the liquor question" by the adop.
tion of the eighteenth amendment.
Hence, there will be no repetition Of
such attempts as Bryan and other dry
leaders made in the past to have the
platform committees at the national
conventions again bring prohibition
to the fore in the two conventions.
At the same time. DIR. Mcbride as.
serts. the league will not oppose the
placing of law enforcement planks in
the party platforms. The fight next
year. as he sees it. will center over
'andidates rather than platforms. Here
is the leagues formal declaration of
its position in that respect:
1T would be inconsistent in any
party standing for law and order to
put in nomination for President a man
who cannot be relied upon to keep his
oath of office to uphold the Constitu.
ton and enforce the laws.
I'VE assume that no party will put
in nomination for President or Vice
President one whose attitude on this
| question is known TO be doubtful or
antagonistic
Smiths Record Opposed.
| ut goes without saying that the
Anti-Saloon League of America will 10
all in its power to defeat at the polls
any candidate of any party who is
opposed to the broad American prin.
ciples announced herein"
| One goes away from DR.. McBridc's
office with the impression that there is
nothing Gov. Smith or any other pres
idential candidate of wet sympath'es
can do to win dry approval during the
coming campaign. Moreover. an idea
seems to prevail, certainly ut league
headquarters. that if Gov Smith is
nominated he may run on dry plat.
| form.
| What would be the attitude of the
| drys in that event?" DR.. Mcbride was
| asked. Would they support Smith,"
He shook his head II don't think
So" was his reply. Gov. Smiths rec.
ord is not one to win dry support"
II