Evening star., 1927-10-25
VOTE IN KENTUCKY
TESTS PROHIBITION
Dry Law Is Keynote of Race
for Governor-CoIorado
Faces Fiery Fight.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

November will witness two State
election test votes on prohibition.
Their results will be watched by poll
ticians of both parties as indicating
which way the 1928 presidential wind
is likely to blow. Both elections will
be In States ranked as doubtful in
national campaigns, and liquor is the
paramount issue in each OF them.
Kentucky, on November s, will elect
. new governor. November Is. Colo
RADIO. in its largest voting constituency
the capital city Of Denver-will vote
for a member of the House of Repre-
sentatives at a special election called
to fill the vacancy created by the
death Of the late William Newell Vaile,
Republican.
How party lines are split and criss.
crossed by prohibition is typihed
graphically by the Kentucky and
Colorado contests. In the Blue Grass
State the Democrats have nominated
former Senator John C. w. Beckham
for governor. He is an uncompromis-
ing dry, and his other moral issue"
IS bitter opposition to "the race track
crowd" long q potent factor in Ken
tucky politics. The Republican nomi-
nee for governor, former Chief Justice
Fvlem D. Sampson. Is wet and pro-
race track.
Winner I'm Doubt.
The contest is red hot, and the win.
ner at this hour is in complete doubt.
If Beckham conquers, his friends are
already talking about his eligibility for
the Democratic presidential nomina-
tion. That will make two Democratic
white and dry hopes from the COM
monwealth of beauty, horses and
bourbon, for Senator-elect Alben w.
Barkley has a lightning rod ready to
unlimber.
In Colorado it's the Republicans
who are on the dry side. They have
nominated Finley mcfarland, prohi-
bitionist, for the Denver congressional
former Chief Justice S. Harrison
White, is a wet. Judge White was
nominated on a wringing moist plat
form, which calls for repeal of the
Volstead law and was adopted at
convention by an overwhelming vote
OF nearly to /. If the Democratic
vets win the Denver election. It's
altogether likely Colorado will send
an AL Smith delegation to the national
convention.
II the drys triumph, Colorado Demo
erats are reported all set to adopt
Huston Thompson, former chairman
OF LHS F0uGIdt
now practicing law in Denver and
Washington, as the Silver States IA
vorite son. Thompson is Protes.
taIit, a progressive and dry. The
Denver district is ordinarily Repub-
lican by 10000, but 1t went wet in the
1926 election ION prohibition referen-
dunn issue) by $500.
"ReaI Smith Menace
One of the prominent members of
the Coolidge administration who is a
factor in the politics of a big Eastern
State described to this writer during
the recent week end what he calls
s'the real AL Smith menace" This is
how he thought out loud:
1.-The common theory is that the Re-
publicans must nominate man sure
to keep al Smith from carrying New
York State. That is not the peril in
q Smith nomination. The danger Is
that Smith is likely to poll the BIZ
partisan and non.partisan vote among
men and women who are opposed to
prohibition. This is what I call the
revolt vote 1t isn't a sopping wet
vote. It's rather the vote of people
who believe in modified prohibition, be-
cause they have come to the conclu-
sion that Volsteadism, undefled, is
unenforceable.
Smith, even IL elected President,
could not wipe out the Volstead act
or repeal the eighteenth amendment.
That isn't the practical political aspect
of Smith candidacy from the Re-
publicant standpoint. The practical
phase Is that Smith would personify
the wet or modificationist argument,
and every Republican politician
worthy Of the name knows that the
governor would command enormous
support on that account alone.
at would be q futile support, If
you please, as far as the thirst vote
IL concerned, but 1t would be a pro.
test support. the dimensions of which
Republican managers cannot afford
to underestimate. To gauge the size
of that vote Is their chief nrohlera