Evening star., 1928-04-01
MARYLAND ISSUE
SEEN PROHIBITION.
Bitter Battle Looms Between
Bruce and GoIdsborough
in Senate Contest.

Special Dispatch to The star.
BALTIMORE, March 3l.--Regardless 81
OF what other sections Of the country
may do. prohibition apparently will be
the one big. burning issue In Maryland
this year. 1t has become certain In the
last few weeks.
How clear cut the issue will be re-
mains to be seen but. despite the plea
of Daniel G. Roper for Democrats to
eliminate the question. Maryland men,
bers of that party will do everything
possible to agitate the question and
make 1t as distinct as possible, 1t Is be-
lieved.
Persons who have not studied the
Maryland situation but have relied on
the speeches of William G.. McAdoo and
Anti-Saloon leaders concerning the wet
ness of the State. may be unable to
understand how an issue can be made
when the majority stands on one side
Of the question. These persons may
consider the espo,lsing of the dry side
Of the question the worst sort Of RASH
ness for Statewide candidate.
No Decisive Campaign.
Such, however. Is not the case. In
the first place, there has never been a
decisive Statewide campaign fought out
mainly on prohibition lines. The two
sides of the question have never seemed
to be able to come together without
some other factor interfering.
But the prospects for the 1928 battle
seem bright for those who relish a
knockdown and drag out fight on prohi-
bition. It Is almost certain that the
Democratic senatorial candidate will be
William Cabell Bruce, the most out
spoken wet in the upper house of
Congress.
It Is equally certain that his Repub-
lican opponent will be Phillips Lee
Goldsborough reputed to be dry and
stanch friend of the Anti-Salocn
League. Since becoming a candidate.
he has declined to express his views for
the time being on this question or any
other.
Nationally It appears that Herbert
Hoover. an avowed dry and regarded as
such In Maryland. will be the Repub-
lican presidential candidate. Gov.
Smith, opposed to prohibition and con-
sidered still a dripping wet by Mary
landers, despite his recent sacred law"
utterance. seems to have lead for the
Democratic presidential nomination that
cannot be headed off.
Democratic leaders in Maryland, par
ticularly those in Baltimore. have
thought of these facts for some time
and their hearts have gladdened at the
issue they see before them In some
parts of the country MIR Hoover's atti-
| tude on prohibition may be regarded as
| unimportant, but in Maryland 1t is of
the greatest significance. and IL Gov.
Smith is his opponent. It will be brought
to the attention Of every voter.
Bruce VS.. Goldsborough.
The prohibition fight will center
principally between Senator Bruce and
MIR. Goldsborough. The issue will fade
into thin air II the latter asserted that
he was as wet as Senator Bruce and
pledged himself to work for a modifi-
cation of the Volstead act
Although Republican politicians have
been telling Baltimoreans that Mr.
Goldsborough Is not as dry as he is
reputed TO be. 1t Is not believed that the
former governor will espouse the wet
cause. II he comes out Mkewarm
against prohibition or attempts to strad-
die the question, the Democrats will
accuse him OF being dry and the issue
would remain as prominent as II he ex-
pressed APPROVAL of prohibition.
Aside from speculation on this phase
OF the coming campaign, the only thing
Of Importance In Maryland politics dur
ing the past week was the announce
ment Of William p. Jackson. Republican
national committeeman, that he was
supporting Hoover.
FRANKLIN WALTMAN. Jr,