Evening star., 1928-06-19
The Wet-Dry Issue at Houston.

Building a platform on which Gov.
Alfred E. Smith Of New York. If NOM
mated for President. can stand firmly
and souarely is likely to tax the in
genuity Of the Democrats at the Hous-
ton national convention next week.
Gov. Smith has wet record. He is re-
garded by the supporters of prohibition
as a wet and by the opponents Of pro-
hibition as q wet, which should make
it unanimous. The Democrats can leave
prohibition and law enforcement out Of
their platform entirely. They can write
in dry plank, they can write in wet
plank and finally they can write in a
plank that seeks to straddle the issue.
For campaign purposes 1t would be
eypedient for the Democratic national
ticket 10 run "wet" in the East and dry
In the West and South. But such
feat is difficult of accomplishment. II
is impossible to carry whisky on one
shoulder and water on the other.
These Democrats who wish to NOM
mate Gov Smith for President, and at
the same time appease the prohibition
lists of the West and South, like to re-
fer to the governor as an enforcer of
the law, all laws. The fact remains,
however. that he signed the law re-
pealing the State prohibition enforce
ment act of New York. He is not in
sympathy with the national prohibition
laws and doubtless would repeal that,
too, If he could.
The talk now in Houston is that the
Democratic convention will declare for
law enforcement "and let it go al that"
Smith, they say. can stand on that
platform. It is not a platform that viii
satisfy the prohibitionists. especially in
view of the remarkably dry plank which
vas inserted in the Republicans ma
tional platform at Kansas City last
week But it may fill the bill SO far as
the Democratic national convention is
conoerned. The convention also will
probably nominate a dry from the
West or South to run on the national
ticket with Suith. But here again the
Democratic ticket viii fail to please
the drys as well as the Republicans. for
the Republicans have placed two drys
on their ticket. Hoover and Curtis. The
Democrats may undertake TO name
Cordeli Hull Of Tennessee or George Of
Georgia as the vice presidential candi-
date TO run with Smith. Or they may
pick woollen Of Indianapolis or Dona-
hey Of Ohio, or some other Midwestern
candidate. all dry. They would be far
more consistent II they should name
Senator Jim" Reed of Missouri, wet,
to run with Smith, provided. of course.
Senator Reed, candidate for first
place on the ticket, would consent to
play second fiddle to the New York
governor. They might even choose Gov.
Albert Ritcflie of Maryland for Vice
President and 60 the whole way.
Tour years ago. meeting at Madison
Square Garden, the Democrats placed
the following law enforcement" plank
in their platform. largely at the insist
ence Of the late william jennings Bryan
and other Western and Southern drys:
The Republican administration has
failed to enforce the prohibition law, Is
guilty Of trafheking in liquor permits
and has become the protector of viola
tors Of this law. The Democratic party
pledges itself to respect and enforce the
Constitution and all laws"
The Houston convention may adopt
dry plank In the platform, and Gov
Smith. in his speech Of acceptance,
msy--as some believe he wiil-write his
own platform. When 1t comes to writ
ing into the national platform a dry
plank. pledgtag the Democratic party
To the support Of prohibition. and at
the same time nominating Coy. Smith
Tor President. the convention, II 1t fol-
lows that course. will give the country
Al least good laugh