Evening star., 1928-06-10
BAY STATE DRYS
DEALT HEAVY BLOW
Anti-SaIoon Head Fails to
Prove Charges Against
Legislature.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


BOSTON, June o.-Almost on the eve
of what it regards as the most important
'2ttle 1t has faced in years-that of
! keeping Massachusetts, from swinging to
| Gov. Smith of New York for President
the dry forces of the Fay State have
| been badly shattered almost overnight,
| confidence in thatr leadership destroyed
| and their power rs political factor
/ greatly weakened.
| State Superintendent William NJ For
grave of the Anti-Saloon League is the
/ man responsible for the situation Be-
| lieving that his action would help in the
| campaign undertaken by the league to
raise $4,000 for use in the next few
months. Forgrave made public sensa-
tional charges that wild drunken orgies
attended the proroge.tion of the Legis-
! iature in the State House in 1927 and
demanded an investigation.
! He soon |inad ur sa""ral clerpvplan.
| who wrote to Gov. Fuller asking for an
| investigation, and as result vi which
| the governor sent special message to
the Legislature demanding an immediate
| letter, signed BIZ 1877 Greater Boston
| clcrgymen
In the meantime Forgrave gave out
| daily statements TO the newspapers to
keep the subject alive. comparing booze
conditions In the State House TO the
back-rocm saloon DAYS prior to the pas
sage OF the eighteenth amendment.
Probe Body Created.
The Legislature created a special
| commission 10 investigate the charges
and ForgraYe and several leading min
listers were placed under oath to produce
| IN ka aNk 1<af rfa
| One after another they stated they had
| no evidence and no personal knowledge
OF any kind that would sustain the
| charges, but Forgraye produced two de-
tectiVes who he had employed to in
vestigate conditions at the time specified
| In his charges. These detectives testi-
| fed TO having seen one or two men
under the influence Of liquor. that they
s. three women come out of the State
House. but admitted they saw no liquor.
The investigation exploded Thursday
when the State police presented TO the
! investigating committee the criminal
records Of the two Anti-Ealoon League
| detectives. One had been In one or
| more insane institutions and had served
| two years In hospital for the criminal
ly insane for fe!onious assault on his
mother. The other. under an alias, had
| been convicted In New York OF SNUG
cling aliens into the United States and
had been fined S700 and sentenced TO
serve fiVe days In jail.
The thorough discrediting Of the
leagues detectives has also thoroughly
discTedited ForgraVe and his methods
and has spit the Anti-Saloon League
| The organization is engaged IN an In
ternal row, out Of which may come Mr.
ForgyaVe's forced resignation, The end
is not yet. for the Legislature Is certain
10 publicly Yebuke the league. and Gov
Fuller, himself an ardent dry, iss SC
aroused over the Ioose cnaroes NJ For
grave that he will probably issue a
statement bearing on the situation
The "wets" Of the State. particularly
the Democratic followers OF Coy. Smith
Of New York for President, are tubilsnt
over the situation and state that For
grave has played right into their hands
1t is un1uestionabiy true that the blow
10 the drv cause will have material
effect on the voters, many Of whom haye
become disgusted with the manner III
| which the "dryE" have been riding
rough ghod over the political fields In
tn" oast few Years
The Massachusetts, delegation 10 the
Republican national convention, iSl
strong, left Boston for Kansas City BY
special train this morning and will
arrive In the convention city Monday
night. The delegation is one OF thf
largest sent 10 q convention from the
Bay State In recent years. En- route the
delegates will decide upon q national
committeeman N succeed Chairman
William NJ. Butler and q national com
D1itteewoman ~ succeed Mrs. Charles
Sumner Bird, both Of whom are re-
tiFing.
The delegation WIN cast 81 votes
for Hoover on the first ballot and two
for Coy Fuller but IL Is likely thai
after the FIRST ballot, If no nomination
Ia forthcoming the entire 30 votes will
60 70 Hoover. WENDELL u. HOWE.