Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-03-25
TO
BE DEMS GOAL
IN BIG RALLY
Effort to Prevent In
s~truction Against
Smith, Others Seen
BY Texas Writer

BY c. ID. Wade
AUSTIN, Texas, March pa
statewide rally Of those opposed TO
giving the Texas delegation to the
national convention positive instrue-
tons against Smith, Reed and Richie
will be called within the next two or
three weeks. II will be called BY
men who are drys. who favor a dry
platform and who are against Smith,
Reed and Richie, but who favor par
~ harmony.
One prominent man, a warm sup
porter Of Governor Moody's position
as taken at Dallas. in criticising the
attitude Of the very drys at the Dali
las meeting. said, "Some Of those
people 1T Dallas are not concerned
about the success Of the party. They
are concerned about making q grand
stand play on what they know to be
the popular side, prohibition, with a
view 10 personal rewards and gain
1T Is time that the democratic
party in Texas got away from the
leadership OF such men and turn for
advice to men who are really con-
cerned with the welfare Of the party,
and also with the cause of prohibit
tion."
Moody Using Head
II will be recalled that at the Dali
las meeting Moody told a group Of
very drys that he would support the
nominee Of the party, whoever II
might be. and his statement met with
a few handclaps and several boos. A
college president followed him and
said, If AL Smith is nominated !
will bolt the democratic ticket, so
help me Cod" and the crowd roared
and stamped its feet and vigorously
applauded.
Moody Is using his head in the in
terest Of prohibition. He knows that
II the Texas delegation is 70 have
enough influence to get a prohibi-
tion enforcement plank into the ma
tional platform. and If il is TO take
the lezd in getting the nomination Of
q prohibitionist like Cordell Hull,
Walsh or George, II must not antago-
nize the biz delegations from New
York, New Jersey and Missouri. Talk
about never voting for Smith,
Reed OF Richie might sound good as
q political platitude for home rem
sumption, but il will do nothing to-
ward creating harmony in the party
and achieving the ultimate aim of
the prohibitionists.
So, from the prohibition stand
point. the question is whether
Moody's calm, friendly-to-all, gra-
cious attitude. with a fixed but un-
advertised determination against any
. wet will achieve more than the de-
fiant, trucnlent, antagonizing and
highly advertised air of the very
drys.
Many Put Party Second
There Is an element in the state
that has become so imbued with the
prohibition question that they put
prohibition before party. even in
party matters. And what makes the
situation worse Is that they are join
~~d4hxs year By some who four years
z put khan before party in party
matters. The khan had full domino
tion Of the state convention at Waco
four years ago, and refused to send
r. Harper Kirby and Mrs. Claude De
Van Watts to New York MS delegates
because they were not In sympathy
with the khan.
There is another element IN the
state, made up largely OF younger
men, Of the type Of Steve PincEnev
Of Houston, Bob Holiday Of FL Paso.
Ben Cox Of Abilene, "A. j. Wirtz of
Seguin, Dick Fleming Of Houston and
many others, who put party first in
party matters. Some few NAV be
against prohibition. but n vast ma
iority of these are for prohibition,
but they do not regard prohibition
as the sole test Of true democracy.
They recall that Woodrow Wilson
was not in favor of prohibition and
could not have met that test.
Moody Could Lead
That is the element that Is looking
about now for a leader, and when
that leader comes forward there will
develop a cohesion in their forces
that may defeat the Tom Love reso-
luton to instruct the state delega-
ton against Smith, Reed and Richie.
thereby closing the doors Of the ho-
tel rooms Of the Missourians. New
Yorkers and New Jerseyites TO Texas
delegates during the convention. And
il Is in the hotel rooms that the next
party nominee will be selected in
case Of a deadlock against Smith in
the first few ballots. And he will
not be named except by consent AZ
the New York, New Jersey and Mis-
scuri delegations. for they and their
friends Will control more than one
third Of the votes.
II Dan Moody expected to remain
in Texas politics he probably would
step into h breach and become the
leader of the younger democrats. for
ne y OF the ideal type-a dry, a
Protestant, never allied with The
khan, young and nroOraeeSvo n.
Moody does not desire LEADERSHIP
He has no need or desire for n ma
chine. such as could be built nm orr
cf this situation and II is hardly
probable that he will take a lead;ng
part If he can avoid 1t.
IL seems settled now that the anti
Saith element and drys will control
the Beaumont convention and that
the Texas 40 will never be Instructed
for Smith, but a hot fight Il IN sirht
over fnstructinr n~Cainef hin,