The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1928-06-01
DRY DEMOCRATS WILL BOLT
Dry Democrats of the solid South"
Declare They Will Not Vote for
New York Governor

Speaking IN The First presbyterian
Church. Washington, D. c., June 3, Su-
perintendent F. Scott Mcbride, of the
Anu-Saloon League said:
Thirty-five years ago the Anti-Saloon
League was established on the principle
that the voters will support dry candi-
dates on the ticket of another party
rather than vote for wet candidates on
their party ticket. 1t was the applica-
ton Of this principle to the liquor problem
that made America dry. For thirty-five
years in countless contests it has been
demonstrated that party ties are not
strong enough to bind dry voters to a wet
candidate. In the coming presidential
election, Ii one party dominates wet and
the other a dry, there will be the most
overwhelming shift that has yet been ex-
perienced in the dry movement. Wet
leaders in the East who have had little ex-
perience in prohibition contests of the past
will be greatly mistaken if they rely on
party ties for the support of a wet can
didate by Democrats in the South. II
any one of the prominently mentioned
wet candidates for the Democratic nomi-
nation is placed on the ticket the South
will demonstrate its loyalty to prohibi-
ton.
Our Virginia State Superintendent, Rev.
naire to the preachers of that state Out
of SIS replies, representing eight denomi-
nations, one said that he would vote for
Al Smith, one would vote for Reed one
would vote the straight Democratic ticket
and all the others said that they would
support dry Republican in preference to
a vet Democrat.
In Kentucky, Dr. E. Y. Mullins, Presi-
dent of the Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary recently declared publicly that
he himself, though a lifelong Democrat,
would not vote for wet presidential cam
didate and that in his opinion 98 per cent
of the Baptist preachers of the South
would take the same stand.
In Tennessee a petition being circulated
In opposition to the nomination of a wet
Democratic candidate is being approved
by 90 per cent of the voters to whom it is
presented In Chattanooga at the South
ern Baptist Convention a resolution pro-
posing that the Baptist preachers remain
neutral in political fights was defeated by
a vote of 5000 against and only three
votes for. This indicates that practically
every Baptist preacher in the South is
determined to fight in the coming cam
paign for the principles in which he be-
lieves.
In recent issue of the Baltimore
Southern Methodist the editor Rev DR..
Carlton d. Harris, declared that if the
Democratic party will make as its stand
ard bearer a man who is the avowed
champion of the wets-it can not expect
the support of men who stand for the
principles of morality and righteousness
and for the largest advancement of the
people. We do not advise staying home
on election day if the New York candidate
is nominated but casting ones vote where
it will count most against him and all
other wet men,"
These expressions by preachers and
church leaders indicate that the dry vote
will not be delivered to a wet candidate.
They express as well the sentiments of
millions of church members throughout
the country. If the Democrats nominate
a wet candidate in the face of strong OPP
position of the rank and file of the Demo-
cratic party it will mean not only the de-
feat of the candidate but the deposition
of the party leaders responsible for such
nomination Furthermore, it viii mean
that throughout the country hundreds of
Democratic candidates for other Offices
viii be defeated unless they publicly de-
clare their opposition TO a wet candidate
at the head Of the ticket