The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1928-06-22
We / ISSUE HELD
GREATEST At
HOUST ON
Nv GEORGE 4. HOLMES
I,.ternatioral news Service

HOUSTON, Tex, June ~ The
prohibition issue stalKed Ike =
gaunt, gray ghost today among the
early arriving delegates TO the
Democratic National Convention.
ii was uppermost in everybody's
mind; ii was gossiped about ana
speculated upon IN the hotel lobbles
wherever politicians gathered e
figured In every brand of pre.co'1-
vention speculation
Only a negligible few 81 tne ".
rivals. whether delegates or so'calleu
leaders, believe that the tight over
the presidential nomination VIII pe
anything but short and srappy, ne 2
opinion that Gov. Al smith VIII rs
nominated within three ballots Il 81.
universal that It Il accepten on ~
sides as ii fact, with the possible 50
ception Of those who are paclelliR
Senator James A. Reed
Reed Men Hopeful
The Reed managers still grlnniy m
ssist that Smith isn't nominatea-
and won't be. but they are gettlnss
little encotIra cement.
The prohibition issue. Or ratlIeF
Sthe ullestion Of how the Democrats
are IL deal with 1t in their PLATFORM
next week. has become, for the time
being at least. the paramount issue
in fhis prec0nvention InaneuveTlIlg.
Norman Mack, the veteran New.
york national committeeman, raissd
~ issue ~ his bald statement that.
Governor smith was and II in favoF
~ SLOWING each state to make It's
avn INTERPRETATION OF the dry laws;
senator George IT. Van Nance. cam.
,,aivn MANAGER Tor Governor Smith,
Contributed To ii BY his rather sharp
81 SoinflAr that no oTie was authorized
Is speak for the New York Govern 81.
= smith Unchanged
smith himself added to II by r.
ASSERTING at Albany last night ms pc
Iief that the present Volstead law
sI,c,,ld IS amended. The Governor
said in effect. that the fact he was
800 ra,,didate for the White House had
not operated to change MS nina ~
this point in the slightest
Despite the avalanche of state
y,,e,,fa ana threats on both sides. il
! nnaared wholly likely today that
the nIatforIn which IL to be adopted
next week simply will reaffirgn the.
nIank 81 1926. which pledged the
marty to rigorous enforcement ma
respect for all laws. Such Is the
advice OF even those temperate drys
like Senator Pat Harrison of Missis..
sippi, who already is looking beyond.
Houston and toward November.
Senator Harrison does not believe
that it Is necessary for the Demo
Gratis to single out one law, the Vol
stead law, for example, and pledge
It undying support and allegfance.
The militant drys, however. viii
not content themselves with this
view Of II. What they want and
what they Intend to fight for Is.
d plank that goes at least as far as
the Republican platform IA naming
the Eighteenth Amendment. They
will be satisfied with nothing less
and they are going to demand
good deal more In the resolutions
committee.
Supports Enforcement
on the contrary. 1t was said BY
Gov. Smiths friends here. there will
be no inaistence from New York on
an out-and-out wet plank. There
il no doubt, they say that Gov.
Smith would IKE 10 SEQ his party
indorse his own views on the de-
STABILITY or amending the Volstead
Act.
He said as much IN HIS letter
to the jackson day dimes in
Washington last January. But
the governors. representatives In
Houston will make no serious
fight for such a plank here, prin.
cipally because they realize the tn
tility OF It, Their real fight ii to-
prevent the radical drys from build.
ing bone-dry platform upon which
Governor Smith could not stand
without stultfying himself.
The Smith representatives here
point out that no candidate for
any cffice could run on q plat.
form OF not enforcing the law.