Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-02
RY WILLIAM HARD.


In this topsy-turvey campaign the
vets and drys continue to struggle
fiercely over the presidency in the
course of their efforts to settle lsgisla-
tive uuestion---namely, prohibition-and
continue to give relatively scant atten-
ton to the legislative body--rlamely.
Congress--which alone can funda-
mentally deal with that question.
Nevertheless. at this week some faint
general national interest in the wet
and dry composition of the next Con-
greSs was aroused as numerous local
campaigns for the Senate and for the
House of Representatives began to get
actually under way.
In reference to the Senate. 1t can be
said fatty that the chances of the vets
10 control any appreciate part OF that
body In the next Congress are small, m
deed. The Senate Is politically over
whelmingly dry and is destined 10 re-
main so for apparently consioeIaoie
length of time to come.
On this point an interesting Clash
of incidental argufying arises
Some drvs have maintained that II
Gov Smith is elected he Will PACK,
the Supreme Court with judges VINO VIII
give wet wrench to the eighteenth
amendment In their judicial interpre-
tation Of 1t. ,o
The vets, on the other hand, observe
that If Gov, Smith, as President. SHOULD
attempt any such thing. his nominal
tions To the Supreme Court would DC
extremely likely to be rejected by the
dominant crushing senatorial dry ma
iorjtv II is not at all beyond the
senate to make It's views on sucn
matter prevail decisively over tnose o.
the White House -. ,,o,,ro-
Coming then to the House OF Repre-
eentativeS we approach the scene oi
the true impending struggle. ins
House. rather than the Senate, WIN %
the arena OF the activities OF the re-
yivine vets. This is, OF course. oscaase
il Is easier to carry congressional us
tricts for the new idea OF moolIl. .a.
ton" than 1t Is to carry "iloie 0'A"00
senatorially for it A. pro,,,.
h,tior Amendment maintains that IN
tha nresent House of Representatives
there are ca vets Mr.. Emmett Dough-
ertv of the association lists these vets
hv name, and they can be regarded as
the tried -and-true soldiers OF the WEI
cause. a, ether
representatives who, on February 10
iast voted on the wet side of HOUSE
roIi cali designed to take the Federal
rsovernn1nnt out OF the business OF put-
ting deadly poisons into alcohoi wnFn
might subsequently, be bootleggeo 'hto
being used as beverage. ,.
That calculation produces an w.
side maximum total OF 81 VETS III aiie
present House OF REPRESENTATIVES, o"e
of a membership OF 435'
Tn other words, less than 20 per cent
of the membership Of the present
House of Representatives can De count
81 ,Ipon to vote for even curing the
so.called "abuses" of the Volstead law.
n il impartially and scientifically
manifest accordingly that the vets nave
a long way to go before they can -
genuinely and powerfully niluentiai ~
the lower house OF CONGRESS, WheIe .sie
start toward any modihcation "a VIZ
voIstead law and toward any repeM
W. ~ the EIGHTEENTH amendment must
be made. .. .t.a r,ro,,i.
hition Amendment is sending To every
nresent candidate for the House OF rep.
resentatives a QUESTIONABLE calculated
RI nut him on absolute record on the
prohibition issue. .,.a,, =,
the association, says xu1.t
s,.rhe Association AGAINST the Prohi~
hilton Amendment will give support 10
all congressional candidates VINO arc
fighting FOR the principles for wnlcn our
aesaciation stands Active canlpaisns
will BE- waged In MANY dlstrlc's hl Mn.
In Some OF these we feel certaih WEI
Z Ia afAn
Most observers re NJ th~ ooinion mat
II the vets should add 10 to their pres
ent strength In the House ana shouin
come to having a total OF 100 wet votes
In a House membership OF 45o, they
would be elated.
Certainly their dry opponents would
he depressed and alarmed by any such
outcome
DIR. Edwin c. Dinwiddie superintend-
ent OF The Rational Temperance su-
reau and national chief templar OF the
| National Grand Lodge OF GOOD rem
| MARS, who was among the FOREMOST III =
! fiuences In promoting the adnpuon Oh
| the eighteenth amendment End VINO Fs-
mains among the STRONGEST forces IN
now securing its retention, states 10
| this writer
: II feel confdent That IN the f'usH
of representatives in the next Con-
gress the dry forces are more apt TO
gain representation than they are TO
| lose"
Similarly Or, r. Scott Mcbride. gem
eral superintendent OF the Anti-Saloon
| League of America. states TO this writer:
1.-THE nominations and developments
which SO far have happened would In
dieate that In the House OF Represent
atives the dry vote In the next Congress
viii show no slump. but on the contrary
will probably show slieht increase"
These statements have some weight,
since they conn from gentlemen about
whom II Is difIicult to say whether the
vets detest them more for being ''re-
| formers" or more for being practical
| politicians
ON the other hanf 1t is certainly true
that In New York ard IN Illinois and in
California and In Wisconsin and IN
| North Dakota, taken together, there are
numerous districts which on referen~
dums have voted wet. but which are
still represented In the House by dry