The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1928-06-09
To
SEEK DRY
STAND
OF
By WILLIAM x, HUTCHINSON
international News Service

international News Service
KANSAS CITY. June 9.-The
prohibition issue, which came roar
ing into the Presidential campaign
last spring. like March lion, ap.
peared today to be passing out Of
the Republican /, picture like the
proverbial lamb.
The ardent "drys,' who MANNED
fight to incorporate in the Re-
publican platform a plank indors-
ing the Volstead act, pledging en-
forcement of the Eighteenth Amend
ment and extolling prohibition, APP
peared. doomed to defeat without
even a good run for their money.
The prospects all pointed to adop-
ton of generality" plank. based
upon suggestions proffered by Sena-
tor William e. Borah, of Idaho,
which merely called for obedience
to the Constitution, without spe-
officially mentioning prohibition.
Feared Stampede
The amazing development in the
prohibition situation was the ap-
parent abandonment by Borah, Of
his much-heralded drive to force the
Republican party into an outspoken
and specific declaration in favor of
the prohibition law. 1t was Borah
who harassed all the. Republican
Presidential candidates a few months
ago by writing them dry" ques.;
tionnaires, asking the high office
seekers not only how they stood on
the prohibition issue, but how they
felt about enforcing it and whether
they favored its repeal.
Party leaders expected Borah, in
view of his missionaries, to lead
a real battle for a ''bone-dry" plank
in the Republican platform. They
actually feared he might be able to
stampede the convention into adopt
ing such a plank.
But the Boraf1 suggestion, as
forwarded to Senator Reed Smoot
of Utah, prospective chairman OF
the resolutions committee, con-
tanned no specific reference to
prohibition. The party leaders
couldn't believe their eyes. There
was the single word Modification"
in the Borah plank, which by the
widest stretch of The imagination
could be taken to directly refer to
prohibition. Otherwise, his plank
cited the views once expressed by
George Washington, regarding the
sanctity of the Constitution. The
reference to qualification" merely
cited how any concerted attempt
to ignore the Constitution was a
menace to American institutions.
No Dry Reference
ssTho ,lopL that .Capator Bora h
prepared contained no direct ref
erence to prohibition, Senator
Smoot explained. 1T was entirely
satisfactory to me and to all party
leaders who have seen it.
1t was reported that some OF
the "rnoderates'' thought the Borah
plank so weak" that an amend
ment was added to it. The amend.
ment was said to have referred TO
the Republican Party's traditional
stand for law enforcement.
The mildness of BOrah's recon-
mendations was believed effectively
to have eliminated a prohibition
fight on the floor Of the cOnven-
ton. The handful of militant
"drys" undoubtedly will make q
fight before the resolutions Gem.
mittee for their "bone.dry" plank,
but with Borah, their leader, salts.
fled, their cause seemed hopeless.
A dozen Republican leaders. ma.
ational committeeman as well as
chairmen of State delegations, had
planned a fight on the Borah plank,
before they learned it's portenrs.
Once informed, however, their OPP
position disappeared.