Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-15
Prohibition Cuts Both Ways.

Herbert Hoover, regarded as the cam
didate Of the "drys," was elected Presi-
dent q year ago over the walls of the
vets, who rallied, in most cases, to AL
fred E. Smith. Mr.. Hoover, 1t will be
remembered. carried New York State,
which includes New York City! He did
not carry the metropolis, but 1t is a
matter Of record that the Smith vote
in New York City was far less i'm
pressive than it was expected to be.
Yet the Republican party in New
York City has, informally at least,
agreed to the nomination OF wringing
wet, Representative La Guardia, for
mayor Of the city. It is quite true that
Mr.. La Guardia got the Jump on other
possible candidates by making an early
bid for the mayoralty nomination. and
It came to him somewhat in the nature
Of default. But, however it came to
him, he has It, or will have 1t, as soon as
the primary has ratified the choice Of
the unofficial Republican convention.
Here Is an anomaly. apparently. But
1t is explained by the fact that the Re-
publican party, though mostly dry, also
has It's measure of vets in certain 10
calities. One Of them Is New York City.
Republican vets, however. have Jared
Ill in politics generally speaking in the
Empire State. The great trouble lies
in the fact that while many Of the Re-
publicans Of New York are wet, there
are also q great many Republicans who
are dry. The latter take their dryness
more to heart than they do their Re-
publicanism. They believe in swatting
wet when they see one, and II he hap
pens to be a Republican wet, they swat
him all the harder. That was the fate
of former Senator James W. Wadsworth,
jr. And 1t is likely to be the fate Of
Mr.. La Guardia. The dry Republicans
Of New York in 1925 nominated an
independent dry Republican for the
Senate and cast some 100000 votes for
him on election day. This made the run
ming for the wet Tammany candidate
for the Senate, Senator Wagner, COM
paratively easy. Dry Republicans in
the Greater City today are planning to
run an independent dry Republican
for mayor against La Guardia and
Mayor Jimmy" Walker, the Democrats
entry. II II were not for the evident sin
certify of the Republican drys. and also
the apparent long lead of Mayor Walker
in this race. the fine hand Of Tammany
Hall might be looked for behind the in
PRODUCTION of this third candidate In the
field. Dividing the opposition by such
tactics is an old game.
The Democrats, in such wet territory
as, New York City and Boston, for ex-
ample, have an advantage over the
Republicans, for the latter are partly
wet and partly dry, while the Demo-
Gratis in those Northern cities are nearly
all wet. So the prohibition issue Is
real problem for the Republican lead
ers in New York and Massachusetts,.
It divides the G. o. P. In those States
much as 1t divides the Democratic party
nationally. It will be observed that in
Virginia, for example, the Democrats
have nominated this year for governor
a dyed-in-the-w dry, Henry Garland
Pollard. They are proclaiming his de-
votion to the dry cause. particularly to
meet the attacks of the fusionistS, the
Republicans and the anti-Smith Demo-
Gratis. And II the Democrats Of the
populous States Of the North and East
aided by some of the Middle Western
States, and perhaps one or two Of the
Far West. should succeed in nominating
a wet for President in 1882. as they
did in 1923, the Democrats Of the South
will have nothing to do with that ticket,
in all probability.
Prohibition is In politics. That is
CERTAIN. But 1t has created the most
mixed-up situation for the major po-
litical parties that they have ever
known. Neither party has officially de-
clared itself prohibition party. though
the Republicans, nationally speaking,
have gone pretty far along that line.
The Democratic candidate for President
last year came out fiatfootedly against
the present dry laws and he lost States
which have always gone Democratic in
the past. Up to date there has been no
real party division along the lines OF
the wet and. dry fight. The drys sue
ceeded in winning TO their cause millions
Of Republicans and millions Of Demo-
Gratis. II they have their way, they will
never turn loose the grip they have on
both the old parties. II prohibition is
to be fought out on political lines, 1t
can only do so after q new alignment
has been made.