Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-07
Politics at Large
By. C.. Could Lincoln.

puulCdHo LIleTe backing Representative
La Guardia for mayor against jimmy
Walker, who is slated to be candi-
date to succeed himself, with the back
ing of Tammany Hall. La Guardia Is
q wet" a militant wet. Dry Repub-
licans IN the greater city, aroused over
Mr. La Guardias candidacy, are threat
ening to put dry candidate for mayor
of their own into the field. It does
seem that the Republicans backing La
Guardia have enough troubles on their
hands and enough odds against them,
with the Democratic organization back
ing his opponent, without having split
in their own ranks on the wet an ana dry
issue. It was such split in 1926 that
brought about the defeat of Senator
James w. Wadsworth, jr., a Republican
wet. Some three hundred thousand
votes were cast for dry independent
Republican candidate, enough to make
sure theNelection Of Senator Wagner, a
wet, Tenmany Democrat. 1t Is true
that most of these dry votes were cast
upstate and not In New York City
which does not boast as many drys.
Nevertheless, Mr.. La Guardia is going
TO need all the Republican support he
can possibly get and the report that the
drys are to meet Friday to consider the
nomination of an independent dry Re-
publican is not to be classed as good
news from his point Of view.
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Former Gov. Alfred E. Smith, II re-
ports from New York are true, has
succeeded in having his friend, Con-
troller Charles w. Berry, slated for re-
nomination for that Office. Controller
Berry was put on the ticket four years
ago upon the insistance of Mr.. Smith.
This year he has interviewed for Berry
nf thu ncY0nNrQtiH
leaders. particularly McCooey of Brock
lyn, was demanding another candidate.
The decision of the Democratic leaders
to renominate Berry is interpreted as
meaning that Mr.. Smith not only has
not lost his hold in New York to the
extent advertised several months ago
when Tammany selected John F. Curry
as Its leader, but that he has regained
some of the strength he may have lost.
Efforts to keep prohibition out OF
politics and to consider it a closed
issue are being made by both Re
publican and Democratic leaders in
various parts of the country, depend
ing upon how it cuts into party align
ment. In Virginia, for example. where
a gubernatorial election is to be held
this Fall, the Democrats are soft-pedal-
ing the issue. The regular Democrats
have nominated John Garland Pollard,
a dry. They all claim they are drys.
But their opponents, the anti-Smith
Democrats, insist that in the guber-
material race this year is involved a
great test of the strength of prohibit
ton. To elect Pollard. they say, Is to
aid In continuing Smith and Raskob,
the chairman Of the Democratic
national committee. in control of the
national Democratic organization. Up
in Massachusetts,. on the other hand,
where a large percentage of-perhaps
IS per cent-of the Republicans are
wet. the Republican leaders are seek
ing to make light of the wet and dry
issue. fearing that If it is injected into
the campaign next year it will result
in further Republican defeats in the
old Bay State. And 50 it goes.
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According to Mrs. Mabel Walker
Willebrandt. former Assistant Attorney
General. it is politics that has more TO
ment of prohibition than any other
element. not excepting the thousands
of thirsty Americans who patronize the
bootleggers. Mrs. Willebrandt. who had
charge for years of the Federal Gov
eminent prosecution of violations OF tho
dry laws. is engaged in lifting the lid
and letting the people see some of the
inside workings when 1t comes to pro-
hibition enforcement in a series OF
newspaper articles entitled THE Inside
of Prohibition" Mrs. Willebrandt
already has created something of stir
among the politicians here by reveal
ing the fact she made her speech al
Springfield, Ohio. during the campaign
last Summer at the request of the Re-
publican national committee. She was
attacked far and wide by Democratic
leaders at the time on the ground that
she was dragging religion into the cam
paign. although Mrs. Willebrandt did
not discuss church matters at all in that
speech. Some of the vets were aroused
and demanded that Mrs. Willebrandt
be kept of the stump on the theory that
she would injure the chances of carry
ing some of the Eastern States for
President Hoover and against Gov.
Smith. But the Republican national
committee, 1t will be remembered, did
not repudiate Mrs. Willebrandt. although
it did not publicly rally to her defense;
and she was not reprimanded, nor did
she quit the stump. Thereafter she
campaigned in Kentucky and Tennessee
and she was particularly effective in
her campaign speeches, declaring that
she was not engaged in stirring up reli-
gious antagonisms. but that she had a
perfect right to work for the election
of a Republican President who favored
prohibition and against Democrat who
was in the lirnelight almost to as great
a degree as the presidential candidates
themselves.
Bishop James Cannon. jr., anti-Smith
Democratic leader in Virginia, has hit
back at his detractors in long state
ment, which will be widely circulated
in the gubernatorial campaign this
Summer and Fall. The principal point
connection with his dealing in stocks.
His opponents have labeled him a stock
gambler" This, Bishop Cannon insists,
Is merely part of a concerted effort to
ruin him and eliminate his influence in
the coming election. He gives in his
statement his own philosophy with
regard to trading in stocks. 1t follows
IT believe the time has come to brush
aside much muddled thinking on this
subject. thought this matter through
very carefully before I ever purchased
and these are the views which I hold.
If the trading in stocks and bonds as
carried on In the ordinary way through
out the country is immoral, then the
church should so declare 1t and elimi-
nate from her membership the heads OF
Stock Exchange houses, clerks, book
keepers and working forces of these
houses. Also the men and women who
buy and sell stock listed on the New
York Stock Exchange should be elimi-
mated. Certainly such action would re-
suit In q very great elimination In a
great many churches of some Of the
very best people in the churches.
IT do not believe that such trading is
immoral and think there should be an
end to the hypocritical attitude which
insists upon differentiating between the
trading in stocks and bonds and in
other property values, for II such trading
in stocks and bonds is immoral, then
trading in lots, wheat and other ccm-
modities Is immoral, for both represent
trading in actual business values"
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