Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-24
The Political Mill
BY C. Could Lincoln.

Dwight w. Morrow, Ambassador to
Mexico. and at present a member Of the
American delegation on its way home
from the London Conference, Is soon to
be an active candidate for the Republic
can senatorial nomination in New
Jersey. The primary in New Jersey
takes place June II, less than two
months off, What Mr.. Morrow Will
have to say on the prohibition issue Is
causing more interest In political circles
just now than any other phase OF the
senatorial contest in New Jersey. ~
Joseph s. Frelinghuysen, Mr.. Morrows
opponent for the nomination in the
Republican primary, would run as a
dry" Senator Frelinghuysen, how
ever, has Topped" He has come out
"wet." Had Frelinghuysen remained
dry. Mr., Morrow might have been able
to run along without committing him
self definitely on this ticklish question
In the primary campaign. The vets
would have preferred to vote for him IN
any event. In view of the statement
now made by his opponent, Mr; Ere.
linghuysen, Mr.. Morrow may still hold
off in the belief that the drys will pre-
fer him to the man who left their
cause high and dry" and turned wet.
But the issue has become dimcult one
to duck. Furthermore, there has peen
nothing in Mr.. Morrows career 70 mol
cate that he will avoid meeting an issue
squarely.
There is no doubt that Mr.. Morrow
has been urged already by his frlenos
to declare himself wet" Both Sena-
tor Kean and Senator Baird-the lat
ter an understudy In the Senate Tor Mr.
Morrow until he returns to this coun-
try-haye recommended the wet cause
to him. Ambassador Walter Edge,
whose seat in the Senate is to be oc-
cupied by Mr.. Morrow when ne gets
back here, travelled over from Paris 10
London to plead with Mr.. Morrow to
take the wet side in New Jersey politics.
AS a matter of fact, many OF the Re.
publicans in Jersey are fearrui tnat IL
their candidate for the Senate Is an an
nounced dry this year, the Democrats
q wet platform.
The Democratic nominee for the Sem
ate Is expected to be Alexander Simp-
son, who was q special prosecutor In
the Hall-Mills murder case q few years
ago, when that case had all Jersey by
the ears. He will run as wringing wet
Just as former Senator Edward I. Ed
wards did when he defeated Frelng-
huysen. The prediction today by po-
litical observers in New Jersey Is that
the Republican nominee will have TO
be acceptable to the vets If he Is to
defeat Simpson.
Mr.. Morrow has a strong backing in
New Jersey. The Republican organiza-
ton is with him. It Is unlikely that
Mr.. Frelinghuysen has helped himself
by his change from dry to wet cause.
Indeed, it is likely he has lost more
than he has gained, for the candidate
for office who shifts his position under
pressure Is often hit hard from botn
sides. If Mr.. Morrow ran as dry, ne
might still win the Republican 1omina-
ton, but what, the politicians are ask
ing themselves. would be the result Al, N
November? Mr.. Morrow up until the
present has been absolutely close
mouthed in regard to what his position
on the wet and dry issue will be. He
has made 1t clear he would not make
any announcement on public questions
until after he should have wound up ms
duties as q member of the American
delegation to the London Naval Confer
ence. It is expected that soon after his
return to this country he will resign
his office of Ambassador to Mexico AND
will then be appointed to the Senate
taking the place now held by Senator
Baird, which the latter will promptly
resign. incidentally, the entrance OF
Mr.. Morrow into the Senate at this
time will add to the strength OF the
naval treaty in that body which the
President proposes to send to the Sen
ate for ratification during the present
session. Two other American delegates
to the London Conference, Senator Rob
inson of Arkansas and Senator Reed
of Pennsylvania, have issued strong
statements supporting the treaty. SEN
ator Robinson Is the Democratic leader
of the Senate and potent influence IN
the Senate.
Heads of the national dry organiza-
tons in Washington do not take TOO
seriously, at least on the surface, the
detection Of former Senator Freling-
huysen. F. Scott Mcbride, general SUI
perintendent of the Anti-Saloon League
of America, takes the view that the
Frelinghuysen desertion of the dry cause
is not too significant. Mr.. Mcbride said !:
mfr. Frelinghuysen's statement now
classes him definitely against the prohi-
bition amendment. What the attitude
of the Anti-Saloon League will be IN
the New Jersey campaign, save tnat II
will not under any circumstances De Ior
Frelinghuysen, is yet to be determined.
The drys in New Jersey might under-
take to throw an independent dry Re-
publican candidate into the senatorial
contest in the Fall campaign, just as
the drys did in New York in 1926, when
both the Republican and Democratic
senatorial nominees were wet, IL Mr..
Morrow should win the nomination and
declare himself wet. But whether the
drys would follow such an independent
candidate against Morrow Is question,
particularly If it was clear that by so
doing they might send wet Democrat
to the Senate. The drys, too, might put
a candidate into the Republican pri-
mary. But there is no man OF sum-
cient prominence who might now be
thrown into the primary campaign with
any chance of success against MORROW
and Frelinghuysen.
X n 4 +
The drys are not greatly disturbed
over the New Jersey situation. Jersey
has long had two wet Senators. The
election of another will not add to the
wet strength in the Upper House. A
failure to elect q wet would, of course,
be a victory for the drys. Freling-
hllysen when he was in the Senate voted
for the submission of the eighteenth
amendment to the States and later voted
for the Volstead act. His shift now
marks long step away from the prohi-
bition cause. He proposes not the re-
turn of the old saloon, but the control
and sale of liquor by the Government
on a non-proflt basis.
X r X X
Senator "Tom" Hef1in of Alabama
has delivered his promised blast IN the
Senate attacking the Democratic state
committee because it has barred him
from participating in the party primary
as a candidate for the senatorial noml-
nation next August. His speech, which