Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-12
illinois SENATOR
SURE TO Be WET
Mrs. Mccormick viii Abide by
Referendum, While Lewis
Is Pledged.
Continued From First Page.l

the referendum was really ineffective
whenever way 1t might 60. In the
election Of dry Representatives. at large
and dry Senators the league has been
singularly effective up to this time.
That must be admitted.
On the other hand, the fights over
the election of members of the House
and the Senate had in them many
issues beyond prohibition The drys
had the advantage, for example, back
ing Republican candidates for these
offices in a strongly Republican State.
The issue so far as wet and dry is con-
cerned, therefore, was not strictly
drawn in these elections.
League Backs Mrs. O'NeiII.
When Mrs. Mccormick at the Repub-
ltcan State Convention August %, last,
announced that she would be guided in
her votes in the Senate on the liquor
question by the results of the referen-
dunn, the Anti-Saloon League went
straight up in the air. The Republican
State Convention took the same stand
as that Of Mrs. Mccormick in its plat
form. In other words, the Republican
Organization and its senatorial candi-
date threatened to get out of hand on
the wet and dry issue. The league right
there made up its mind that If it did
not take drastic action in the case Of
Mrs. Mccormick the same situation
would keep right on cropping up in
Illinois and, indeed, in other States,
with the threat always hanging over
the drys that If q State went wet in q
referendum, the Senators and Congress
men would vote wet in Washington.
The league leaders decided TO give Mrs.
Mccormick q lesson, II not the whole
Republican party. 1t set out to put an
Independent dry Republican in the field
and finally picked Mrs. Lottie Holman
ONetll, who was the first woman ever
elected to the State Legislature. The
league Is backing Mrs. O'Neill to the ex-
tent Of its power today. 1t is providing
the sinews of war for her campaign. It
is appealing to the church people and
to their clergymen to support Mrs.
O'Neill.
The Anti-Saloon League leaders say
that Mrs. Mccormick had nothing to
fear after she had been nominated by
the Republicans for the Senate last
April. Ali she had to do, they say, was
to let the prohibition question alone
and she would have been elected with
out question. But in order to curry
favor with the wet voters and to ride
along with the wet Republican City
Hall organization in Chicago, they
charge, Mrs. Mccormick gave in and
agreed to abide by the referendum
They 60 further and charge that her
agreement to abide by the referendum
crowd, Is part payment for the support
which the City Hall crowd gave her in
her contest for the senatorial nomina-
ton against Senator Charles S. Deneen
Mrs Mccormick in No Danger.
George B. Stafford, superintendent of
the Anti-Saloon League of Illinois, in
a statement issued to the press said
in part:
Mrs. Mccormick was in no danger
after her large victory in the primaries.
She did not make the concession to
the vets because she was in danger.
In 1926, in a situation almost exactly
similar, Yates and Rathbone, candi-
dates for congressman at large, ignored
a similar referendum. publicly declared
their adherence to the dry cause and
openly defled the vets. The two Demo-
cratic candidates were equally frank
In taking their position on the wet side,
and though the vets won by large
majority in the referendum the two dry
Republican candidates won by 100000
majority in the same election. Mrs.
Mccormick was in an equally safe
q
majority Of upwards Of 900, 600. Neither
she nor the Republican party was in
danger of defeat.
Discussing the advisability Of having
the drys take part in the coming ref
erendum, Mr.. Stafford said:
Under the present circumstances
there seems to be no chance to win in
the referendum. The vets are in con-
troll Of the election machinery Of both
parties in Cook County. They have
not proposed this referendum with an
idea of letting the drys win. They
expect to produce enough wet votes in
Cook County by fair means and foul
to overcome any dry votes that may
be produced by the State"
The question submitted to the voters
in the referendum Of 1922 was as fol-
lows: "Shall the existing State and
Federal prohibition laws be modified
so as to permit the manufacture, sale
and transportation of beer containing
less tran per cent by volume OF alco-
hoD and light wines for home con-
sumption" The vote in this referendum
stood as follows:
Downstate, 513,239 wet; Cook County
552.003 wet; total wet, 1905 PAP.
Downstate, 374,o02 dry; Cook County
13S.109 dry; total dry, 512,111.
At the same election, Yates, Republi-
can and dry, candidate for Represen-
tative-at-Lerge. received 943,684 votes
to 662, 059 for Murphy, his Democratic
opponent who was wet The dry
the strength Of the drys.
Question Different In 1926.
In 1925 the question submitted to
the voters in the referendum Of that
year was somewhat different. It fol-
lows: Shall the Congress of the
United States modify the Federal Act
to enforce the eighteenth amendment
to the Constitution so that same shall
not prohibit the manufacture, sale,
transportation Importation or exporta-
ton Of beverages which are not In fact
intoxicating as determined in accor-
dance with the laws Of the respective
States"
The drys made better showing in
this latter referendum than they did
in 1922. The vote stood:
Downstate, 353,468 wet; Cook County
487,163 wet; total wet, S40,631.
Downstate, 354,118 dry; Cook County
202,474 dry; total dry, 55e,111.
Senator Lewis doesn't like the refer
endum on the liquor question. He in
sists that he and his party's platform
which has declared for repeal of the
eighteenth amendment and modification
of the Volstead act in the interim, pre-
sent a sufacient referendum to the vot-
ers. Indeed, the Democrats declined to
take steps to bring forward q referS
endum petition of their own this We f.,
fearing that the wet Republicans mittnt
vote wet In the referendum and having
blown off steam in that manner. cast
their ballots for the Republican nomi-
| nees They would have been well salts
fed If the city hall crowd had not spon-
sored a petition for such a referendum
However, 1t has turned out to be a
stumbling block for Mrs Mccormick
It has resulted in great amount OF
hostility toward her on the mart of the