Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-05
DRY ISSUE PERIL
OF MRS. MCCORMICK
illinois Senate Race to Be
Close, With Some Predict
ing G. 0. P. Defeat.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

CHICAGO, october Mrs. Ruth
Hanna Mccormick has a real fight on
her hands with James Hamilton Lewis
to win the election as United States
Senator, and the remarkable part of it
is that the cloSenesS of the election will
be due to the prohibition issue, and not
to the controversy over expenditures or
the charges and counter-charges of spy
ing and wire tapping growing from the
Senate Committee investigation OF the
Illinois situation.
Aside from prohibition, the para
mount influence is the economic sltua-
ton. Unemployment has affected the
mood of the masses, While business
men, usually Republican. are complain
ing about the ineffectiyeness OF the
Hoover administration in restoring
prosperity
Mrs. Mccormick has taken her posi-
ton alongside of President Hoover, and
Is insisting that the people be patent
and give him a chance to set IN motion
the processes of recovery. Mr.. Hoover
is by no means as popular as ne was
In 1928, and the number OF Republicans
who have expressed their disapproyal OF
his administration may not be large,
but they certainly are vocal.
Many Forecast Defeat.
Inquiries among people who usually
are well informed in politics elicit the
response that the election will be close,
while not few to whom this CORE
spondent talked insisted that Mrs. NC
Cormick would be defeated on the pro-
hibition issue.
There are two factors which stand
out as controlling in Illinois. One Is
the staunch Republicanism Of the State
and the other is its WetnesS. Going
back six years, Charles S. Deneen won
his seat in the Senate by majority OF
more than 100000. Two years later,
Frank l.. Smith, Republican, won out
by plurality of $1,000, after the people
OF Illinois had been told all about eX-
cessive expenditures and public utility
influence in politics. Also the late
George Brennan was the Democratic
nominee. He not only was popular with
the people, but he had the whole-heart-
ed support of the Democratic machine,
which he controlled.
Again in 1928, when Al Smith was
trimming for the Presidency on the DEM
ocratic ticket, and when thousands OF
Republicans were deserving their stand
ard on the prohibition issue, Mr.. Hoo
yer carried the State by more than
100000, and Ruth Mccormick, running
IS q candidate for repreSentative-at-
large, ran way ahead of the Hoover
majority.
There is a third candidate in the
fieid, Mrs. Lottie Holman O'Neill, who
Is running as a bone dry. UnqueStion-
ably she will draw votes in the rural
district that otherwise would have gone
to Mrs. Mccormick. The big question
Is how many votes the second candi-
date will poll. Experience so far in
Illinois elections shows that only 1885,
900 votes constitute the high point Of
independent strength and this was in
the 1926 campaign when Frank L.
Smith was running with the State fully
aware of the disclosures with reference
to campaign expenditures.
Wet Vote Possibility.
Mrs. Mccormick could afford to lose
10000 votes and still win by a COM
Portable margin, provided she does not
also lose a considerable number of wet
votes that are ordinarily Republican.
This is really the crux of the situation.
How many republicans who take their
wetness seriously will really vote the
Democratic ticket on election day?
How many thousands of them were
friendly to Al Smith in 1928, and talk
ed about him in most affectionate terms
only TO find themselves voting the
straight Republican ticket when they
actually got into the polling booth?
This attitude grows from the fact
that many Republicans have become