Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-23
A wet" Straw.

convention at Des Moines have taken a
fling at national prohibition. They
have proposed that there be State reg
ulation of the sale OF liquor and a new
definition of intoxicating beverages In
the latter, the prohibitionists naturally
will smell a light wines and beer pro-
posal.
The Democrats of Iowa, like the
Democrats OF many other Western
States where prohibition sentiment is
reputed to be strong, supported Alfred
E. Smith Of New York, wet, for the
presidential nomination in 1928. After
he was nominated they were helpless to
do anything to bring about his election
The action now taken by the Democrats
of Iowa, which can only be regarded as
an attack on national prohibition, would
lead to the belief that Iowa Democrats
in 1892 may be willing to support some
other wet, or even Mr.. Smith himself,
for the presidential nomination.
At the next Democratic National
Convention, wherever it may be held.
and there is strong suspicion that
it may go to Kansas City, Mo-, the
Democrats must nominate q wet or a
dry for President. 1t is rather early
to make any prediction which way the
nomination will go. Perhaps it may
be possible to find candidate who
suits both the vets and the drys suf-
ficiently to win the support of both
factions of the party, some one with
strong enough personality to bring
other issues to the fore and keep pro-
hibition In the background. Admittedly,
however, with sentiment running
strongly both wet and dry in this
country that would be a dif1icult task.
The dry Democrats of the South, If
present indications are correct, will re-
sist stoutly any effort to place wet"
at the head of the national ticket in
1882. They acquiesced in the plan to
nominate Gov Smith in 1928, though
with misgivings. His failure to carry
four States of the solid South" shook
the Democracy Of that section of the
country from stem to stern. The
Southern Democrats are not anxious to
have any OF the States of their part of
the country get the habit Of going Re-
publican in presidential elections. They
have regained, If they ever lost it, full
control in the States of the South
which went for President Hoover two
years ago. But If the same States
should vote against a wet Democratic
nominee and for Mr.. Hoover two years
hence, it might be increasingly difficult
to swing the voters back into. line In
1884 and in 1886.
The action taken by the Iowa State
Convention in regard to the wet and
dry question is straw which shows
which way the wind is likely to blow In
1882. There has been much talk of the
arid and agricultural South hooking
up with the arid and agricultural
West in Democratic politics. But it
begins to look as though the West,
so far as the Democrats are concerned,
is not so arid after all. However, as
long as the two-thirds rule of nSminat-
ing presidential candidates holds in the
Democratic national conventions, the
South is likely to hold a veto power
over nominations.
Much is going to depend, so far as
the wet and dry question In politics is
concerned, upon the results of the con-
gressional elections this Fall and upon
the results of a number of the urinary
elections. If the vets should show real
gains in these elections, one of the
major political parties may yet perk up
sufhcient courage to take the wet side
nationally. If it does not go as far as
that, it may demand some modification