Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-03
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

Twenty million Americans are to be
given the opportunity OF expressing
themselves on the prohibition question
through the medium of the Literary
Digest poll now getting under way.
That's a large number Of citizens. The
results should give q croSs~secLlon OF
American opinion on this supJect In
every State In the Union. The Literary
Digest polls on presidential campaigns
have been a clear indication OF now
the country was going" IL Is easy
to imagine that members OF congress
seeking reelection and candidates 1or
congress .onal ONCE not now in either
house will scan the results OF this wet
and dry poll with the keenest interest.
for the wet and dry issue, no matter
how much the drys may minimize IT, Is
going to play its part in not Few OF
the congressional districts and In state
elections, too, this Fall. The Digest
poll presents an opportunity Of learning
first hand what great number OF the
people really believe in regard to the
experiment" Candidates for office In
Massachusetts,, for example, as well as
In New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland
ana score OF other States, are anxious
X
The drys are inclined to say that pro-
hibition has no place in politics; that
1t certainly has no place in partisan
politics. But that Is because they like
to regard the prohibition issue as an
issue no longer. They insist that pro-
hibition is the fixed policy of the United
States. But in the United States every
issue sooner or later finds its way into
political elections. Business on the
same theory has no place In politics.
Every one In the country, Republican
ana Democrat alike, believes in good
business conditions and full employ
ment. Yet poor business has become
virtually the only factor which swings
elections on big scale in these days.
The party in power, when a slump hits
business, finds its popularity on the
wane, although it may not be respon-
sible at all for such slump in business.
Under normal business conditions, with
employment good, ther@are no issues to-
day between the political parties which
stir men and women and send them in
droves to the polls-that is, no issues
directly related to government. In 1928
religion was dragged in by the hair and
along with 1t prohibition. Certainly the
former had no place in the campaign
ana never SAOulQ nave.
Next to getting real referendum,
conducted by the Government and the
States themselves, this poll viii be Is in
formative as anything could be. The
vets are insisting that the people are
disguised with the ten years Of prohi-
bition. The drys, on the other hard,
point to their great r1ajorities In the
Senate and the House as evidence that
the dry sentiment Is stu dominant in
the country.
A conservative Republican, a dry, but
q keen student of politics over q long
period Of years, who lives in Massachu-
sets, told me within a week that he
did not believe that the Republican
party would elect more than four mem
next November. At present the Repub-
licans have IL of the is members of
the Massachusetts, delegation in the
House. One of the Democratic members
of the House was elected In the second
congressional district to fill o vacancy
only q few weeks ago, district which
has been Republican hitherto ever
since its organization. This conserva-
tive Republican bases his prediction of
Democratic success on two things. One
is the prohibition issue and the other is
the unrest due to unemployment. He
said that never in his memory, which
Is long one, have the people Of Mas
SachuSettS been so holly stirred as they
are today over the wet and dry issue
He added that unemployment in Mas
sachusetts is greater than it has been
for some time.
4 e.
william M. Butler, former Senator
and former national chairman OF the
Republican party, who has announced
his candidacy for the senatorial noni-
nation in Massachusetts,, Is expected
soon to make a statement regarding the
wet and dry issue. In quarters sup
posed to be we'll informed It is said that
Mr.. Butler will declare his allegiance to
the dry cause. The reasoning which
brings this prediction is that the larger
percentage Of the Republican vote in
the State Is dry; that an announce
ment backing the wet cause would ef-
fectually split the Republicans in Mas
sachusetts, with many Of the women
and church people boiling the party
and perhaps following an Independent
dry.
The row among the Republicans Of
Massachusetts, over the selection Of the
party senatorial candidate to succeed
Senator Gillett, who has taken himself
out Of the race, has obscured to q
considerable degree the troubles in the
Democratic party over q senatorial
chances for a Democratic victory are
considered better than they have been,
except when David I. Walsh was offer
ing for election, there Is plethora
of aspirants for the nomination. BY
the same token, Senator Walsh Is keep
ing very quiet regarding candidates Tor
the senatorial nomination. Doubtless
he would like very much to sail Tor
Europe as soon as Congress adjourns
and not come back to the Bay State
until after the primaries are held IN
September. It would save him the
embarrassment Of being bombarded
with pleas to support this or that can
didate for the nomination. He Is likely
to play a hands-of policy. To DO
otherwise would only stir up enmlty
for himself in a number OF factions.
It is likely that an argument will De
put forward that the Democrats should
pick q Protestant Of Yankee descent,
on the theory that it would be unwise
to have an "all-gTeen" ticket IN the
field. Such an argument was advanced
in Connecticut, when the Democrats,
meeting in convention, were seeking to
nominate q candidate for the Senate
two years ago. It was a brisk row
while it lasted in the convention, but
the Yankee candidate for the nomi-
nation was defeated. Former Mayor
Peters Of Boston, who also served IN
Congress. is regarded as an ideal Demo-
cratic nominee II a Protestant Yankee
is to be selected.
X X 4
The punitive expedition which is
being conducted against Senator Sim
mons by Democrats who supported AL
Smith for President in North Carolina
in 1928 is not making such Roadway as
had been hoped, according to reports
from the Tar Heel State. Indeed, de-
spite the claims Of the anti Simmons
faction, it is claimed that barring acci-
dents, Senator Simmons is as good as