Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-12
Politics at Large
By C. Could Lincoln.


dry Democrats, are cheering today over
the victory of the Democratic candidate
for Congress in the second MasSa-
chusetts district. William j. Gran
field, the Democratic victor in the race
to fill the vacancy caused by the recent
tragic death of Representative Kaynor
is a wringing wet. He won over his
Republican opponent by between 1000
and 5000 votes. Fred D. Griggs, the
Republican candidate, straddled the
personally dry, but announcing he
would vote for the repeal of the dry
laws if he had to vote in Congress
because of the result of the referendum
on the liquor question in 1923, which
showed the second district wet" He
undoubtedly incurred the enmity of
many of the drys in the district, and
two "bone dry" Republicans ran as in
dependents, evidencing the split in the
party, although they polled only a little
more than 1000 votes.
X 4 X
From a Republican point Of view the
election yesterday in the Massachusetts
second district is decidedly discourage
ing. 1t has shown to some of the Re-
publican leaders that the old Bay State
/.
Some OF the most astute of the Repub-
lican politicians insist that if the wet
and dry question had not been in
volved and If the people of the State
had not been so aroused over the issue
there would have been the usual Re-
publican victory. In the past, Massa-
chusetts has demonstrated in State
wide referendums that it is vet. In
the referendum in 1923, the vets won
by about $4,000. But Republicans,
many of them rated as drys, have con-
tinued to be elected to Congress, and in
1928 the Republicans won Is out of
the Is seats in the House, as usual
But apparently the wet issue has be-
come too strong, at least for the pres
ent, to continue such a condition.
Y 4 4
Industrial conditions have been none
too good in Massachusetts,, TOO, and
doubtless that had some effect on the
voting in the special election yesterday
Massachusetts is faced with the election
of Senator this Fall as we'll as all the
members of the House delegation. II
the Republican candidates for the Sem
ate and House are declared to be dry
in majority of cases, what is going to
be the result? That is question which
Republican leaders in Massachusetts,
have been bordering for some months
including Louis K. Liggett, the Republi-
can national committeeman, who re.
Gently declared that prohibition would
be a dominant issue in Massachusetts
in the coming campaign. Should the
Republicans put up an out-and-out CRY
for the Senate, and the Democrats
nominate a wet, as they undoubtedly
will, will the Republicans be able to
turn the election on other issues! II
the election in the second district yes
terday. where the Republicans have held
control since the Civil War, is any cri-
terion, the situation looks pretty gloomy
from a Republican point Of view.
X X X X
The election yesterday brought out
more than $4,000 votes. This is con-
sidered a very large vote in special
election, when no Office except that Of
member of the House was ballotted for. In
1925 when former Representative Bowles,
Republican, was elected to the House
in a special election, only 2l,769 votes
were cast. Some indication of the diff
ference in the feeling running in
Massachusetts today. In the presiden-
tial election in 1928, when the State
was carried by AL Smith, the biggest
vote in the history of the second district
was cast, about $4,000, with the Re-
publicanS electing Congressman from
the second district.
Some of the Republicans are seeking
to encourage themselves by arguing
that the Democrats were able to get
their voters to the polls yesterday, while
the Republicans in large numbers re-
manned at home. This may be true to
some extent. But the result was a wet
victory and a Democratic victory, put
it any way you like. 1t is possible that
a good many of the Republican drys
were so disguised with the announce
ment of the Republican nominee that
he would vote for repeal they decided
to cut him.
One result of the Democratic victory
in the second Massachusetts district
yesterday will be a tremendous drive
by the Republicans to build up their
political fences there again. ON the
the Democrats.
X X ~
Senator tom" Hefiin, the Alabama
anti-Smith Democrat, who has been
barred from participating in the Demo
cratic senatorial primary as candidate
for denomination this year by action OF
the Democratic State executive commit
tee, addressing an audience in Mont
gomery Monday night, made further
request that the State committee rescind
its action. He issued warning that
if it did not do so, he probably would
seek to run in the primary anyway
having his name slammed on the ballots
by his supporters. This is the second
demand he has made on the State COM
mittee TO rescind its action barring him
from the primary as a candidate. The
first time was during an address in
Birmingham on January 8. At that
time he gave the committee until
February ! to turn over new leaf
But the committee has done nothing OF
the kind. In his Montgomery speech
Senator Hef1in did not set any time
limit for compliance with his demand
X X X
The Alabama primary this year does
not come off for many months. but II
is likely that Senator Hefiin will have
to- make decision soon whether he
will run inside" the party for the Sem
ate or "outside" as an independent
candidate. There is one factor. how
ever, that may make such a decision
not really necessary. Horace Wilkin-
son. an anti-Smith Democratic leader
has filed suit to determine the authority
of the State committee to issue such
a ruling as it has. barring Helm and
UtlIcIS 1IOIIl participating III Lue party
primary as candidates for Office, al
though permitting them to vote in the
primary. If the court should decide
against the committee, then Heflins
name would have to be placed on the
ballot. it is believed, despite the COM
mittee.
Senator Hefln, in his Montgomery
speech. trained his guns on the State
committee, declaring that Alabama
House of Democracy needs a house
cleaning" He characterized members
of the committee as political upstairs. "
And before he got through he went
back to his old cry that "Tammany
and the Catholic Church cannot con-
troll the Democratic party in this STATED"
When Senator Helm left Washington
last Saturday IL was generally exnected