Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-31
ILLINOIS CAMPAIGN
MOST INTERESTING
Drys' Opposition of Mrs. Nc
Cormick May Diminish Her
Chances of Election.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Decision of the Anti-Saloon League
TO oppose Mrs. Ruth Hanna Mccormick
in the election for the United States
Senate means that Illinois will really
FURNISH the most interesting of all the
campaigns on prohibition this Autumn.
In other wet States the Republicans
fought out the wet and dry question in
the primaries, but in Illinois Mrs. Nc
Cormick had the support of the Anti
Saloon League, as did her opponent.
Senator Dineen. This creates situa-
ton analogous to that which occurred
IN New York State when Senator Wads-
worth, Republican, wet, was opposed by
q Democratic wet, but lost the election
because the Anti-Saloon League entered
Va third candidate, who divided the Re-
publican party.
Third Candidate Almost Certain.
\ There is little doubt that a third
candidate will be entered in Illinois to
draw dry votes from Mrs. Mccormick.
so lar as the vets are concerned, they
are 1ubilant, because it drives Mrs. Nc
0ormick into their camp where she
mad hesitated to enter. On the other
nand. so far as the Anti-Saloon League
Is concerned it probably anticipates
That the forthcoming referendum will
De wet or that it cannot afford to have
the senatorial candidate of the Repub-
mean party neutral on an issue which
requires staunch dry advocate
experience with most every referenda
Is that smaller vote is cast than for
the candidate and that in a referendum
IN which the candidates have definitely
taken a position, the result is likely
20 coincide more or less with the bal
lot cast for the victorious candidate.
In New York State the Anti-Saloon
League brought about the defeat of a
republican wet but preferred to do so
even though it meant the election of
q Democratic wet.
Hard Fight Is Predicted.
It is too early to say whether the
entrance of a third candidate in the
race will materially diminish Mrs. Nc
Cormick's chances of election. In1me-
diately after her nomination many Re-
publicans in Illinois believed that she
would have hard fight against former
Senator Lewis unless she came out on
the wet side of the prohibition con-
troversy. This correspondent wrote at
the time that Mrs. Mccormick would
probably announce that she would
abide by the referendum. This was
the position assumed by Senators in
other States with a dry record. Thus
Senator Jones of Washington, Repub-
Ncan. and Senator Walsh of Montana,
Democrat, adopted the attitude that
while they were personally dry they
would feel they were committed by a
referendum in their respective States
# such a referendum were held and
If it showed that these States were
wet.
New York Will Be Wet.
The Republican party in New Jersey
preferred the wet candidate to the dry
and Nicholas Murray Butler has pre-
dicted that the Republican State plat
form in New York will be wet. Illinois
is a wet State when the conditions In
and around Chicago and the large vote
cast In Cook County are considered. The
fact that Mrs. Mccormick, an astute
student of political trends, hesltateo
to make the fight on the dry side of the
prohibition issue is considered signtn-
cant of the fact that she believed the
Republican wet vote that she would lose
in Chicago to her wet opponent would
cause her to lose the fight If she re-
manned on the dry side. The Antl-Sa-
loon League has accused her OF leaning
fo the wet side for political expedlency
and nredicts that she will abandon her
convictions if the referendum Is wet.
This revives the old question OF whether
q Senator represents the views OF con-
stituents or individual and personal
convictions when representing sover-
eign State on highly controversial
problem. In recent years the tendency
On the part of Candidates has been more
and more to follow the wishes of
the majority of their constituents. The
alternative has usually been resignation
or involuntary retirement from public
life.
Copyright, Is3o)