Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-20
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

- SLralgnL uSnC between dry ant
Il i wet In the third most populoul
State, Illinois Specifically
there seems to be no qualification Of thu
picture that will be before the Illinois
voters in November, Ruth Mccormick
running as a dry, James Hamilton
Lewis running as a wet.
/ have used the word specifically
with intention. 1t is most shortSightec
to assume that every adult in Illinois
who Is dry will vote for Mrs. McCor'
mick, and every wet for Lewis. THAI
Is not what viii happen. Politics Is no
that simple. It might be desirable Il
have it happen. It might be clarifying
to know exactly how the electorate Of
Illinois stands on prohibition. But WI
will not know. The voting will not b
done solely along those lines. There
will be many qualifications to the sim
pie question, dry versus wet" The
qualifications may make the picture 1r
November so complex that it will bt
dificult to interpret the outcome a
having any convincing bearing on pro-
hibition.
one most potent qualification is that
Mrs. Mccormick is Republican while
Mr.. Lewis Is a Democrat. Consequent
", the true picture viii be Mrs. Nc
Cormick running as dry plus Republic
an, and Mr.. Lewis running as wet plus
Democratic.
Question Of Party Loyalty.
Looking upon that picture, does any
one imagine that every Republican who
Is dissatisfied with prohibition will de-
sert his party in order to vote for wet!
Or that every Democrat who favors pro-
hibition will desert his party In order
to vote for a dry?
This qualification runs through al
these contests in all the States where 9
dry belonging to one party Is candi-
date against a wet belonging to the
other party. The uncertain equation
practically impossible to be estimated
lies in whether voter normally Repub-
ncan puts his Republicanism above OF
below his wetness or his dryness, as the
case may be. And whether voter nor
mally Democratic puts his Democracy
above or below his convictions on one
side or the other of prohibition.
Every politician knows that this FAC
COR of uncertainty exists. Concerning
it, or q part Of 1t, there Is common
Judgment among politicians. It Is to
the effect that wet Republican voter
when the test comes, Is likely to place
his Republicanism above his wetnesS-
whereas o wet Democratic voter Is likely
to nut his wetness above his Democracy
Why that should be no one pretends &c
understand. It Is q rough rule Of
thumb, accepted by politicians, ana II
seems to work in many cases.
Illinois Attitude in 1922.
Let us suppose the contest to be one
of wet versus dry, with every votei
ignoring every other conSiderauon-he'
uublicans ignoring their Republcanism
Democrats ignoring their Democracy
In that event, which Is not likely 70
happen, one would say on past perform
AUS that the wet Mr.. Lewis ought 70
prevail over the dry Mrs. McCormick
In 1922 on q referendum, Illinois voice
by LOGS ,242 to 512,1 IL In favor OF ngns
may mean. -.
Again, consider the Literary Digest
poll. In q recent installment Of the
poll, Illinois seemed to be overwnelm.
ingly wet. There were only 4O,ols
votes "for enforcement" while the COM
bined vote "for repeal" and "for modi-
fication" was 131,117. On the showing
Of that Literary Digest poll MRS. NC.
Cormick might as well give up right
now. But it is q most safe guess that
abe win not. And the fact that sac
won't Is an illustration Of the shrewd
qualifications which practical politicians
read into the common interpretation OF
the Literary Digest poll as political
index.
Take the other aspect Of 1t. Imagine
every Republican voting as a Repup-
Acan and forgetting or deliberately sub
ordinating his wetness or his dryness
rs the case may be. Similarly. imagine
every Democrat voting his Democracy
and nothing else. In that event, 1t Is
Mr.. Lewis who might as well give up.
Illinois In 1928 was carried by the re-
publican Hoover against the Democrat
Smith by 1891 to l,sl3,817; In
1924 it was carried by the Republican
Coolidge against the Democrat Davis by
1,453,32l to 576,975. In 1920 Illinois
was carried by the Republican Harding
against the Democrat Cox by 1.42o' 4SO
TO 534, S95.
Strict Partyism Favors g. o. p.
All Of which suggests that as q
straight question of Republican versus
hope to get himself elected to the Sen
ate from Illinois.
There are other qualifications, many
Of them. In Illinois, especially In Chi
cago. are tens Of thousands OF ONCE
holders. Federal, State and municipal.
The organized ofice-holders are likely
20 be the largest single body OF partisan
workers in any election in any State.
What they viii work for and vote for Is
continuation in their ONCE - In which
worthy economic purpose they viii allow
no convictions ABOUT pronlplClon 70 NJ
berfere.
There is yet another qualification, a
most important one. Everybody Is say
ing now it will be a straight question
Of dry versus wet. Lewis will keep the
question In that form If he can. But
AZ Mrs. Mccormick Is shrewd and wise
as she is-she won't let her opponent
net away with anything so easy. There
e In politics science Of argumenta-
ton, and the best exponent of 1t who
ever lived in America was a fellow
citizen of Mrs. McCormick's Illinois,
named Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln won
his debates with Douglass largely by
means of his forcing the latter to take
one concrete position on slavery. Lin
colin unanswered Douglass into reveal
ing just what the latter would do about
slavery If he had the power and the
responsibility. Lincoln was too shrewc
and able and skilled In augmentation
20 let Douglass get away with" q plat
pIored the existing status Of slavery.
IL Is hardly conceivable that Mr.
lewis win be permitted to 60 through
"a the end of the campaign on q plat
form which merely says, in effect: -
am for something better than what Is.
on so vague and alluring a generaliza'
ton as that almost anybody could wiz
an election or an argument on any
phase Of life. Mr.. Lewis Will haroiy d
permitted to win as merely the ex'
Sonent of a beautiful dream, In a po'
Eition In which he says: "All ye whit
are dissatisfied with what is, vote To-
me: and will see after the election
what can be done to make natter
better" Mrs. Mccormick is an abb
person and has able friends, PARTISAN
and advisers. Presumably she VII
force Lewis to state exactly what n
proposes to substitute instead OF wha