The Washington times., 1930-11-05
8 REFERENDA
SHOW DRYS
LOSING
Numerical Gains Heavy, But
Psychological Effect Said
To Spell Disaster Later On

= NEW YORK, Nov. 5 dN.s0.
Sweeping victories against pro-
hibition were rolled up today as
returns continued to pour in from
yesterdays election, which fea-
tured wet-dry referenda In va
riety Of ways.
The Seventy.Second Congress
win still be dry--but by no such
proportions as in the present Sen.
ate and House.
The vets scored 100 per cent in
the three States which held for.
NAL referenda on the question Of
prohibition.
Illinois voted overwhelmingly in
favor OF repeating the Eighteenth
Amndment, In favor of modifying
the Volstead act, to repeal the
State search and seizure act, and
elected a wet Senator, Col. j.
Hamilton Lewis CD to replace a
sitting dry.
Massachusetts voted to repeal
her State enforcement act and
elected a wet Senator, Marcus A.
Coolidge CD to replace a sitting
dry.
~ Gain Six Seats
Rhode Island, voting On the
question, 1.-THE Eighteenth Amend
ment-Shall it be retained?" reg
istered an emphatic mo-" besides
returning to Washington Senator
j. II. Metcalf (R0, who came out
wet a short time before election.
Wet forces figure on a gain OF
certainly six seats, possibly more,
In the Senate, and a gain Of
abou IS seats in the House as a
result of yesterdays balloting.
The final lineup will have to
await the complete returns, but
there apparently was no gainsay-
ing today that the movement to
Eberalize the resent prohibition
Set-up has been greatly strength
ened and accelerated.
No incumbent wet who ran for
reelection was defeated yesterday
in the returns tabulated up to
this morning.
The present wet strength In the
Senate is about 20. 1t is diff
cult to state 1t definitely, because
of conflicting views of those mem
bers who have voted on both sides
of prohibition questions. The
drys, however, consider 20 fair
estimate.
Strong in House
In the House, tlle wet strength
in the present Congress, by the
same estimation, is rated at about
1O6. With the addition of today's
reinforcements, the anti Prohibi-
tion strength in the next House
can be reckoned with as formid-
able, even though not in majority.
The Senatorial vets elected yes
terday were: Lewis Cd. of Illi-
nois; Coolidge Cd, of Massa-
chusetts: Hoidale CD, of Mime
sofa; Bulkley CD, of Ohio; Nor
row (R0, of New Jersey, and Met
calfe (R.), of Rhode Island. The
latter came out for repeal just
before election.
In addition, the opponents Of
prohibition rate Davis (Ro in
Pennsylvania, and Couzens (Ro
Of Michigan, as none too dry"
meaning thereby that while they
are ostensible drys in Difference
to the supposed wishes Of their
constituencies they are not
hitched fast to the prohibition
cart.
Even more highly than the
numerical gains made yesterday,
the wet forces regard the psychic
logical effect of the wet victories
on the personnel Of the new Con.
gress as a whole.
In the present Congress it Is
well known that a considerable
number of members who vote
dry are privately opposed to pro-
hibition.
Now that it has been demon
strated that the sentiment
against existing conditions has
made progress since 1928, and
that it is politically safe" to be
wet. as demonstrated in yester
days elections, they believe some
Of the wavering ones will be
moved to change their position