Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-02
Mr.. Raskob to Testify.

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repeal of the eighteenth amendment OF
John j. Raskob, chairman Of the Demo-
cratic national committee, are to be In
ouired into by the Senate lobby COM
mittee. On the face of 1t, the inquiry
seems rather idle. Mr.. Raskob is a
known wet" He has never made any
secret of that fact. And If further
evidence were needed, reference could
be made to the fact that he did his
best in 1928 to put q wet candidate for
President into the White House. The
Senate lobby committee, however, has
been dedicated to the investigation OF
lobbying in general, whether 1t has to
do with Muscle Shoals, the sugar tariff,
or prohibition. If the committee has
undertaken to use its powers, or indi-
divual members of the committee have
done so, to make political capital, that
naturally must be FORGIVEN because OF
the glare of publicity which has been
turned on the activities Of the lobbyists.
II Mr.. Raskob has been q lobbyist" In
the sense of contributing money to the
cause of the repeal or modification Of
the dry laws, and of working for such
repeal, he must take his questioning
along with Mr.. Huston, chairman Of
the Republican national committee,
who has been Intercepted in regard to
Muscle Shoals.
Mr.. Raskob's political scalp has been
sought for a long time by dry members
of his own party. Some of the members
Of Congress from the South have been
particularly active in their demand
that Mr.. Raskob must quit as chair
man of the Democratic national COM
mittee in order to permit greater de-
gree of harmony. Within a week
Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy
during the Wilson administration, has
written In his own newspaper, the
Raleigh, N. c., News and Observer, CALI
ing upon Mr.. Raskob to pay up the
debts Of the party incurred in the last
presidential campaign and then to quit.
At present the Smith Democrats in
North Carolina are engaged in an eff
fort to defeat Senator Simmons for re-
nomination to the Senate, because Mr..
Simmons would not support Alfred e.
Smith for President two years ago.
Mr.. Daniels criticisms of Mr.. Raskob
at this time are not calculated to aid
the Smith Democrats In their punitive
expedition" as their attack on Mr..
ciVarnnns has heen rallied
The public has not generally been in
formed In detail what the activities Of
Mr.. Raskob have been in the cause Of
repeal Of the eighteenth amendment or
the modification of the dry laws. Mr..
Raskob, in telegraphing his willingness
to appear before the lobby committee,
suggests that politics may have had
something to do with his being called
before the committee. There does not
seem to be the slightest doubt that his
appearance before the committee and
his testimony will have some effect po-
litically. II he appears and details his
activities In favor Of the wet cause, 1t
is not unlikely that the dry Democrats
viii agitate again in favor Of the elm
nation of Mr.. Raskob. The charge
has been made frequently that he Is
holding on to the national Democratic
organization so that wet candidate for
President may again be put forward
in 1892. If the Republicans are guilty
Of seeking to embarrass their Demo-
cratic friends by summoning Mr.. Ras-
kob at this particular time, why should
the Democrats raise their voices in
anguished protest? The Democrats have
certainly not neglected to make use OF
the lobby committee when Its use could
aid them politically.