Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-17
BY WILLIAM HARD.

Old Man Rum seems TO De SWaylng
back toward a bit more of power in the
next Congress, but he does not seem
to be doing it in any blind rush. That
most accomplished participants in the
management of both political parties
as they contemplate at this week end
the results OF the primary elections
which have now been held in 25 States
The Republican party, If it was domi-
nantly bone dry before, is at least sand
dry still. Out OF the total of II gen.
tlemen nominated for the Senate by
that party in the primaries of 16 States,
there are only 2, Albert John Galen of
Montana and Dwight Whitney Morrow
of New Jersey, who can be truly polit-
ically classified as "wetS." This out
come is regarded by Hooveritic Replb-
licans-perhaps without any too much
reason-as sort of party victory over
John J. Raskob, supporter of the Ma
tional Association Against the Prohibi-
National Committee of the Democrats.
In the meantime the Democrats have
senatorial candidates than the Repub-
leans They have produced In this
category Mr.. Alexander Simpson of
New Jersey, Mr.. Sedgvick Kestler OF
Pennsylvania, Mr.. Robert j. Buckley Of
Ohio, Mr. James Hamilton Lewis of
Illinois, Mr.. Gilbert Hitchcock of Ne
braska and Mr.. Thomas P. Gore of
Oklahoma, who all have been already
nominated to carry the Democratic
banner in contests for seats in the SEN
ate against Republicans next Fall.
At the same time, however, the Demo-
Gratis have already nominated 16 other
senatorial standard-bearers who are
either wholly personally in favor of
dryneSs or who else. like many of their
Republican rivals, can be regarded as
unwilling prohibition drought sufferers
beyond the aid of any political relief
to the contrary, so far as their prospec-
tive behavior in the Senate on roll
calls Is concerned.
These showings among the candidates
OF both parties so far nominated to
seats In the Senate do not indicate to
neutral professional eyes here any large
amount of strong successful knocking
at the doors Of the Senate by the vets
II is pointed out, nevertheless, by the
watchful traders in political futures in
both party pits that almost all sitting
Senators are getting renominated APP
parently through automatic momentum
and irrespective of their views on any
subject, whether having to do with the
tariff or farm relief or the traffic in
alcoholic beverages or anything else;
and 1t is urged by such specialists in
political forecasting that this habitual
preference of party voters for the old
wheel-horses Of their party chariots
tends TO obscure the possible appear
ance above the horizon of a lot of
threatening wet weather. They sus-
pect, in other words, that in some States
the voters are wetter than the candi-
dates, but that they vote for the can
didates and renominate them through
being unable to shake off the spell OF
their established names and flames.
=
In the nominations for seats in the
House Of Representatives, this same pop
ular acceptance of famous-or, at any
rate, familiar-personalties is operating
strongly In favor of the dry forces. Nine
out Of ten of the sitting Democrats in
the House are getting renominated. So
are nine out of ten of the sitting Re-
puhlicans--and more. Each party In
the primaries 10 date, in spite of all
tumults and alarms in criticism of
present performance and in favor of
novelty and revolution, Is showing
placid satisfaction with its Representa-
tives in the House. Charged in some
cases with being privately rollicking
vets, these Representatives are at any
rate emphatically overwhelmingly roll
call drys. That is the only vital point
politically: and 1t can be absolutely ac-
curately foreseen, right here and now,
that the popularity of the denomination
habit Is on its way to striking q deadly
blow in the November elections at any
revived popularity, whatever 1t may be,
OF the legally recognized liquor trafic.
II
The only genuinely substantial hope
OF the vets is in the possible success of
certain fairly numerous Democratic
candidates for the House, who have
been nominated in the industrial wet
Northeast in the hope of capturing
seats in the House now occupied by dry
Republicans. These dry Republicans,
long committed to dryness, are in GER
tain cases representing districts which
it Is thought have been subterraneanly
swept by flood of wet sentiment. Some
of these districts have voted wet on
referendums, while still voting dry on
Representatives. The wet political
problem in such districts Is to persuade
voters-as a wet has phrased ito
stop voting their personals affections
and vote their high public convictions.
u ~
This Fall the process of the change
thus advocated may be aided by North
eastern discomfort with hard times and
unemployment. Quite a few wet
| Democratic candidates may triumph
| over their dry Republican rivals
| through combination of the influences
of business depression hardships and of
prohibition enforcement scandals. The
wet political surveyors are thereupon
| enceavorinR to estimate the gains
which they might thus achieve on
House roll calls on prohibition oues-
tions.