Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-17
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

date 1Or the PepuOilcdh SeHdboi ial
nomination in Massachusetts, has
| labeled himself dry" Gov. Allen of
the Bay State. who is to be candidate
to succeed himself, has also come out
as a dry and IN opposition to the re-
peal of the baby Volstead act" as the
State enforcement law is called.
Provided they are both nominated
and head the Republican ticket In
Massachusetts this Fall, the State Is
likely to become a wet and dry battle
ground. The Democratic candidates for
! both Offices will, it is predicted, eSpouse
| the wet cause. Nearly all the Demo-
! Gratis in Massachusetts are wet The
| Democrats believe, too, that the wet
cause is much more popular in the
State today than is the dry cause.
With a majority of the Republicans
| in MasSa chusetts aligned with the drys,
there wasn't much else for Mr.. Butter
to do At least he has not sought TO
straddle the issue, like so many other
candidates. AS a dry he will win or
| lose, sink or swim. 1t is quite true that
| the Republicans also have a wet candi-
date for the senatorial nomination,
Eben S. Draper. And the Boston Tran
script has editorially demanded the
nomination of Mr. Draper. 1t said:
We now know where we stand. On
I AAAC OAiC lAdilO ID NAAs 0ublAAb - AA ChA
! the other, Eben s. Draper, a wet. We
assume that one OF the obiects-indeed
| the prime object of the Republican
/ party-is to send a Republican to the
| United States Senate. That being the
| case, the course now open to 1t Is to
nominate Mr.. Draper and elect him.
With conditions and sentiment in the
State as they are, there is no alterna-
| tive"
|
Clearly the Boston Transcript does
not consider the dry cause strong in the
Bay State. 1t may be recalled that the
| Transcript not so long ago strongly
! urged upon former President Calvin
| Coolidge that he become the nominee
of the Republican party for the Senate.
! II did it's level best to draft Mr.. Cool
| idge. But the former President remained
sloof. Had Mr.. Coolidge been persuaded
to enter the race for the nomination.
would the Transcript have supported
him If he had followed Mr.. Buffers
present course and announced himself
dry? Probably the Transcript would
have continued to support Mr.. Coolidge
| on the theory that, wet or dry, no one
could have defeated Calvin Coolidge in
Massachusetts, primary or election. The
former President however, is spared the
necessity of announcing himself either
wet or a dry at this Iuncture.
Mr.. Butler has declared himself a
dry. He emphasizes, however, that he
| is a friend of business and his platform
/ will be better business and more en-
| ployment for the people of MaSSachu-
sets. Perhaps these issues may in the
end appeal more strongly to the voters
| of Massachusetts, than the rum ques-
! ton. The chances are, 1t is said, that
Mr.. Butler will win the nomination for
> - AHr nS0FN TlAn 10
between the two should give some in
| dication of the wet and dry lineup
within the Republican party in MaSsa-
| chusettS itself. The primary does not
/ take place until next September. There
| is plenty of time for the situation to
develop more fully in the State before
the voters go to the polls.
The Transcript declares thaA Mr..
! Draper, II nominated, can be elected
to the Senate. 1t takes the view that
dry Republicans will submerge their dry
| desires and support q wet Republican
in the general election, but that wet
Republicans will fiop over to wet DEM
ocratic nominee for the Senate. On the
other hand, it does not believe that dry
Democrats would abandon their party
allegiance to support dry Republican.
| q X 4 X
This wet and dry question is causing
| the Republicans in the North and EaSG
almost as much misery in the coming
congressional elections as it caused the
Democratic party nationally in the cleo
ton of 1928. Under the leadership of
former Senator James w. WadSwOrth
and other wet Republicans, the issue
has been forced into Republican clubs
| of prominence in New York. The
National Republican Club adopted
wet resolution at a meeting last week
after q bitter wrangle. The New York
Republican drys are up in arms again
They claim that the wet Republican
faction has adopted rule or ruin"
policy If that be the case, the wet
faction has merely clipped a page from
the dry factions own book. Back in
1926 the dry faction in New York made
| the victory OF Senator Wadsworth in
the senatorial election impossible by the
mere expedient of placing in the field
| an independent dry Republican who
received about 100000 votes-votes
which if cast for Wadsworth would have
elected him 10 the Senate over the
Democratic candidate, Senator Wagner,
another wet. The fanatical dry Repub-
licans in 1926 were willing to bring
defeat to the Republican party rather
than take Senator WadSworth. Now
they are complaining that Senator
Wadsworth and the other Republican
vets are bent on diSrupting the party.
| It's a complaint that does not come
with particularly good grace from the
drys.
The rumpuS over prohibition between
! the Republican factions in New York Is
| playing into the hands of the Demo-
Gratis in the coming congressional and
gubernatorial elections. There is no
al FA,.
J The failure of the Republicans in the
Empire State to get together is en-
dangering all chance of their winning
the governorShip. Franklin d. RooSe-
welt will be candidate to succeed him
self as governor on the Democratic
| ticket, 1t Is now expected. And If he is
reelected, he at once becomes formi-
dable candidate for the Democratic
presidential nomination in 1892. The
governors own wishes and his physical
condition, however, may be factors in
the situation.
II 4 & r
Gov. Albert C. Richie is to be can
didate for a fourth term as Governor of
Maryland and, according to the latest
word from that State, Maryland has
| become accustomed to voting for Gov.
Richie. The chances are that he will
be renominated, despite the candidacy
of David G. Mcintosh, State Senator
from Baltimore County, who has an
nounced his intention of seeking the
democratic nomination. This is an "off
! year" with no presidential election,
which is usually helpful to the Demo-
| Gratis in the State election. At any
rate. If Gov Richie is renominated, ne
will be reelected, unless there should
be an uprising among the Democrats
OF the State, which has not been mani
fest so far. Should Richie be re-