Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-05

AL JllC 1NONCulDCI SlCCblOll
Expressed in numbers that is, in
numbers of Senators and Representa-
tives in Congress, what has happened
IS slight and the maximum that can
possibly happen in November not very
great. When the prohibition amend
ment originally came before the Senate
Is years ago, in 1917, the vote was IS
in favor of prohibition and 20 against,
with several paired or absent, the total
of the Senate being then, as now, 96.
That ratio, IS to 20, is almost identically
the ratio of dryS and vets in the Sem
ate as it exists today. In the consider
ably more than decade since prohibi-
ton emerged in the Senate, there has
been substantially no change.
The ratio in the present existing Sem
ate is about 65 to 20 and If the vets
should win all of the November contests
in which prohibition is a specific issue
the number of them in the next Senate
would not be over IS.
As respects the House, it is much the
same. The present Congress consists
of almost exactly 100 vets and 335 drys.
The present Congress is described as
the dryest since prohibition came. In
the House, as in the Senate, more than
a decade of experience, accompanied by
increasing argument, has made little
change. AS respects the next House,
the one that will be elected in Novem-
Der, If the vets should win all or prac-
tically all of the contests in which pro-
hibition is specific issue, the number
of them in the next House might be
roughly 100 out of total of 435.
Figures Roughly Accurate.
In thus classifying drys and vets in
the Senate and House, it is impossible
to be exact. In spite of all the COM
motion that goes on, almost never does
roll call come in Congress as to which
men line up squarely dry and squarely
wet. The classification involves some
assumptions, some attribution of views
to men on bases less exact than a roll
call. In spite of these qualifications
the figures here given are roughly &C
curate; indeed, these figures do not
vary materially from the count of the
off1cial dry and wet leaders and propa-
gandists. For example, some wet lead
ers claim they will have, in the COM
ing Congress, assuming they do well in
all the elections, about 100, and some
dry leaders concede to the vets about
ITO. For practical purposes the figures
here given are sufficiently accurate and
will not be seriously questioned by
either side.
II we turn, however, to conditions
other than actual representation in the
House and Senate we find a number of
events during the past few months
which the vets can justly interpret as
gains for them. and very few events
that the drys can interpret as gains.
The most conspicuous of the adj
vances made by the vets this Summer
occurred in June, when the Republican
party in New Jersey went officially wet.
The Democratic party in New Jersey
had been wet before; the Republican
change left the drys with control of
~ in, nd
tant Eastern State, left the drys with
both parties officially ranged on the
other side.
This event was accompanied by an
other incident advantageous to the
vets. harmful to the drys. In the same
process in which the Republicans in
New Jersey went wet they chose for
their nominee for the United States
Senate Dwight Morrow. Mr.. Morrow
came out for repeal of the eighteenth
amendment. What gave meaning and
weight to this was the fact that Mr..
Morrow was a man held in extraor-
dinarily high esteem who had not been
In politics and had not made any
public pronouncement Of his views on
prohibition. To this extent Mr.. Nor
rows adhering to the wet side had a
value greater than that of other men
active in politics who had taken the
wet side before. Internationally this
Is good place to say that Mr.. Morrow
deplores the use of the word wet" and
Is right in so deploring. The words
wet" as well as dry have two dis
advantages. They are extremely loose
In meaning, each covering E wide va
riety of views. Also, both words have
become shopworn in this controversy
and through being shopworn are a
little touched with the faint Of provoca-
tiveness. However, there is no other
convenient word to describe comps city
Mr.. Morrow's position. To group him
as a wet" puts him, inaccurately, in
the company of men whose views on
prohibition are touched with violence
and the solution of this problem, If
and when it comes, will probably arise
through the efforts of men like Mr.
Morrow, new to the controversy. with
their position before the public not
impaired by previous strong identity
with one side or the other)
Jersey Early Wet State.
New Jersey was the first large East
ern State in which the Republican
party went wet BY the same token
II was the first large Eastern State
in which both the great parties went
wet. 1t was anticipated that New Jer-
sey's example would have a psyche
logical effect on two other large East
York. AS respects New York, the
omen was borne out. In New York
State the Republican party, for va
riety of reasons, after being dry since
prohibition came, adopted wet plank
in its platform. That this WIS and
remains an extremely important victory
for the vets cannot be denied.
In Massachusetts,, however. the Re-
publican party did not go wet; Massa-
chusetts remains, one large Eastern
state. in which the Democrats are wet,
but the Republicans dry. In this fact
there is statistical comfort for the drys,
but The statistical comfort is qualified
by understanding of the facts. There
was in the Republican primary in Mas
sachusetts in September a squarely
qualified contest TO the Republican
nomination for United States Senator
between a wet and a dry with a
second wet candidate cutting COM
paratively small 1gure). The dry, for
rner Senator William M. Butler won;
but he won by an extremely narrow
majority. The votes cast for the dry Tor
mer Senator Butler were not quite so
many as the combined vote Of his two
wet opponents Nevertheless, by the
fact that the dry candidate for the
senatorial nomination won the drys,
for the moment have an advantage In
Massachusetts,.
This advantage will be put to the tes
again in November. In that month II
the general election dry Republican
candidate for the United States Senat'
will run against a wet Democrat. Ac
cording to frequent expectations, IN
dry may win; that is, the Repuohcal
candidate, former senator William M
Butler, may win, and he happens to b.
dry.
But even those who expect him to VIII
many of them at least-anticipat
that his winning. If he wins, will not b.
due to his dryness but rather to cleavag
aFnAnr the Deponcrafs The naY11ocrat