Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-08
Politics at Large
By G.. Could Lincoln.

Massachusetts, this year for desperate
political battle, with prohibition as the
main issue. There is not the slight
est doubt that the Democrats will
espouse the anti-prohibitton cause.
The Republicans. on the other hand,
Indeed Gov. Frank @. Allen In a recent
address to the State Legislature, OPP
posed the repeal of the Massachusetts,
prohibition enforcement act. which
the vets have demanded be thrown into
the discard. Gov. Allen, 1t Is said, win
be q candidate for denomination on the
Republican ticket. Former Mayor John
r. Fitzgerald Of Boston, Democrat, adj
dressing a mass meeting In Faneuil
Hall held to denounce the killing by
the Coast Guard Of three rum runners
near Newport, said he proposed to be
a candidate for governor. If Fitzger-
aid gets into the race he is practically
certain of receiving the Democratic
gubernatorial nomination.
n * y X
With Allen and Fitzgerald opposing
each other, the repeal Of the State pro.
hinition enforcement act Is likely to be
the principal issue Of the Campaign.
| In other words, prohibition. Il looks Is
though the Republican party In Massa-
chusetts would have to make up its
mind to face this prohibition question
squarely. Efforts are being made con-
stantly by some of the Republican lead
ers to prove that prohibition has no
place In politics. They take this atti-
tude because many of the Republicans
| of the State have been opposed to the
! Volstead act as strongly as the wettest
| Democrats. They hope to straddle the
issue and keep the wet Republicans IN
line with the dry Republicans. Gov.
Allen, however, has come out boldly In
his opposition to the repeal of the State
prohibition law. He is keeping the at
titude Of the Massachusetts, State adj
ministration in line with the Republican
administration in Washington. Presi-
dent Hoover has called attention to the
need Of State aid In the enforcement Of
prohibition. The repeal of the Massa-
chusetts State dry law could scarcely be
called In line with the recommendation
Of the Republican President, with the
widest stretch Of the Imagination.
4 \ \ i
Republicans In the Bay state will
have TO determine whether their re-
publicanism or their wetuess ID the
stronger. Many people who formerly
voted the Republican ticket In Massa-
chusetts voted for the Democratic ma.
tional ticket and for the wet Democratic
Walsh, in the 1928 election. Al Smith
was the wet champion and he carried
the State, as did Senator Walsh. Just
how the political parties line up on the
wet and dry issue has never been deter
mined accurately. It has become q
habit to say that IS per cent of the
Democrats Of Massachusetts are wet and
that IS per cent OF the Republicans
are dry. No one knows exactly. If
AZ N VAMFfiAa
In the next election along wet and dry
lines, it looks like Democratic victory.
There Is the possibility, however, that
| other factors may hold Republican vets
In line for the party ticket just as
Democratic drys may be held In line
| for their party ticket.
Massachusetts,, for so many years re-
garded as a strong Republican State,
has In recent years become real bat
United States Senator and believe they
have q good chance to elect another
next year. They carried the State for
Smith and Walsh last year. There has
been a great influx into the State Of
| population from Europe. These foreign
| groups have been Democratic and wet.
| All of which has initiated against Re-
publican success. If the State goes
Democratic next Fall elects a Dem
ocratic governor and Democratic Sen
ator, 1t may be q long time before the
Republicans gain control there again.
y Il 4 -
One of the great difficulties In
Massachusetts, from Republican point
Of view has been the party splits, with
| no real leadership. And the wet and
causes Of the splits. It may be better
in the long run for the Republicans
to take q strong position in Massa-
chusetts on this question and seek 10
win to their standard all the drys. It
has been predicted that If the Re-
publicans nominate dry for the Sem
ate In the Bay State next year he will
candidate. Efforts to keep the prohi-
bition question out of the coming cam
paign are likely to be entirely futile,
If they are made, however.
The prospects of Democratic victory
In Massachusetts, this year on the wet
issue, however, will give the Democrats
| Of the South some cause for constdera-
ton and perhaps concern. The South.
ern Democrats have been scrambling
around ever since 1928 to prove to the
people of the South that they are so
dry that the Republican administra-
ton Is wet when compared to them.
They had q demonstration in 1928 of
the attitude of the people of the South
on the wet and dry issue and they are
not anxious for another. Some of them
are wondering what the effect Of re-
peated Democratic wet victories IN
Massachusetts, and other Northern
They are wondering whether the next
Democratic national convention is to
be called upon by these triumphant wet
Democrats OF the North and East to
nominate another wet candidate for
President and to declare party opposi-
ton to prohibition. The Democratic
party may have as much dif1culty
| nationally to weather the prohibition
storm as the Republican party in
Massachusetts, is having over the same
storm on a smaller scale.
X X X
Out in Wisconsin the Progressives
are urging Phil" La Toilette, young
er brother of Senator Robert M. La
Toilette, jr., to run for the guberna-
torial nomination in the Republican
primaries which come next August.
Phillip La Toilette Is no stranger to
politics. He campaigned for his father,
the late Senator La Toilette, and for
his brother Bob" the present Senator.
He is lawyer and has held the Of
flee of prosecuting attorney for Dane
County the first political ONCE which
was held by his famous father. If he
gets into the gubernatorial race this
year 1t will be a real contest. Gov
Kohler is likely to seek reelection, 1t
is said. He is the first "stalwart" to
hold the ONCE of governor in q num-
Der OF years and his victory was due
In no little part to a split among the
Progressives themselves. The Pro-
gresSiveS feel, however, that with Phil"
La Toilette as their candidate they will
be able to unite all factions among the
Progressives again and put their man
across.
The La Toilette name is a great