Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-16
BORAH INDICATES
DRY FIGHT LOOMING
win Stump for G. o. P. Regu-
lar in Boston, Where Wet
Sentiment Is Strong.
BY THEODORE C. wALLEN.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
BOISE, Idaho, october Ex-senator
William E. Borah's first appearance in
the senatorial campaign outside of his
home State, according to tentative
plans, is to speak in Boston on october
10. Instead Of taking the stump for
colleagues of the Senate coalition of in
surgent Republicans and Democrats. as
had been expected in some quarters, the
Senate's outstanding political cam
paigner is going to the assistance of a
regular of regulars, former Senator
William M. Butler of Massachusetts,
one-time chairman of the Republican
National Committee, who must defeat
Marcus A. Coolidge, the wet Democratic
candidate, to regain a seat in the SEN
ate.
The Idaho Senator, himself a can
didate for reelection, who faces only
perfunctory opposition, confirmed today
the report that he has the Boston
speaking engagement on his calendar,
though emphasizing that he had re-
served the right to cancel it on short
notice should he be needed here for
the support of the State ticket. He
declined to say what prompted his dis
position to return to the East for such
an engagement
It was taken to mean, however, that
Senator Borah, foremost of congress
Sional dryS, is preparing to take the
leadership in move for showdown
on prohibition in the national cam
paign of 1892 with view to making
the Republican party the champion of
the eighteenth amendment Assuming
that his closest colleagues in the Sem
ate coalition can get along without his
assistance on the stump, 1t would be to
his advantage to help bring about the
election of a dry Senator from Mas
sachusetts, in the face of strong indi-
cations that both major parties in the
Bay State are wet today
Influence Highly Rated.
The Senator would not necessarily
stress prohibition in a Boston speech.
If the basic purpose is to get dry
elected where one is available in the
East, Senator Borah might find 1t ex-
pedient to follow a line least likely to
cost Mr.. Butler the support of such Re-
publican vets as are willing to subordi-
nate prohibition. The Idaho Senator
is credited with remarkable capacity to
convert votes in political campaigns, so
much so that Alfred E. Smith as Demo-
cratic presidential nominee in 1928
rated him the most dangerous speaker
in the opposition.
AS stated, Senator Borah is silent as
to his purpose in agreeing conditionally
to cross the continent for a speech in
Boston. It should be understood that
he Is not discussing it. even privately,
with newspaper men, at least. But he
has not been in the West since early
September without revealing pretty well
where he stands in the light of recent
prohibition developments.
Moreover, no one who has talked
with him lately can have any doubt
that he sees prohibition as the over
shadowing issue to be met in the next
presidential campaign, not particularly
because of recent wet gains, but be-
cause he Is convinced that prohibition
must have more force behind 1t.
To an element of extreme dry Senti-
ment in the West President HooVer's
reported refusal to resist the repeal
movement in the New York State Re-
publican Convention was disappointing.
Opportunity Seen in Speech.
1t led to apprehension of doubts in
the Presidents mind about the prac-
ticability of the present prohibition
system. Since Mr.. Hoover took stand
against repeal in 1923, 1t was felt that
the keynote speech of Henry L. Slim
son, Secretary of State, rejecting adj
ministration views, offered to the Presi-
dent an opportunity openly to discour-
age the plan TO adopt a repeal plank
at Albany.
Persistent reports that the Wicker
sham Commission on Law Observance
and, Enforcement may recommend some
modification of the enforcement statutes
seem to have strengthened the con-
viction In these quarters that the time
has come now to invite an out-and-out
test on the eighteenth amendment it
self In the coming presidential conven-
tion--this with an eye to putting the
Republican party behind the prohibi-
ton amendment. Then If the Demo-
cratic party should declare for repeal
the prohibition issue would be clear
cut between the major parties.
Senator Borah Is expected to provide
leadership not only to that, but also
TO the end that the Republican party
shall not be committed to any retreat
whatever Nrom the existing prohibition
system. regardless of what the Wicker
sham Commission may recommend.
Drys Would Press Offensive.
It means that the drys would take
the aggressive rather than the de-
fensive in the growing controversy over
prohibition. Without waiting for the
Republican repealists of New York, New
Jersey and elsewhere to take the initia-
tive for a repeal plank in the national