Evening star., 1930-12-07

| Mr.. Morrow and New Jersey is an ex-
| ception. AS such it may have some
effect on Republican thinking.
1t remains bleakly true, however that
the Republicans took the wet position
in New York and lost; took the moist
position in Illinois and lost, and took
the dry position in Massachusetts, and
lost.
If you were a Republican trying to
chart q course on prohibition, based on
party eXpediency, what would you do?
Perhaps you might conclude that there
must be some better basis than party
eXpediency for determining a party's
position on great public question.
Perhaps one would conclude that the
best thing for the Republicans would
be to stand firm on some tenable prin-
| ciple or work out a plan for dealing
with liquor based on reason, experience
and wisdom.
There was once a shrewd old Senator
from the South who used to say. In
politics, when there isn't any better
way, do the right thing"
Turn now to the Democrats. For
them the path is easy. At least, It is
easy up to q certain point. The path
for the Democrats is easy up to and
after election-and If difficulties post
pone themselves until after an election
party leaders do not ordinarily worry.
In the recent November election the
Democrats took the wet position in
practically every State outside the Solid
South, excepting Montana. There may
be one or two other Western States in
which the Democrats did not take the
wet position. In any event and all
events the exceptions are immaterial.
The Democrats in all the large States,
in all the decisive States, in all the
States that are vital in a presidential
election, took a wet position and won.
The Democrats were wet in Massa-
chusettS and elected a Senator and
Governor. They were wet in Connec-
ticut and elected a Democratic Cover
nor for the first time in some eighteen
years. They were wet in New York and
elected their candidate for Governor
by the largest majority ever given a
candidate for that office; for the first
time in 40 years or more they carried
that part OF New York State that lies
outside Of New York City. True, the
Democrats were wet in New Jersey and
did not elect their Senator, but in that
State the Republican candidate for Sena-
tor also was wet. The Democrats we're
wet in Pennsylvania and came within
what amounts IN that State to a squeak
of electing a Democratic Governor-and
If they had it would have been the first
time in 40 years. The Democrats were
WEI III N1dTyIdIlO hIlu IG-cICCISQ Uilclt
candidate for Governor, Albert Ritchie,
to what will amount in the aggregate
to the longest continuous tenure ever
held by any Governor of any American
State. Democrats in Ohio were wet to
the extent Of nominating wet candi-
date for Senator and elected him. The
Democrats were wet In Illinois and
elected q Senator.
Inference Is to Be Wet.
In short, by inference from the re-
cent election, the course for the Demo-
Gratis Is to be wet. True the Demo-
cratic party in the South is dry, prob
ably dry as ever. But in the large East
ern and Northern States that determine
presidential elections, the Democrats
went wet-and won. To go wet Is not
only the lesson of the November elec-
ton for the Democrats. That lesson CO.
incides with the strongly held purpose
Of the present national Democratic
managers, especially National Chairman
John j. Raskob.
But 1t will be said that the Demo-
Gratis will have difficulty going wet, that
they will encounter cleavage, that the
South will resist. It Is true the South
is and will be dry. It is less true,
though TO some degree true, that the
South will resist the party in the Ma
VIII 40 q SOlAlB "CLs 4AAC OOuIll-
ern resistance, however will not be for
midable enough and will not be pressed
hard enough to prevent the party as a
whole from being wet. Hardly any one
doubts that the Democratic party in
the next presidential campaign will be
wet: certainly wet enough to satisfy
those wet voters who gave Democratic
Franklin Roosevelt such an immense
majority in November. Party expe-
al fhaf ic coiI In foic
ticular article Is based on party expedi-
ency only-dictates the wet position for
the Democrats.
The fact is the Democrats on the
prohibition issue are able to straddle
comfortably. This Is because the re-
spective elements in the party are dis
tant from each other geographically.
The Democratic vets are substantially
all in the North; the Democratic dryS
substantially all in the South. Because
the South tends to go Democratic for
reasons and tradition older and deeper
than prohibition, 1t follows that the
South, as a rule, will stay Democratic
even though the party nationally goes
wet. There may be some exceptions to
this statement. One hears 1t asserted
with strong emphasis that If the Demo-
cratic party nationally goes wet, Texas,
for example, e,>in-resentment, will go Re-
publican. That remains to be seen.
The net OF it all Is that from the point
of view Of party expediency, the course
of the Democrats is to go wet. Ger
tainly no politician and no observer eX-
poets TO see the Democrats in 1882
election take the dry position.
The Democratic vets in the North
and the Democratic drys in the South
can march shoulder TO shoulder behind
a wet candidate for the presidency on
| a wet platform. They can march
shoulder to shoulder right up to the
| election. They can march shoulder to
shoulder right through the election. If
the conditions are as favorable in other
respects and in all respects, they can
win the election without any interfer-
ing fatal cleavage on prohibition. But
Immediately after winning, If they
! should win, their troubles begin, their
cleavage will come to the surface explo-
sively.
Party Would Split.
Suppose the Democrats in 1882 elect
a Democratic President, q Democratic
Senate and a Democratic House. Sup
pose they take possession of their king
dom. Suppose Congress meets.
Imagine, for supposition's sake, that
| the Democrats have as many as 260 out
Of a total Of 435 members of the Lower
House. On day early in their tenure
Of power those $50 Democratic members
of the Lower House would meet in
room for the purpose of determining
party policy.
Into that caucus room throw the
question Of prohibition Instantly the
Democrats viii divide almost squarely
in two. Out of 260 members Of the
Lower House, roughly, half, about 100,
would be drys coming from the Solid
South, and from an occasional rural
district in the North. The other half
would be strong vets coming almost