Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-23

nomination Of Southerner as an I'M
possibility.
While it requires q two-thirds vote Of
the Democratic National Convention to
nominate for President, it only requires
a majority vote in the convention to
adopt platform. The Houston con-
vention, meeting two years ago in the
State which, through Morris Sheppard,
had much to do with giving the coun-
try national prohibition, nominated a
wet New Yorker for President, Al Smith.
At that convention the Democrats
adopted a law enforcement plank in
their platform which seemed to be sat
isfactory to the Southern drys. But the
day after he was nominated for Presi-
dent, AL Smith wrote his own plank on
the liquor question. declaring himself
for repeal or modification of national
prohibition laws. Smith was defeated.
and lost four of the States Of the solid
South" into the bargain. But the
Southern Democrats admit that 1t was
the religious issue not the wet and dry,
that carried those Southern States
against Smith.
Smith Return Not Expected.
There is one presidential possibility,
however whom the Southern Democrats
standard bearer-Alfred E. Smith. They
believe that the nomination of Smith
would result in splitting the South
again.
Conditions have changed greatly in
the Democratic party since William
Gibbs McAdoo a little more than six
years ago swept across the country as
the militant dry candidate for the
presidential nomination, only to be
turned back at Madison Square Garden.
The wet group in the party has gained
ascendency and appears to be on the
increase.
The fact Of the matter appears to be
that when the next Democratic National
Convention assemblies, the delegates
favoring repeal or modification of
national prohibition will outnumber the
drys who favor the existing law. II
the dry organizations are relying on
the Southern Democrats to stem the
tide in that convention, they may find
themselves sadly mistaken. The Demo-
cratic organizations in many OF the
States of the West and Middlewest, as
well as those in the States of the
North and the East, are frankly OPP
posed to the existing prohibition laws.
The delegations from these States, COM
bined against the delegates of the
Southern States, few of the Western
States and some of the border" States.
viii outvote them probably in the ratio
of to 4, unless there should be Q
change of sentiment In the party. It
does not require great deal of flgur-
ing to arrive at such a conclusion. The
New England States, with the excep-
ton Of Maine, perhaps, and New York,
New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania,
Delaware, Maryland, Wisconsin, Iowa,
Montana, Minnesota, Washington and
many other Western States win pour
their delegations into the convention,
all favoring some kind Of modification
Of the dry laws.
Wet Fight in G. o. p. Due.
Nor is it likely that the drys will
get on very easily in the Republican
National Convention, although they
that body than they do the Demo-
cratic Convention. While the Republi-
cans received Q drubbing in New York
after their candidate and their party
platform had gone wet" it il by no
means certain that the drys will re-
gain control of the New York or
ganization. The Republican vets in
New York are blaming their defeat on
hard times more than they are on
the drys who deserted the ticket. New
Jersey Republicans went over to the
has demanded repeal of the eighteenth
amendment. In Illinois the Repubh-
cans also went a long way toward sup
porting the wet cause and the referen-
dunn taken in that State is likely to
bolster up their wet leanings. In Penn
sylvania there Is q very large and
militant group of Republican vets.
This Is true, too, in Massachusetts,
where the Republican dry candidates
for Senator and Governor were soundly
beaten in the recent election. Ohio Re-
publicanS went all the way over and
voted for the wet and Democratic Sena-
tor Buckley in great numbers.
With such q record in many Of the
most populous States of the Union,
there seems little doubt that the vets
will put up a real fight, though it may
be a losing one, in the next Republi-
can National Convention. And II the
wet Republicans remain in the same
temper as they are at present, the
general election two years hence will
be q difncult hurdle for any Republic
can candidate who stands for the dry
cause.
While the drys may be able, and
probably will be able, to nominate a
dry Republican candidate for President.
they fail unless they are able to elect
him. The victory of q wet Democrat
in the next presidential race would
be q real blow to the prohibition cause.
Prohibition, however, may be only
general election. Conditions may vet
arise which will force economic uues-
tons to the front so strongly as to
make prohibition a secondarv Tnatfar