Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-06

National prohibition becomes a greater
political fighting issue as result OF
the elections on Tuesday. Adherents Of
the so-called wet cause, heartened by
the gains which they have undoubtedly
made in the House, and by the outstand-
ing victories of Lewis in Illinois, Bulk
ley in Ohio and Coolidge in Massachu-
sets for the Senate, may be counted
upon to fan the flame of opposition to
the eighteenth amendment and the Vol
stead act.
The vets, however, are still far short
of majority in either House or Senate.
Giving them the utmost claims made by
Henry H. Curran, president of the AS
ISOLATION Against the Eighteenth Amend
ment, the next Senate will have 20
Senators opposed to the eighteenth
amendment as compared to rs who
favor prohibition. In the House the
vets win have las to 200 drys. Under
such circumstances it is clear that any
proposal for repeal of the eighteenth
amendment, requiring two-thirds vote
OF both houses, or for modification of
the Volstead act, requiring a majority
vote, would be Overwhelmingly defeated.
The psychological advantage growing
out of the elections, however, is strongly
with the vets. They have gained in dis
tricts which hitherto have been con-
sidered dry, certainly in districts that
have hitherto been represented by dry
Congressman. It is true that the drys
have, with some reluctance, admitted
in the past that Massachusetts, was wet
mitted that Ohio, the home Of the Anti
Saloon League, was wet. Far from it.
They probably will not admit 1t now.
AS a matter of fact, the depression of
business and unemployment in Ohio
made Bulkley's victory certain. Had
there been no such depression, his dry
opponent, McCulloch, doubtless would
have won. But the very fact that thou
sands of voters in Ohio, hitherto regard
ed as favorable to the dry cause, were
willing to subordinate prohibition to any
other issue is blow to the bone drys,
who put prohibition above all other
issues.
The drys' have been able in Illinois
to elect dry Senators and dry Repre-
sentatives at large over wet opposing
candidates, by very large majorities.
Because of that fact, the drys have been
unwilling to admit that anti-prohibition
sentiment could prevail in that, the
third most populous State in the Union
But Tuesdays elections have upset all
precedent there. The vets not only
elected their preferred senatorial candi-
date, but they have elected two wet
Representatives at large. The sweep in
Illinois was tremendous for these candi-
dates.
Wet gains in the House are not con-
fined to a handful of States. They have
apparently been made in twenty-five
States. Even the South, the bulwalk of
prohibition, has contributed to these
House gains. Tennessee sends one wet
member, Texas another and Arkansas
third. The bulk of the gains, how
ever, are made in New York, Illinois,
Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Cali
fornia and Connecticut. However, In
diana, Iowa and Nebraska have con-
tributed somewhat to the gains.
The drys, however, have not been
without their victories. The dry tri-
umphs, however, have been won in re-
sisting attacks of the vets in some Of
the States, not in gaining seats In
Senate and House hitherto held by vets.
Their single gain in the Senate was
made in September. when Representa-
tive Wallace Il. White, IT,, was electeN
Senator in Maine to succeed Senator
Gould, who has admitted his wet
tendencies.
The drys defeated the wet candi-
date for the Senate in Delaware, for
mer Senator Bayard, Democrat, and
elected Senator Hastings, Republican,
who espoused the dry cause. They
beat on the attacks of the wet Demo-
cratic candidate for the Senate In
| Pennsylvania, electing Secretary James
j. Davis, Republican. In the same
State they elected Clifford Pinchot
Governor in place Of the Democratic
and liberal candidate, John M. Hemp
hill, although the vets made desperate
efforts to overthrow Pinchot. Pinchot's
election, by the way, was made possible
by an outstanding error Of the vets
themselves. Had they not insisted
upon placing an independent liberal
candidate in the field for the Repub-
lican gubernatorial nomination Pinchot
probably would never have been nomi-
mated. He might never have made the
race. In a three -cornered contest
Pinchot's nomination was assured,
though by narrow margin. The drys
defeated, Of course. many wet aspirants
for seats In the HOUSE.
What are the drys going to do about
it? They are not likely to lessen their
efforts to retain control Of Congress in
the interests of the dry laws. They
have always the eighteenth amend
ment to the Constitution as their great
gain. Laws may be repealed or modi-
fed with comparative ease. But an
amendment of the Constitution is a
horse Of another color. Thirteen OBJ
durate States can block change in the
eighteenth amendment forever. The
South is as solidly for prohibition as
it is Democratic. It's States provide
great nucleus Of opposition to repeal Of
the eighteenth amendment.
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The laws of Abyssinia are said to give