Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-25
The Political Mill

The drys in New York State are bat
Ting today to keep their grip on the
Republican party there. The q. o. p.
State convention. meeting In Albany,
is expected to adopt q plank In its
platform declaring for repeal Of the
eighteenth amendment and to nomi-
nate United States Attorney Charles H.
Tuttle for Governor. futile recently
declared for repeal of the eighteenth
amendment and the return of liquor
control to the States. at the same time
handing in his resignation to Presi-
dent Hoover as United States attorney.
-Four years ago when the Republican
State Convention met in New York
City the drys were In control. II is
true that former Senator James w.
Wadsworth was renominated for the
Senate, although he had declared him
self against the eighteenth amendment.
bllt the convention at that time de-
clared strongly for enforcement of the
laws and picked Ogden Mills, now I'm
dersecretary of the Treasury, as its can
didate for Governor. Mr.. Mills had
taken no extreme stand on the liquor
question.
In the space Of four years, however,
the vets in the Republican party of
New York have gained the aScendancy.
Many of the Republicans in New York
who were not at heart in favor Of ma
tional prohibition four years ago were
content to go along with the drys in
the hope of harmony and putting across
the State ticket. These Republicans
apparently have now gone over to the
wet side of the issue. They do not be.
lieve that the nomination Of a dry
candidate on a dry platform will get
the q. Q. P. anywhere in New York
State today.
candidate for reelection in 1926, the
extreme dry Republicans undertook to
ditch him, and they did. They put
into the field an independent dry Re-
publican, member of the State Senate,
Cristman. This dry candidate received
approximately 231, 000 votes, which If
cast for WadSworth would have elected
him instead Of his Democratic opponent,
Senator Wagner. The drys in those
days would not listen to the plea of
the Republican leaders for party
harmony. They were out to give the
vets, including Mr.. Wadsworth.
lesson. They adopted the rule or ruin
policy and put wet Democrat in office
IN order to keep q wet Republican out
of Office.
The dry leaders in New York today
are again threatening to place in the
field an Independent Republican dry to
make the race for Governor, in the
event the Republican convention adopts
repeater" platform and nomlnates
futile. The drys according to reports,
are not so adamant in their opposition
to the nomination Of futile as they are
IN their opposition to a repeater"
That the dryS would not bolt a mod
erately moist" platform, whatever that
may be. Revision" is the word most
often used in this connection.
1t may be that the drys will be able.
II they put an Independent candidate
for Governor in the field, to make sure
the reelection of Gov. Franklin D.
Roosevelt, who Is slated to be the Demo-
cratic nominee for Governor. Roosevelt
has declared strongly for repeal Of the
eighteenth amendment. Just where the
orys will gain by such tactics Is q
moot question. However, having no
hold on the Democratic party in New
see the Republican party also aligned
on the wet side. They prefer. 1t Is said,
to put prohibition above party loyalty,
and to let the Democrats have the
governorship rather than to have a
wet Republican win on repeater plat
form. There is the chance that by so
doing they may intimidate the Re-
publican leaders and be able to control
the situation two years hence when the
time comes for another election in New
York.
The Republicans in Massachusetts,
who meet in State convention in Bos-
ton on Saturday are having their wor-
ries over the liquor question, too. The
sentiment in the Bay State, as it is In
New York, Is strong against the eight
zenith amendment. But the Republicans
IN Massachusetts, have already nomi-
mated their candidates for Governor and
Senator and members of the House.
The ticket is headed by Gov. Allen and
former Senator William M. Butler both
OF whom have stood by the eighteenth
amendment In their primary campaigns.
me convention therefore Is merely to
draft platform on which the party
candidates may stand.s While Allen and
Butler have taken q dry stand, there
are other candidates on the Republican
ticket who are decidedly wet, including
several OF the nominees for the House.
Among them Is A. Piatt Andrew, who
announced himself in favor Of the re-
peal OF the eighteenth amendment and
won denomination over a dry by an
overwhelming vote. The nominee of
the Republicans In the second congress
slonal district. the district so long held
ny senator Gtllett, is q wet This Is
the district in which the Democrats
won with wet candidate against a
straddling Republican nominee last
Spring, the first time the district ever
went Democratic.
The. effort of the Republicans in
massachusetts Is to write a plank that
VIII be sufficiently satisfactory to. both
the VETS and the dryS. The wet Re-
publican strength in Massachusetts, as
IN new York, has grown in recent years
very considerably. In the senatorial
primary this year the dry Mr.. Butler
won over his wet opponent, Eben S.
draper, by only $500 votes, and If pre-
hpltlon may be considered the issue
between the two, the party appears to
De rather evenly divided. 1t Is not long
Ance the estimate was 10 per cent dry
and 80 per cent, wet for the Republicans
OF the Bay State. AS in New York, the
4enAVSAo.AS party anu the OemocraClc
TICKET In Massachusetts Is decidedly wet
1t Is clear that If the Republican vets
bolt Allen and Butler the Democrats
will win both Governor and Senator
this year. The Republicans have no de-
sire to lose either the governorship nor
the senatorship, both of which are held
today by Republicans. Hence their de-
sire to appease as far as possible the
wet element In their ranks.
Thu rh1eaftc dru Iaadar
J. Davis, head of the State Anti-Saloon
League, has issued warning to the Re-
publicanS on the eve of their State con-
Yention. in which be saws fatty that a