Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-15
Stage Set for Campaign.

Seven weeks from tomorrow the
voters go 10 the polls in all the States
except Maine, where the elections have
already taken place, 10 elect members
Of the House, and in many States Sem
ators. Tomorrow is the final primary
date, with the people of Massachusetts,,
New York and Wisconsin nominating
their candidates. Two or three other
States nominate by convention But,
to all intents and purposes, the gen.
eral election campaign will be in full
swing after tomorrow. The issues have
been joined Nationally, the issue is
the Hoover administration and the leg
islative record of the Republican Con-
gress on the tariff. fern relief and a
score of other subjects. Locally the
parties and their candidates are fight
ing over still other issues, among them
prohibition.
In New Jersey, however, prohibition.
which threatened to be an issue in the
coming election, has been effectually
eliminated. When Dwight w. Morrow.
the Republican candidate for the SEN
ate, in his opening speech of his cam
paign for nomination, declared himself
for the repesl of the eighteenth amend
ment and the return of the control Of
liquor traffic to the States, with proper
safeguards for those States which wish
to continue prohibition, he took the wet
and dry question out of a campaign in
which the Democrats had figured they
would gain much because of their sup
port Of the anti-prohibition side of the
case. The New Jersey Republican State
convention accepted Mr.. Morrow's die
tum, and the platform runs along with
the Morrow statement. And now it is
reported that Mr.. Morrow. who is soon
to return to New Jersey from Mexico.
where he has concluded his work as
American Ambassador, will discuss in
oustrial questions, unemployment and
foreign relations in his campaign
speeches. Mr.. Morrow in this shows his
good political judgment The world
knows now how he stands with regard
to the prohibition amendment. He
could add nothing to what he has al
ready said.
Despite his decision to say no more
about prohibition in his present cam
paign, Mr.. Morrow definitely made a
deep impression with his speech last
May advocating return of control Of
the liquor traffic to the States. In a
measure, his speech marked the turn
ing pcint for many persons on this
particular issue. Since that time, other
candidates for Office in other States
have said the same thing with varia-
tons
The primary campaigns have pro-
duced wet gains in a number of States
The publicity which has been given
these gains has perhaps msgnified
them out of all proportion But one
thing seems clearer as the weeks pass
If the prohibition question is to become
an issue nationally between two political
parties in 1882. the Democratic party
despite the dry South-will have the
wet side of the fight. Perhaps it would
be fairer to call many of the gains
repeater" rather than wet" General
ly speaking, the Republicans are still
clinging to the dry side, although, as
in New Jersey, vets have made gains in
Michigan, Washington and other States.
The Republicans have been split wide
open in Massachusetts in the senatorial
primary campaign this year, with Will
liam M. Butler, former Senator, sup
porting the eighteenth amendment and
Eben S. Draper running as a wet The
general election in November is likely to
/ bring even more definite political
alignments on the wet and dry issue.
Should the wet Democratic nominee for
the Senate. Buckley, win in Ohio, for
example. over the dry Senator McCul-
loch, the situation might be vitality
affected.