Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-10
The Political Mill
BY G. Could Lincoln.

| JIle beHlOcIaLlC party To-Day BECAUSE CA
his nomination in 1928 for the preSi-
dency, has denied fatty a published
report that he would not permit his
name to go before the next Democratic
| national convention as a candidate for
| denomination. The same report had
| it that Mr.. Smith would work for a
wet plank in the Democratic national
platform and added that the Smith
| Raskob faction of the party is opposed
] to the nomination of Gov Franklin D.
Roosevelt for President and will swing
| in behind Newton D. Baker of Ohio
| when his candidacy becomes active. Mr.
| Smith declined to make any comment
J whatever on these predictions. That
| he should deny quickly that he had
| eliminated himself from the presidential
race was only to be expected. That
| has been Mr. Smiths attitude ever
since a barrage of questions was laid
down soon after the 1928 election. He
Is not going to say this year what his
| position next year will be on that Ear
ticular subject. 1t is obvious that if he
permitted it to be stated on good au
| thority" that he was cut Of the presi-
dental race next year his influence as
| a party leader might Wane tremendous
| ly. Calvin Coolidge, after his Il do
| not choose to run statement during
the last administration, kept the poll
| ticianS guessing right up to the end
| as to whether he were not the dark
horse of the Republican White House
| race, and by so doing retained great
influence over the political situation.
| X
It seems unfortunate for the Demo-
cratic party at this stage OF the game
| that there should be growing talk OF
| the Standardization faction" the RooSe-
,,ol4 20 La p nncDNnlt
| ton II is this faction business that
/ has played hob with the Democrats
ever since 1916. If there is to be a
Smith Raskob faction operating in the
| next national convention, favorlng de-
terminedly wet plank in the national
platform and opposing strongly the
nomination of Roosevelt - provided
Roosevelt is the leading candidate at
the time of the convention-there is
pretty good chance of another Madison
Square Garden performance by the
| Democratic party. Such g faction might
stop the nomination of Gov, Roosevelt
A similar faction halted the onward
drive Of William Gibbs McAdoo in the
Madison Square Garden convention.
But what happened in 1924 and what
may happen in 1882 under such cir
cumstances is not likely to I'LL any
Democrat with great enthusiasm. II
it happens next year, the G. Q. z. VIII
certainly have been proved once more
child of fortune.
A possible line or the way in which
these matters are likely to shape up IL
the Democratic national convention may
be obtained when tire Democratic Ma
tional Committee meets here the COM
ing Winter to PICK a convention city.
Chairman John J. RaskOb has sub
mitted to the members Of the National
Committee ard to other party leaders
throughout the country his plan for
home rule" in regard to the liquor
traffic. He would not repeal the
eighteenth amendment, but so revise
the whole prohibition structure that
State, if it desired and so expressed
itself by vote Of its people, would be
able to control the liquor traffic within
its own borders New York and Massa-
Chusetts, if they wished, under such
plan would be able to manufacture and
sell liquor for beverage purposes. The
chairman submitted his plan at spe-
cial meeting of the National Committee
called last Spring. 1t had been his plan
to get a vote OF the committee on the
proposal But the dry faction of the
party. aided and abetted by some OF the
vets who did not want to bring the
issue up in the committee for action,
caused him finally to postpone the mat
ter until the Winter meeting. If he
again fails to press for action on his
plan at the coming committee meeting
the matter will drift along to the ma
tional convention. 1t will be exceed
irgly interesting, however, to see what
happens if the chairman calls for
showdown in the committee on his
liquor plan.
Gov. Roosevelt. acting thro gh the
New York national cOmmltteer7 an and
the State committee, was reported last
Spring to have sat down firmly on the
plan of Raskob to commit the National
Committee to a wet plank for the Demo-
cratic national platform next year. The
attitude of these vets was that platform
making was the job of the national con-
vention and should not be undertaken
by the committee. But RooSevelt's aid
in the committee struggle was much APP
preciated by the dry Democratic leaders
of the South and the West. And right
then the talk of a Smith-RaSkOb fac
ton. opposed to the nomination OF Gov.
Roosevelt for President, became active
and has continued actively in tie pub
lie press ever since. II the chairman
of the national committee, however,
undertakes to use the party organization
to beat of the nomination of Gov.
Roosevelt or any other candidate, he
is likely to find himself in bad way.
and the party, too. before 1t is all over.
X
Former Senator Joseph l. France of
Maryland, who has announced his can
Gidacy for the Republican presidential
nomination against President Hoover,
does not like to be dubbed the wet can
didate for the Republican presidential
t. u
would carry him very far in a race for
delegates in many States of the Union.
including the States Of the West. where
the Hoover administration is reported
to be unpopular at the time. Mr..
France does not deny however, that he
favors the immediate repeal of the
eighteenth amendment. He is against
conditions relating to the liquor traf
1ic as they now exist. But he has
substitute for the eighteenth amend
ment which he would have the country
adopt. 1t is novel, at least. To quote
the former Senator himself, he says on
this matter: Il propose that the
eighteenth amendment as written be
Immediately repealed and that we write
a new amendment which shall be
grant Of power to the Congress to pass
laws from time to time concurrently
with but not in limitation of the power
Of the States, to control the manu-
facture and sale of alcoholic beverages
This will restore the question to the
realm of reason. 1t will restore the
American principle of popular govern
ment It will recreate the atmosphere
of sane and moderate discussion in
which laws should be viewed and
enacted"
The latest rumor regarding the chair
manship of the Republican National
Committee IS that some of the friends
of President Hoover are urging William
M. Butler, Republican national chair
man during the Coolidge administra-
| tin,, To retlIrn to the lob The story