Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-23
The Political Mill
~ C. Could Lincoln.

John J. Rsskob, chairman Of the
Democratic National Committee, is q
glutton for punishment. II there IS
any way in which he can bring hts
party to see the light OF reason and
adopt wet plank in its platform for
the coming general election, he seems
bent on not overlooking it. His latest
move is to send q QUESTIONABLE on the
subject of prohibition to about 30 600
persons who contributed TO the last ma
tlonal campaign fund OF the Democrats,
in 1928. The Democratic presidential
candidate Alfred h. Smith. at that
time announced his own personal wet
platform in 3 few hours after he had
beer nominated. Thousands OF Demo-
Gratis turned against Smith almost
overnight. 1t is highly probable. there
fore, that q majority OF the Democrats
who contributed to the national cam
paign fund to elect former Gov Smith
81 New York to the presidency were
opponents Of national prohibition. II
Mr.. Raskob gets a substantial per
centage OF replies from the 10000 con-
tributors. those replies should make
good showing for the wet cause among
the Democrats.
Chairman Raskob and those who
support him in his contention that the
Democratic platform should be wet
NAV take the stand that the views OF
the contributors TO the campaign fund
in 1928 are the dyed-in~the-W WOOL Dem
ocrats whose views only should be con-
sidered. But there are hundreds Of
thousands of Democrats in Dixteland
who abandoned their allegiance to their
party temporarily, at least in 1923
Democrats whose votes and views are
OF considerable Importance to the next
Democratic nominee for President,
whoever he may be.
This RaSkob QUESTIONABLE Is the
most ambitious thing Of its Kind that
has been attempted. The great num-
lers of contributors to the 1928 Demo-
cratic campaign fund are found In the
distinctly wet States. For example,
New York is listed as having 17,4l2
contributors to the fund; MaSSacru-
sets, despite the fact that In popula-
ton It Is far below some Of the other
States had 1888 contributors TO the
Smith campaign fund. more than any
other state except New York, ana
Massachusetts in political sentiment IS
about as wet as the Atlantic, o proud
boast that once was made by Gov
eruor of New Jersey Little Rhode
Island has 3,320 contributors listed, al
| though Alabama had only 32e, Georgia,
500. North Carolina, 254: South Caro-
| lima, 1877; Texas, Silt, Mississippi,
9 .724. and Virginia, 729. Judging from
these figures, II does not seem difncult
to predict that Mr. Raskob Will get
an overwhelming response against ma
tional prohibition, although even some
wet Democrats in wet States are, in
many cases, not yet convinced that the
! Democratic party should place dis
tinctly wet plank in its party platform
next year.
Seven questions are asked the con-
tributors by Mr. Raskob in this letter
The questions range al the way from
the contributors view on the RasSob
home rule" plan, which would give the
States the right to say whether or not
| they would leealize liquor trafTic, TO the
contributors view on whether the eco
nomic issues were 50 dominating in the
coming campaign that prohibition could
be successfully ignored. Many Of the vets
in the Democratic party hope at least
TO get into the party platform pledge
that the Democrats in Congress Will
support q resolution TO resubmit the
eighteenth amendment to the States,
with State conventions elected to deal
specifically with the question. 1t Is
going to be pretty dif1cult, however, TO
pledge Democratic members OF the
House and Senate from South Of the
Mason and Dixon line to any such
proposal, platform or no platform.
X
The chairman Of the Democratic
National Committee at the meeting Of
his committee held last March had
hoped to obtain an expression Of the
committee on this question Of prohibi-
ton But when the committeeman ard
committeeman gathered here he
found that this was impossible. The
committee Is to meet again in January,
and if MI Raskob does not bring lip
again his proposal for a wet platform
plank it Will be surprising, to say the
least It looks as though this ques-
tionnaire now sent out to Democratic
campaign fund contributors was intend
ed ito bolster up his recommendation
that the committee declare for soIne
kind of an prohibition plank.
Senator Hiram johnson has come
back to washington from California
fun OF bitterness about the Hoover ad-
ministration II he has any intention
Of getting into the race for the Repub
lican presidential nomination against
President Hoover, however, he has so
far not manifested it-not openly
anyway. Reports from California say
proposals that California send an "un-
Instructed delegation" to the next Re-
publican National Convention, rightly
or wrongly, have been attributed to
some of Senator Hiram Johnson'S
friends. This proposal made to Repub-
lican leaders In North and South Cali
fornia has not made Roadway, If the
reports are true. In fact there has been
a reaction against 1t. Some of the Re-
publicans look on it not only as an
anti-Hooyer move, but also as a move
in favor of sending q delegation that
would be willing to vote for Senator
Johnson for President in the National
Convention instead Of President Hoover.
Notwithstanding the assertions of
leading Progressive Republicans from
the West that the Hoover administra-
ton has been a failure and that Presi-
dent Hoover ought not to be the party
candidate next year, 1T does not appear
that any of the Progressive Republican
leaders are likely 10 get into the race
for the nomination against the Prest-
dent. In the first place, the Progress
sives are by no means a unit regarding
a candidate to oppose Mr.. Hoover. For
example, Senator Borah of Idaho and
Senator johnson of California are more
often discussed as possible opponents
of Mr.. Hoover than any other Repub-
lican Progressiyes, with the exception
perhaps of Gov. Pinchot of PennSyl-
vania But will Senator johnson give
whole hearted support to a Borah can
didaey for President, or win Senator
Borah jump for Joy over proposal
to nominate Hiram johnson for Chief
Executive? Senator George w. Norris
Of Nebraska, as anti-Hoover as the
Republicans from the West come has