Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-26
THE POLITICAL MILL
BY C. COULD LINCOLN.

Massachusetts, is heard from again.
This time IL Is the voice Of Representa-
tive Allen T. Treadway. the dean of
the Republican members Of the House
from the Bay State MFR. Treadway,
who has been q dry" declared in an
address Saturday night before the
Young Mems Republican Club in
Springfield that he would vote for the
resubmission Of the eighteenth amend
nlent II . preponderant sentiment were
shown to be for such resubmission. He
added that there seems to be a very
general call for the resubmiSsion Of
the liquor question to the people and
the States Mr.. Treadway did not say
that he would support repeal Of the
eighteenth amendment. But what he
said was his f1rst public announcement
that he would vote to let the people
and the States decide whether they
wished to hold on to this prohibition
amendment to the Constitution. He
said, II voted to submit the question
Of adoption Of the eighteenth amend
ment to the Legislatures Of the States
because Of the then preponderart senti-
ment OF the people for such submission.
I'm order to be consistent II SINH
lar preponderant sentiment Is shown to
exist for resubmission. / should deem It
my duty to vote in Congress for such
resubmission.
While this has represented my
position for an indefinite time and will
continue 50 to do. this Is the first
time I have publicly stated 1t, and
think have made II 80 plain that IL
will not be necessary for me to repeat
It in the future"
The prohibition question has been
giving the @. o. p. terrible lot of
trouble in Massachusetts,. 1t has caused
a great deal Of party detection. When
In the last Republican senatorial primary
william M. Butler, former Senator and
former chairman Of the Republican
National Committee, ran for the NOM
nation, his wet opponent, Amos L.
Draper. polled within q few thousand
as many votes as did Mr.. Butler.
Furthermore, q third candidate, "BoSsy"
ellis, the fighting Mayor Of Newbury-
port, q moist" in his campaign, polled
SUFFICIENT votes, which il transferred to
Mr. Draper, would have given him the
nomination over Butler. The fact that
dry Republican members of the House
from Massachusetts, are now talking. as
does Mr.. Treadway, about the resub-
mission Of the eighteenth amendment
Is understandable in Q State where the
80 shown in repeated referendums. Mr..
Treadway admitted in his speech that
prohibition had not measured up to the
hopes Of It's friends. But he said also
that before prohibition, with q corner
saloon on the streets and many in be-
tween the corners, conditions had not
been so good either. The main point in
Mr.. Treadway's speech, however, seems
to be his present willingness to let the
whole question 90 10 the States again
for their decision.
At the same time Mr.. Treadway was
announcing his willingness to resubmit
the question Of national prohibition he
declared, 1T Is TO be hoped and ex-
pected that Massachusetts, will send to
the convention q solid delegation favor
able to the denomination Of President
Hoover" The Massachusetts, member
Of the House said there had been en-
tirely too much intTaparty strife for
the good Of the @. o. p. In Massachu-
Because of that strife, he said, the
Democrats have now two United States
Senators from ssachusetts and
Governor Of the State.
y y
The situation in Massachusetts, polit-
ically raises the question whether. after
all. tie old Bay State has not swung
pretty definitely into the Democratic
column. 1t went for Al Smith for
President in 1923 when the rest Of the
country, with the exception OF q hand
full of States, was going for Hoover
And last year it gave the Republicans
a real drlbbing in the senatorial and
elections The Repub-
licans cling to the argument that
Is still q Republican State
because 1t has IL Republican members