Evening star., 1932-06-21
B0RAH STATEMENT
CHEERS DRY CHIEFS
Faction Feels They Now Have
Champion of Considerable
Size for Their Cause.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
stan Correspondent OF The Star.

CHICAGO. June 2l.-Senator Will
liam E. Borahs assault upon the Re
publican prohibition plank, delivered in
the Senate, has warmed the cookies OF
the hearts of the ardent dry leaders.
Probably they regret that the Idaho
Senator did not come to the Republican
National Convention and make such a
speech before the Resolutions Commit
tee and on the floor OF the convention.
But they are glad that at last cham
pion Of considerable size stands forth.
DR.. E c. Dinwiodie. executive secre-
tary of the National Prohibition Board
Of strategy. who is holding the fort in
Chicago while the other members OF
the board are away pending the open
ing of the Democratic National Con-
yention activities, was asked whether
he believed the drys would seek TO
launch third independent ticket Tor
President and Vice President, perhaps
with Senator Borah at its head. he
said no decision whatever had oeen
reached by the board as to what lts
plans for the coming campaign
would be.
II have not heard from Senator
Borah since l left Washington, SAID
Dr. Dinwiddie. ~
some of the other dry leaders, how
ever. are now in Washington, among
them General Superintendent OF the
Anti-Saloon League DR.. F. Scott NC
Bride, and 1t is expected they Will con-
tact with the Idaho Senator.
Have No Plank to Offer.
Dr Dinwiddie said the Board OF
Strategy would hold its peace on future
olans until after the Democrats have
written their platform and nominated
their candidates. Soon after the close
of the Democratic convention, ne SAID
the Board OF Strategy would holo
meeting and probably outline a pro-
gram.
The drys are planning to go through
all the motions at this Democratic con-
vention. much as they did at the Re
publican convention. They will appear
before the Resolutions Committee OF
the Democratic National Convention
and argue against repeal Of the eight
eenth amendment. They have no plank,
DR.. Dinwiddie said, to offer. But they
will oppose the inclusion Of wet plank
in the Democratic platform Ihe
Board Of Strategy Executive Committee
is to meet here Friday. according to
present plans. DR.. DinWlddle expects
Cannon. jr.: DR.. Daniel A. Polling, DIR.
Ernest c. Cherrington ana other dry
leaders will have reassembled in this
city.
Borah Speech Pleases Democrats.
Amid all the talk here Of campaign
managers Of the various candidates FOR
the Democratic presidential nomination
scant consideration is given to the out
and-out drys. The only question dis
cussed is how wet are the Democrats
going to make the platform, not whether
the platform will be wet And yet there
are still some dry voters in this country
in fact, if DR.. Dinwiddie and others
are to be believed. several million OF
them. Bishop Cannon. who was
Democrat until Al Smith was nomi-
mated. may have something to say to
his former Democratic friends. The
bishop claims he is still Democrat.
But no one believes the drys will be
able to keep the Democrats from going
degree wetter than the Republicans.
II they do just what are the dry Demo-
Gratis and the dry Republicans going to
do about it all?
If the Borah speech tickled the drys
It also fell pleasantly on the ears of
the Democratic leaders in Washington
and before the eyes Of those assembled
here Mr. Borah was terrible thorn
in the Democratic flesh in the 1928
campaign II he is not going to aid
the Republicans this year, so much the
better for the Democrats. The Demo-
Gratis would dearly like to see the Idaho
Senator head a third, dry. ticket for
President. believing he would draw to
his standard many Republican drys and
comparatively few Democratic sup
porters Of prohibition. However, II
Borah permitted himself to be drawn
into such campaign. he likely would
receive the support Of lot OF voters
in the States Of the West whom the
Democrats are counting on. particularly
II Gov Franklin D. Roosevelt Is their
presidential nominee. Such q third
ticket would likely be beneficial to the
Democrats on the Shole.
Dr. Dinwiddie and manv Of the other
drys insist II 1t had not been for hard
times the present uproar over prohibit
ton would not have materialiZed. The
vets have ridden along to victory in
congressional elections, he said. on the
coattails Of the depression. II hard
times continue, and the thesis Of the
drys Is correct. 1t does not look par
ticularly bright for the G. o. P. this
Fall.
Economic Program Hard Job.
The Democrats, in addition to set
tling the contest over the nomination
for President and Vice President and
writing a prohibition plank. have an
other task to perform. They must
write a platform dealing with relief
from depression and unemployment.
They must come forward with an eco
nomic program. 1t will be some job,
and perhaps a more important one than
the writing Of the prohibition plank.
The Republican plank on relief was
practically written in Washington long
before the G. o. P. conven,.un assem-
bled 1t was the program advanced by
President Hoover and submitted to Con-
gress. The Democrats, on the other
hand have advanced no program of
their own up to date, outside OF the
Wagner and Garner. bills, looking in
the main to the appropriation of large
sums of money for public works. The
platform drafters cannot afford to over
look the real interest the people have
in relief Doubtless the Democrats will
give due consideration to the Wagner
and Garner relief plans in their plat
form. They will probably go on record,
too. in favor of doing lot for the farm
ers: perhaps the old equalization fee
plan or the debenture plan for dealing
with exportable surpluses.