Evening star., 1932-07-06
Democratic Repeal Demand
Is Lauded for Its Sincerity

NAV carry States in the East despite
Roosevelt, States which would be lost,
CT at least debatable with Roosevelt
and a weak, indecisive prohibition
plank"
Voicing its criticism Of the wet
policy, the Topeka Daily Capital Gre
publcan), asserts that mo amount OF
eloquence can drown down the fact
that the Democratic platform protects
nothing whatever relating to liquor ex-
cept the saloon. If it has the power it
will submit an amendment under which
the saloon may return and be set up
in every wet State if that State so de-
sires, and in this age Of airplane and
automobile may override other States.
It's professions of hostility to the saloon
and the liquor traffic are so much
hooey. 1t is not against prohibition
nationally, but against prohibition In
any State of the Union. 1t is not for
State rights, but for liquor rights"
The party has returned" in the
judgment Of the Roanoke World-News
(Democratic) ito the sound noorings
of State rights. 1t will no longer de-
mand of one group of States that they
tell another group of States how they
shall behave Under the Democratic
program matters Of social policy are
to be left to the States to determine.
1t will take many years to undo
the harm that has been done. Crime,
for the first time in history, has been
made rich. The underworld enjoys
the security of wealth such as it never
before experienced. When the issue
comes to a test extremes will meet,
for the criminal elements will vote
with the extreme prohibitionistS for
continuation of the system that has
made them rich. The fight for decency,
for security, for real eventual temper
ance, will be made by those who, de-
spite former hopes, will now abandon
dream impossible of fulfllment, and
join in the movement to strike from
the Federal Constitution an unwise po-
lice regulation. and set up in its place
system of effective control within the
several States"
Whether the wet sentiment revealed
in connection with the two conventions
will be sufficient to swing enough votes
in the direction Of modification in the
next session of Congress remains to be
SEEN" says the Charleston (W. Va)
Daily Mail independent Republican,.
The New York Sun independently and
the Jersey City Journal independent
Republican, find cause for suggesting
immediate action on the amendment by
Congress, while the latter would in
clude immediate modification of the
Volstead act. The Chattanooga Times
(DemOcratic) feels that 'in offering
honest, courageous leadership in behalf
of rational treatment of the liquor
question on the basis of fundamental
principles of American government, the
party is performing a great national
service" The Cincinnati Times-Star
Republican, holds that 1.-The terrorism
of the drys should be about over" and
draws the conclusion: Prohibition IS
dead. The only thing left is to inter
the remains. Decency and the public
interest require that that should be
done as quickly as possible"
THE plank" as viewed by the Nor
folk Virginian Pilot independent
Democratie) "repudiates the stultifying
doctrine that the problem of liquor con-
troll alone of all sundering public is
sues is UNFIT for party Judgment, recog-
nizeS the party's duty to lead the peo-
pie out of the prohibition morass, and
proposes to begin this leadership by
striking the eighteenth amendment
from the Constitution. Whether one
approves of bare repeal or not, one
must approve of the kind of party
leadership that dares to follow its pro-
hibition convictions to their logical goal,
and is courageous enough to apply the
knife to a rotten institution"
Clear, direct, unequivocal, the Demo-
cratic plank must command the adj
miration Of all who believe in straight
forward dealing" thinks the Youngs-
town Vindicator independent Demo-
cratic), and the Scranton Times
(Democratic) declares that the dele
gates to the convention "are entitled
not only to the thanks of Democrats,
but all the people Of the Nation as
well"