The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-07-13
BY BRUCE CATION

BY BRUCE CATION
The oft-repeated assertion that
prohibition is not a political issue was
certainly as true as gospel in the be-
ginning.
Not only did the Anti-Saloon Lea
que work through ard with both par
ties in getting ratification of the
amendment, but the two major par
ties seemed, from their public pro-
nouncements, to be utterly ignorant
of what was taking place.
An excellent example is to be found
in the New York gubernatorial cam
paign of 1918.
Congress recently had passed the
18th amendment and it was before the
states for ratification. Alfred E.
Smith was running for the governor
ship on tbs Democratic ticket, op-
posed by Charles S. Whitman, the Re-
publican candidate.
Then, If ever, one would have ex-
pected prohibition to be a prominent
issue in the campaign. The amend
ment was still pending; the time was
ripe for bringing it out into the mid
Ole OF the pOlltlcal arena.
But neither Smith nor Whitman
once referred to thor did their re-
spective party platforms.
BY 1920, when the Democratic and
Republican national conventions were
held, the amendment had not only
been ratified, but had gone into eff
feet, although it may be worth noting
"a IN sV1
San Francisco has gone down in his
tory as one of the wettest gatherings
of it's kind.
Perhaps the politicians thought the
issue had been closed. At any rate,
the subject was treated gingerly in the
party platforms of that year.
The Republican platform of 1920
said just this on prohibitions:
With regard to the sale and manu-
facture of intoxicating beverages, the
Republican party will stand for the
enforcement of the constitution of
the United States as it shall be de-
clared by the supreme court"
The Democratic platform of 1920
failed to mention the subject at all,
although it did 60 out of it's way to
congratulate the state legislatures
IS of them, at that moment-which
had ratified the 18th amendment,
granting the vote to women
Minor Campaign Issue
In the campaign, Warren G.. Hard
ing was popularity supposed to be dry
he had voted for the amendment
and James NJ. Cox was similarly
claSsed as wet; but it made little
difference, the League of Nations and
general dissatisfaction with the war
were the only issues. and prohibition
played practically no part at all in
the campaign.
AS far as congress was concerned,
1920 passed with prohibition getting
very little attention. Congress appro-
priated the money it was asked for to
enforce the amendment-it took S4,-
$4,000 that year-and voted down a
very half-hearted attempt to repeal
the Volstead act. That was all.
During succeeding years congress
passed sundry laws to tighten up en-
forcement-laWS providing for de-
portation of alien bootleggers, laws re-
stricting the amount of medicinal Ii
quor a doctor could prescribe, and so
on-but in no case was the division
along party lines. The handful of
vets present came from both parties.
The Republican platform In 1924
treated prohibition even more lightly
than that of 1920. The amendment
was nowhere referred to by name.
Two brief paragraphs demanded re-
spect for law, asserted that violations
of the law threaten government it.
self" and pledged the party to enforce
the constitution and all laws.
In the Democratic party prohibition
tried valiantly to emerge as a party
issue, and what happened at the Mad
ison Spare Garden convention is still
remembered. The two chief candi-
dates were Alfred E. Smith, wet, and
William G. McAdoo, dry. After l03
ballots, the convention found itself
unable to agree on either, and noml-
mated John w. Davis.
The Democratic platform that year
had this to say on prohibition:
1.-The Republican administration has
failed to enforce the prohibition law,
is guilty of trafficking in liquor per-
mits and has become the protector of
the violators of this law. The Demo-
cratic party pledges itself to respect
and enforce the constitution and all
laws"
Becomes Party Factor
Through the next four years con-
gress continued to handle prohibition
matters on what amounted to nom
partisan basis. BY the time the presi-
dental campaign of 1928 came around,
however, there were definite signs that |
the attitudes of the two parties might
soon crystalline into definite pro-
nouncements on the subject, with a
straight wet-and-dry lineup the re-
suit.
In the Republican party, President
Coolidge was not seeking reelection
and the field was open. In the Dem
ocratic party, Governor Smith had the
nomination practically cinched long
before the convention opened at Hous-
ton. These two facts made 1T seem
that prohibition, if it had never been
a political issue before, was about 10
become one in a big way.
The Republican convention, meet
ing first, nominated Herbert Hoover
and adopted the lengthiest prohibl-
ton plank yet seen.
It affirmed the attitude of WASH
ington and Lincoln on respect for the
and pledged the party to
vigorous enforcement of the 18th
An nllt-and-out wet plank offered