Evening star., 1932-10-22
COP: 9RESSESDRY
ISSUE IN KENTUCKY
Senate Nominee and Eight
House Candidates Run
as ProhibitionistS.
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Republicans do not appear to have a
chance of carrying this State, despite
their present efforts. Four years ago
President Hoover won Kentuckys cleo
toral votes with the astonishing lead
of l77.000 votes over Al Smith. That
campaign was won on the wet-and-
dry issue and more particularly on the
religious issue, and also because at
that time conditions were good A re-
vulsion seized the people in 1929 and,
overthrowing the great Republican plu-
rality rolled Up the year before, Ken
lucky elected Democratic Legislature.
The gains the Republicans had made
in 1928 were wiped out. Then came
the crash and in the congressional cleo
tions in 1880 the Democrats turned
out the Republicans they had elected
to the House from Democratic districts.
elected a Democratic Senator and a
Democrat from a district which had
hitherto been Republican. Last year
the Democrats elected a Democratic
Governor by some 77000 votes.
Swing Away From Dry Side.
There exists difference of opinion
here as to whether on straight out vote
on the prohibition issue, with party
politics not entering the fight, Kentucky
would vote wet or dry. In 1919 when
dry amendment was written into the
State constitution, the drys won only by
a margin of seven or eight thousand.
But, as has been pointed out, there has
been swing away from the dry side in
many parts of the country, and in Ken
lucky the same swing has been notice.
able -
The Republican campaign took on a
dry tinge at its very start. Vice Presi-
dent Curtis, who has been the darling
Of the prohibitioniStS ever since his
speech of acceptance last Summer when
he declared himself personally in favor
of the retention Of the eighteenth
amendment, came into the State and
opened the campaign. His sister. Mrs.
Dolly Gam, was here yesterday ad-
dressing a big womens meeting ar
ranged by Mrs Alvin T. Hert, the Re-
publican national committeewoman
from Kentucky and vice chairman. The
Republican candidates for Congress in
cluding the senatorial candidate, Mr..
Thatcher have sought to hang beer
mug around the neck of the Democratic
party right from the start.
The Republicans have been constant
in their attack on Senator Barkley, the
Democratic keynoter at the Chicago Ma
tional Convention last Summer. Senator
Barkley used to be one of the dryest of
the drys. He made speeches in the past
for the Anti-Saloon League. In the
House of Representative in 1925 he
made an address in which he said:
prohibition is morally imperative
Christians cannot be actual partners in
business which ruins the souls of men
and women" He continued with the
assertion that prohibition is physically
and politically imperative The Repub-
licans are printing this speech in their
campaign literature along side of his
keynote speech last June in which he
said that "this convention should in the
platform here to be adopted recommend
the passage by Congress Of a resolution
repeating the eighteenth amendment
and its submission to the people of the
States through conventions whose dele
gates should be chosen upon this issue
alone"
"Is Senator Barkley wet or dry?" is
the question asked by the Republicans
In the face Of the record.
Cites Hoover's Stand.
Senator Barley was quoted by the
newspapers here yesterday as saying
that he had not been for the eighteenth
amendment when 1t vas adoptd but that
he voted for 1t because the people
wanted it. To the Republican jibes
about changing his stand as expressed
In his 1925 speech Senator Barkley
says: IF President Hoover can change
his mind about prohibition. who not II"
Barkley is real campaigner. He Is
widely popular, and 1t is believed here
that his reelection is assured. Mr..
Thatcher, his Republican opponent, has
been a member of the House for years,
elected from the Louisville district.
Louisville has long been a Republican
stronghold, its normal Republican ma
lorlty running around ten to fifteen
thousand. When Mr. Thatcher was
candidate in 1880 for reelection to the
House the Democrats did not even
nominate a candidate in this district
against him. Political lines have been
Sharply drawn in this State ever since
the days of the Civil War. when the
State divided between the Union and
the confederacy, with many cases of
brother opposing brother. Although
Coolidge carried the State in 1924 and
Hoover in 1928, generally speaking the
state has leaned to the Democrats in
presidential elections. Cox, for ex-
ample, carried it in 1920 in spite of the
Harding landslide that year. Demo-
cratlc leaders today are claiming that
sAAN oNNSS AL 81 1OL fLOOS6VelL DIV M
ward OF 100000 votes More conserva-
tive Democrats place the probable lead
at $4,000. The Democrats are expect
ing their cause to get a further boost
from the YiStef Gov. Roosevelt to this
state today and thousands welcomed
MIN on his arrival in Louisville.
The Republicans paint another pic
ture. They admit that they were late
IN getting started; that it is only in
tne last feW weeks, encouraged by Pres
ldent Hoovers campaign addresses, that
the Wofkers OF the party have jumped
into the campaign with energy, But
they saF that all lethargy is now a
thlng q the past They insist that
10000 Democrats will vote for the Re-
publican ticket and that it will be large
~ because of the vet and dry issue and
because of the belief that this is no
time to- turn the Government over to
1neXperieneeds hands. They are count
Ing verX Strongly on, the woman vote.
and further they claim that many Dem
ocratic Catholics will not vote for
Roosevelt because the Democratic con-
vention: Turned. down Smith one of
their oEn. faith. Tbey look to- see
considerable number of Democrats Just
stay away from the polls. They are
makingno estimates of their hoped-for
-oou oFEa 1AoNneFtlC, UuI HlSlSt bnaG the
State will go for Hoover. :.
House Races Uncertain.
Considerable uncertainty exists to-
day about the congressional elections
because, CT the Yrnix-up over the State
redistrioting. act, passed by the Legls-
lature sfd held invalid by the courts,
but now, because Of a decision Of the
Supreme Court of the United States
likely at last to be held Both the Re-
publicans and Democrats nominated
their nine candidates for the House
in Statewide primary. with the un-
derstanding that since the court had
turned down the redistricting act the