Evening star., 1932-07-10
DEMOCRATS FIGHT
TAG OF RAD|CAL|SM
Republicans in Northeastern
! States Avoid Prohibition
Issue in Campaign.
BY THEODORE C. wALLEN.

The f-st week Of the presidential
campaign ended with the Democrats
fighting off the tag Of radicalism IN the
crucial Northwestern battle-ground and
the Republicans determined to make
their drive on that issue, almost to the
exclusion Of prohibition, and appeal TO
the Nations historic tendency to turn to
the right in grave national emergencies.
Republican leaders, while prepared to
meet the prohibition issue wherever
they may be challenged, are determined
not to be diverted from their funda-
mental objective of putting the Demo-
Gratis on the defensive at the outset as
reverting to the form of the Bryan
campaign of 1896 and offering untried
and radical policies as against Presi-
dent Hoover's established conservatism.
In this purpose the Republicans are
manning to capitalize to the utmost
speaker John N. Garner's break with
President Hoover and privately with
some of his Democratic congressional
colleagues in his insistence on direct
Fs4eral loans 10 individuals. President
Hoover's veto of the Garner-Wagner re-
lief bill is being awaited as a campaign
document which will furnish the text
fer Republican speakers preparing TO
take the stump in various parts OF the
country.
G. O. p. Seeking Drys.
With the Democrats relying on party
regularity to recover the solid South,
on the Roosevelt personality and lib
eralisn1" to win the West, and on their
wet plank to carry the East, the dry
forces, which my hold the balance OF
power in many Western states, are un-
der increasing pressure to throw IN
their lot with the Republicans to avoid
the national mandate for repeal winch
Democratic victory would carry.
The nomination of William d. Up
shaw as the Prohibition party candl-
date for President, is cited COMMENTARY
bv outstanding dry leaders as not only
sidetracking the drift toward a major
dry third party movement, but also as
the possible forerunner of turn to the
Republican side in conferences OF the
National Prohibition Board OF strategy
here Thursday and Friday
Such a shift, even though 1t might
not take the form of an official decision
Of the board would be expected to help
head off the trends toward Gov. Roose-
yelt that have been reported from States
across the Mississippi, States which
joined the woodrow Wilson procession
back to the White House in 1916.
The earlier disposition of professional
dry leaders to concentrate on the con-
gressional rather than the presidential
campaign, to hold last-ditch one-tnlrd
veto bloc of the House or Senate for
preventing the submission OF the pro-
hibition question TO the States, changed
with the unexpected adoption OF DEM
ocratic declaration of war against ma
tional prohibition.
VIII Fight for Hoover Aid.
In view of this development, such dry
leaders as Daniel A. Polling and Ray
mond Robins, whose predictions are
Republican anyway. are expected 10
make fight in the board meetings next
week for the support OF PTesldent HOO
yer by the organized dry forces.
On the assumption that the Demo-
Gratis have a better chance in this cam
paign than in the last to hold the South
solidly, despite their dripping wet plank,
and that Gov Roosevelt will be stronger
than Alfred E. Smith was in the Far
West. the Northeastern and Middle
Western States notably Ohio, are ex-
pected to see the hardest fighting OF
the campaign.
Gov. Roosevelt, who is considered
weakest in the East, must carry the
Far West almost solidly, plus the solid
South and the border States and one or
two of the Eastern or Middle Western
States such as Ohio. in order to roll
up the 266 electoral votes to win.
Although most of the familiar land
marks are down at the opening of
campaign without parallel for cross
currents in recent years the funda-
mental issue Of conservatism verus
radicslism is regarded as cutting across
the prohibition as well as the economic
question.
Hope Business to Open Purse.
Republican leaders are assuming that
the outcome in the Northeastern and
Middle Western States may depend on
whether they are wetter than they are
conservative and additionally Repub
lican. They believe that the Eastern
business interests will subordinate their
wetneSs. open their purses and rally to
the Hoover standard, as they did to the
Mckinley banner, If they can be con-
vinced that the issue is between con-
servatism and radicalism.
This feeling became so pronounced in
the campaign of 1896, it Is recalled,
that Mark Hanna raised a campaign
chest of close to $4,000 900. Repub-
lican leaders say they have scored in the
first week Of this campaign by the fact
that Speaker Garner. now the Demo-
cratic vice presidential nominee, has
forced the question of direct Federal
loans to individuals and invited a presi-
dental veto which will officially draw
the issue between the Republican and
Democratic parties.
Speaker Garner, by his defiance Of
President Hoover, is regarded as having
taken the front of the stage in the
opening week, even eclipsing Gov.
Roosevelt for the time being. His posi-
ton brought signs of dissension in the
Democratic leadership in the opening
week Of the campaign, with resistance to
his course coming from outstanding
Democratic Senators.