Evening star., 1932-06-17
JUDGMENT DELAYED.
BY DRYS AND VETS.
Possibility of Third Party Not
Expected to Be Evident
Before July.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.


CHICAGO. Ill, June 1.-THE formal
leaders of the organized drys, such as
the Anti-Saloon League, were at the
convention. but were inconspicuouS. So
were the formal leaders of some 10 diff
ferent wet organizations. The latter
were deliberately conspicuous. Both
these organizations are composed of
persons who are drys first or vets first
and Republicans or Democrats only
afterward The leader of both the vets
and the drys, as the Republicans acted
on prohibition, adopted policy of re-
framing from any publicly-expressed
judgment about the platform on prohi-
bition. Each group of leaders said they
would wait until after the Democratic
convention.
1t is apparent that following the
Democratic convention there will be
formal expressions OF Judgment from
both groups for the guidance Of their
respective followers. One group OF drys
had announced in advance Of this con-
vention that they would organize a
third party if it should happen that
both old parties should reoede from
orthodoxy on prohibition. One group
Of vets had announced they would or
ganize a third party if both parties
should fail to indorse unqualified and
immediate repeal of the eighteenth
amendment
AS to a third party or parties we
shall not know until early in July. 1t
Is possible that by that time the over
whelming quality of the interest In pro-
hibition to the exclusion of other issues
may ebb.
Many Dry Leaders Sad.
In spite of the official silence Of the
dry leaders their emotions were clear to
those who observed them at the con-
vention Many Of them were sad. Sad
Is precisely the word that describes
them. 1t is the emotion which attends
fulflllment Of expected misfortune. As
to drys who are within the Republican
party, they, too. were sad, but as a rule
| concluded to accept the situation. In
the Committee on Resolutions just two
members voted against the plank on
| the ground that it was too wet. Twelve
voted against it because it was not wet
enough. Thirty-eight voted for it be-
cause it was moderate. In the two
| hours Of speech-making about the plank
no orator opposed it because it was too
wet. Practically all the opposition was
wet opposition. Two rather prominent
| drys OF the extreme. after some reflec-
/
favor of the plank.
| II we should try to trace the future
! sequence of events. as contemplated by
the Republican platform. the first step
would be taken by Congress. Congress
would propose a change in the eight
eerth amendment permitting wet States
to go wet. This proposal by Congress
should come soon. The Republican
platform was careful to include the
word promptly" Some who are in a
hurry think Congress should make the
| proposal right away-next week This
IS possible, but not probable Congress
Will not want to act until after seeing
what the Democratic Convention wants.
BY the time the Democratic Conven-
ton is over Congress will have ad-
lourned. The proposal by Congress
should come, however, early in the ses-
sion meeting next December. There
after the proposal. to be effective. must
be ratified by three-fourths of the
States. or SO. How long this will take
and whether as many as SO will ratifv
remains to be seen. One thing is fair
to assume. This Republican proposal
seems to assure both earlier action and
more certain action than the alterna-
tive OF complete repeal of the eight
eenth amendment. It is most doubtful
II SO States are ready, or would soon
be ready. to ratify complete repeal OF
the eighteenth amendment.
Plank Satisfies G. o. p. Leaders.
The Republican leaders are satisfied
with the prohibition plank. Even some
OF the wet ones are more satisfied thar
they say. for no man in politics expect,
to get all he demands. About one thine
Republican leaders are irritated because
OF the intentness of the galleries on pro.
hibition there was little or no attention
to the rest Of the platform. Republican
leaders were proud of the platform
and 1t will repay study The gold plank
is the strongest currency plank evel
adopted by any party in a period oil
excitement about money. Another i'm.
portant plank is the one about compen.
sation to veterans, which puts signif.
cant emphasis on service disabled vet.
Grams" to the exclusion of those suf
fering no detriment from Army ex.
perience. These important planks hac
no more chance Of hearing from those
Chicago galleries intent on prohibition
than Joseph I. France had to take the
presidential nomination.
The denomination OF Curtis for Vice
President was more or less inevitable
after the firm quality OF Charles G
Dawes refusal. The convention wanted
Dawes. Dawes, however, had obliga-
tions of old friendship to Chicago in
stitutions and Chicago men that drew
him here. 1t was case of preferring a
local Chicago duty which cnly he could
perform to national public service for
| which others are available. Chicago
has been extremely hard hit. It is
just pulling itself together with charac-
teristic courage for reconstruction. II
needs Dawes. Dawes has old associa-
tions and obligations Of friendship
here, which to a man Of Dawes warm
temperament were imperative.
| (Copyrieht, 1922