Evening star., 1932-07-24

in other Southern states, ana some
Western States; IN many parts OF
States, in many congressional olstrlctS
and by many candidates Tor senate ana
House as we'll as many candldateS 1or
Governor and other State ana local Of
fees Throughout the South ana west
and in rural parts of Northern States
Democrats as individuals. and as State
and local organizations, will be adopt
ing. publicly or tacitly, positions differ
ent from the 100 per cent wet repeal
plank of the national party. They Will
not. except in few cases, go bone
dry" They will adopt positions like
Senator Glass, willingness to nave
qualified repeal. The form OF quallhed
repeal they adopt will permit states
that want liquor to have it-but always
with the qualifications that there snail
be no saloon, and also no shipments
from wet States into dry. This latter
function to prevent shipments and for
bid the saloon, will. in these declara-
tions, be retained in the Federal Gov
ernment.
Unsatisfactory to Some.
Some vets won't like this. Many
persons having a concern for the Fed
eral Constitution won't like it. But
that is roughly the position that will
he taken bv fully half the Democrats
who will be, like Senator Glass, in the
next Congress That. roughly. is the
position of the Republican platform,
And that. roughly, is the thing that will
ultimately come out of Congress.
Now this is not going to help the
Republicans particularly in the preSi-
Dental election, nor in electing men,
bers of Congress that it is
going to appear shortly that the Re
publican platform. much derided when
it first appeared. offers the only prac-
ticable path toward the only kind Of
change in prohibition that has any
chance.
What the dry Democrats are doing
does not help the Republicans; it does
the opposite When Democratic Sena-
tor Carter Glass repudiates the Demo-
cratic plank on prohibition, his inten-
tion Is precisely to prevent the Repub-
licans from getting votes in Virginia
to enable moderately dry Virginia
Democrats to remain at once Demo-
Gratis and moderately dry If the Demo-
Gratis in Virginia had not taken the
attitude they are taking, if they did
not disavow the 100 per cent repeal
plank in the Democratic platform, they
would lose some congressional seats to
the Republicans. 1t is precisely to pre-
vent that that the Democrats are now
acting. For the same purpose and with
the same effect they will take the same
step elsewhere This disavowal of the
Democratic 100 per cent repeal plank,
this taking of a local position for modi-
fication. will result not in more Repub-
lican seats in Congress, but fewer.
But the sure effect of this action
by local Democrats, and of other con-
ditions. Is to make it certain that Con-
gress will not be for 100 per cent repeal.
It will be for modified repeal, a repeal
which keeps for the Federal Govern
ment power to prevent interstate ship
ments, and power to prevent return Of
the saloon.
Aimed at Saloon.
Senator Carter Glass proposed
amendment is aimed at the saloon. All
the vets have been saying that of
course they don't mean to bring back
the saloon. Now Senator Glass takes
them at their word and proposes that
the saloon shall effectively be barred
by so specifying in whatever change is
made in the Constitution. Senator
Glass proposal would in effect repeal
the eighteenth amendment, with two
exceptions First, the sale of intoxi-
eating liquors within the United States
for consumption at the place OF
sale commonly known as a SaloOn) is
hereby prohibited" Second, 'the trans
portation of intoxicating liquors into
any tdry) State is hereby pro-
hibited."
In other words, Senator Glass pro-
posal would repeal the eighteenth
amendment with these exceptions: 1t
would permit any State to go wet that
tain in the FEDERAL Government and in
the Constitution the right and duty to
do two things: First, prevent the saloon,
and second, prevent shipments into dry
States.
That is the position that mcst of the
Democrats in Congress will take. That
is the position. roughly, that the
Republican platform takes. Because of
the support of both groups, that is the
change that will ultimately come out
of Congress
If there were space we could go one
step further into the future. If the
saloon is to be permanently barred. it
follows that the only practicable way
TO nave liquor is through SAFE anu
by States. The definition
of the word saloon" is, place for the
sale of liquor to be consumed on the
premises To this definition We may add
one further clause which is commonly
taken for granted. This clause is "for
private profit" 1t was private profit"
the stimulation of sale, that made the
old saloon odiouS.
1t will be found in the end that the
only way to meet all the conditions will
be manufacture and sale by such States
as want to do So There need be no
surprise about this conclusion. This
is what eX-Gov. Smith advocated
IN his 1923 campaign. Smith, like many
others, had done a good deal of talking
about the need of change When he
became a presidential nominee he was
obliged to think the thing through and
to put his proposed change into concrete
terms. He found that the only way was
the way here set doWn-to give to wet
States the right to have manufacture
and sale as a State function. Anybody
else who thinks the situation through.
taking into account all the limitations
and conditions, will come to the same
conclusion.