Evening star., 1932-04-18
.BORAH CR|T|C|zES
REFERENDUM MOVE
Still Stands Firm Against
Republican Adoption of
Resubmission Plank.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

Senator Borah still stands firm
| against the proposal to place in the
! Republican national platform So
called referendum plank on prohibition.
The Idaho Senator did not appear to
be impressed today by the action Of the
Missouri Republicans in State conven-
ton declaring for referendum plank,
nor by the declaration of Secretary OF
Agriculture Hyde approving the action
| of the State convention.
1T does not seem possible to me that
! the Republican party would propose 10
the country a referendum OF the pro-
hibition question without offering any
| concrete substitute for national pro-
hibition," said Senator Borah.
May Help Draft Substitute.
Senator Borah, it was said, may un-
dertake to aid the Republicans in draft
ing a substitute proposal for the eight
eenth amendment. If so, the Idaho
Senator so far has given no indication
of this. His repeated insistence, how
ever. that if anything is to be done
about the eighteenth amendment,
substitute must be offered, has led some
of his friends to believe he may give
that matter his attention. He has said
in the past that if anything better
than the eighteenth amendment can
be devised, he would be willing to sup
port it,
The Republicans. it has been general
ly conceded. are to renominate Presi-
dent Hoover In Chicago. Mr.. Hoover's
position, Senator Borah pointed out. has
been consistently dry. In his opinion, If
Mr.. Hoover undertook to run as a dry
on a platform which many of the drys
would consider wet if 1t contained ref
erendum plank Mr. Hoover would be
under attack from both sides and from
the middle
Swinging Toward Referendum.
Nevertheless, there is a growing belief
that the Republican party Is swinging
more and more toward referendum
plank on prohibition in its national plat
form. Secretary Hyde's statement aligns
him with many other members Of Presi-
dent Hoover's cabinet on this question
of referendum. including Secretary of
the Treasury Mills, Secretary of War
Hurley and Postmaster General Brown.
The fact that Secretary Hyde has been
known as a dry in the past made his
declaration regarding a referendum
plank all the more significant, it was
said.
In some quarters, fear was ex-
pressed today that II the Republican
national convention should accept a ref
erendum plank the dyed-in- n-the-wool
drys in the country might undertake to
get Senator Borah to head a presi-
dental ticket dedicated TO the enforce
ment of national prohibition. Such a
ticket might tear the Republican party
wide open. Whether Senator Borah
could be persuaded to accept nomina-
ton on an Independent national ticket
was another question. 1t is very doubt
ful that he could be so persuaded.
Hoover Silent on Matter.
Should enough dry Republicans fol-
low the lead of Secretary Hyde and as
sert they would not oppose referen-
dunn plank for the national platform,
the prospect of its adoption would be
very good, 1t was admitted today by
Republicans in high positions, who are
at the same time dry.
President Hoover has been strongly
urged by wet Republicans in his cab
met and out to leave this matter OF a
referendum plank in the hands Of the
Republican National Convention The
President has said nothing whatever
up to this time to indicate what his po-
sition will be on the question of a ref
erendum plank
Heads of some of the dry organiza-
tions of the country have threatened
retaliation against Mr. Hoover, how
ever, If he should come out for resub-
mission Of the eighteenth amendment.