Evening star., 1932-06-06
Identical Action by Parties
On Liquor Called Possibility

program here outlined as both ex-
pedient and eminently fair"
There Is little doubt" in the opinion
Of the Charleston (W. Va) Daily Mall
independent Republican,, that Pres.
ident Hoover recognizes the evils OF
the present system and is convinced
that a change eventually must oe
made" The Birmingham Age-Herald
tDemocratic) charges that Mr.. Hoover
has been comforting with political ad-
viSerS with reference to the framing
of a statement that will be wet enough
to satisfy bucking Republicans IN the
East and dry enough not to estrange
the embattled drys of the country"
The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern (Re-
publican) doubts the success OF the
plan to induce both parties to adopt
identical platform declarations, and
concludes: Neither party can afford
to evade or straddle the question. nor
will ANYTHING be gained by attempting
any sort of innocuous compromise IN.
tended to quiet both vets and drys."
x
Describing the bipartisan idea a
"a distinct innovation the Columbus
Ohio State Journal independent Re-
publicanl is convinced that "the entire
country would be happy to have 1t ac-
complished" and that cit is entirely
within the range Of possibility" The
State Journal concludes: 1T is up to
the Republicans. of course, to act first
because their convention comes nrst.
1t is a foregone conclusion that the
G.. o. P. platform will be at least
moist: to do less than that would be
hazardous from a campaign viewpoint
in the big populous wet States. II
the Republicans should turn moist, as.
for instance. by declaring for ma
tional referendum on the subject, 1t
would be sound, patriotic sense for the
Democrats to adopt the same proposal.
That would tend to remove prohibition
as an issue in a campaign which
should be devoted to discussion OF
all-important economic issues
THE prohibition question Is not
party issue" according to the Phila-
delphia Evening Bulletin independent
Republican,. 1T divides parties, friends.
homes; it confuses the election OF
candidates for Offices where many
other and more important issues are
at stake and prevents declaration OF
public opinion on these other issues.
The coming national election ought
not be tangled up and generally upset
by the introduction of any prohibition
issue Agreement between the parties
in this matter ought not to be i'm
pOSSlDlc, CNCll SuseOotioaA
is surprising and no one seems to have
much hope of its achievement. But
neither party wants to face the pro-
hibition issue Neither party wants to
take q definite stand on the issue.
Neither party convention Is likely to
do So"
For men Of sense" asserts the Bal
timore Sun independent Democratic),
"the idea of two supposedly divergent
parties loading themselves up with
Identical pronouncements on one Of
the most controversial issues of the
day will seem q counsel of futility. II
it is proper for the Democrats and
Republicans to get together on an
important issue of this character, why
is it not equally appropriate for them
to get together on taxes, on the tariff,
on emergency relief, on foreign policy
and on every other issue that may
conceivably figure in the approaching
campaign? If partisan discussion Of
one great issue Is bad, why Is partisan
discussion of every other great issue
not equally bad? What are parties for
if they are to dodge their patent rs-
sponsibilities on public questions by
relegating them to the background ot
public discussion? How can pubfk
men expect the Government to face
the prohibition issue If the parties
which presumably aspire to control the
Government refuse to perform the
same distasteful task?"