Evening star., 1932-08-15
The Political Mill
BY G.. Could Lincoln.

President Hoover Is the anti-speakeasy,
anti-saloon candidate for the presi-
dency. He proposes now to get nd OF
the speakeasy by permitting those
States which want liquor to have 1t
legally sold. He proposes that there
shall be no return Of the old saloon.
He opens the way for the legal sale OF
liquor. provided his plan is adopted,
in states which desire this sale. either
through State dispensaries or through
private agencies. provided all the time
that it shall not be sold across the bar
OF the saloon, or in Its back parlor, for
consumption on the premises.
The legal saloon WIS knocked out by
t.>a eighteenth amendment. Mr.. Hoo
YER demands that the ban on the saloon
shall remain in the Constitution of the
United States. At the same time he ad-
mits that the speakeasy and the boot
logger appear to be indispensable in
States where wet sentiment prevails. AS
q means of getting rid OF these evils.
he plans for the legalZed sale OF liquor
which shall not be poisonous and
also which probably will sell at reason
able prices-in States where the senti-
ment for such sale prevails.
Mr.. Hoover having declared that the
eighteenth amendment has been un-
enforceable in a large part of the
country and therefore a failure, and
having declared also that the boot
legger-speakeasy system cannot and
must not be allowed to continue. 1t
did not seem possible that any Demo-
crat could say that the President has
not made his position on this hquor
question clear Yet the first words
some of the Democratic leaders uttered
were to the effect that the President
has not clearly defined his position on
the prohibition issue. This seems a
particularly dumb attitude for political
leaders who are opposed to Mr.. Hoo
ver's reelection. Republican and
Democratic newspapers the country
over on Friday morning carried news
stories and banner headlines asserting
that the President had declared for a
definite change in the dry laws OF the
country, whatever some Of their ed1-
torial writers may have said. Further-
more, the voters themselves are quite
capable of reading and understanding
the Presidents position on prohibition.
r.
Another quip of the Democratic
leaders is that Mr.. Hoover has changed
his position-has gone against the no
BILE experiment" which he supported in
1928. Heaven save the mark!
Where did Senator Joe" Robinson OF
Arkansas. the Democratic leader of the
Senate. formerly stand on the eighteenth
amendment and national prohibition
and where does he stand today? Does
he stand on the Democratic platform
| calling for repeal of the eighteenth
! amendment. or does he not? Where
does that former ardent dry, Senator
Barkley of Kentucky. keynote speaker
at the Democratic National Convention
stand on the wet and dry issue today?
Senator Barkley, who used to make
speeches for the Anti-Saloon League
and who in the recent senatorial
| primary in Kentucky declared his
| LOYALTY to the Democratic platform
plank pledging the repeal of the
eighteenth amendment. If Mr.. Hoover
has changed his position-and he has
he certainly has company.
| 4 Il
The President did a courageous thing
| when he eXpounded his ideas on the
prohibition question in his acceptance
| speech He might have gone no further
: than did the Republican platform. de.
| claring merely for submission OF the
| substitute plan for liquor control carried
| in the platform. But he declared him.
self in favor of the plan. Up here In
| Massachusetts, the Presidents stand has
been brought forth with great praise
| from Republican leaders, some OF whom
| have been very dry In the past. like
former Gov. Allen. Former Gov. Fuller
/ regarded as one of the great vote
! getters of all time in this State. ha.
| praised the Presidents speech OF &C.
| ceptance most highly. Representative
A. Piatt Andrew, for years drippine
wet member of Congress from thi:
State. is Just as well satisfied. To tbs
Democratic Boston Post and the Demo
cratic Boston Herald. commenting
editorially on the acceptance speech
there is not the slightest doubt that
| the President has turned his back or
| the eighteenth amendment as 1t nov
stands.
What are the drys going to do abou
! it? The Democrats naturally hope tina
the drys will hold Mr. Hoover to be {
traitor to their cause and for that reason
will knife him if they can. The dryS
however. must choose between Mr.
Hoover and Gov Franklin D. Roosevelt
of New York, the repealist. or suppor
an independent dry candidate of theii
own. So far the old National Prohibi
ton party has put forward the only dr.
Independent candidate for President
former Representative Upshaw of Geor
gia. Mr. Upshaw, dry as he may be
! draws no water as a presidential candi
date. He has expressed willingness t.
step aside if more formidable candi'
date can be found.
The rule or ruin professional drys II
the Republican party may undertake
| to oppose President Hoover. They have
beaten other Republican candidates fol
high Office in the past, preferring t.
turn these offices over to wet Demo.
Gratis rather than have a wet Republi
can win. In New York, for example
these rule or ruin Republican drys BY
putting up an independent dry candi'
date defeated former Senator Wads
worth and brought about the election
| of a wet Democrat, Senator Wagner, II
1926, and in 1880 they rejoiced in the
election Of Gov. Roosevelt over Tuttle
the Republican candidate for Governor
who had gone wet, much to their rage
But the indications are that these arden
drys viii have comparatively small
following today. And If they hold tn,
balance OF power. as they may, and brini
about the election of Gov. Roosevelt Il
the presidency. 1t will not encourage tn,
Republicans to beccme q dry part.
again.
The President has sought to max,
the Republican party the Anti-Salooi
League party, while at the same tim,
declaring for return of legaliZed liquo
in States which desire 1t. The Demo
Gratis also proclaim their repugnanc,
to return of the saloon. But the,
have SHE'D away, for the most part
from continuing in the Constitution
prohibition against the saloon. Sen
ator Carter Glass Of Virginia, 1t Is true
drafted a resolution to repeal the eight
eenth amendment and to prevent th'
sale of liquor through the saloon. Som'