Evening star., 1932-04-06
PARTIES WARNED
|. BY BISHOP CANNON
Wet Plank in Either Means
Opposition, He Says, at
M. E. Session.
Rv the Associated Press

By the Associated Press.
NEWARK, N. j., April 6.-Bishop
James Cannon, jr, of the Methodist
Episcc pal Church South. last night
warned both political parties that the
inclusion of wet planks IL their presi-
Dental platforms would arouse dry OPP
position.
Addressing the Newark Conference OF
the Methodist Episcopal Church, he
called upon President Hoover, as the
probabla Republican nominee, to de-
mand that his party reject proposals
for a wet declaration.
The churchman also accused news
papers of large cities of printing false
and vicious wet propaganda" and sald
ignorance, bias, prejudice or malice or
all combined, sit enthroned in their
editorial chairs"
In 1920. 1924 and 1928 efforts wsre
made to insert dry and wet planks in
the Democratic national platform" he
said. Il personally opposed either wet
or dry planks as vigorously as l could,
and at all three conventions neither
wet nor dry planks but law enforce
ment plankS were adopted.
Wet Effort Forecast.
There is no question but that the
effort will again be made to insert a wet
plank in the Democratic platform, and
l greatly fear that, unless dry Demo-
cratic leaders fatty declare that they
demand law enforcement plank, that
they will not vote for a wet plank, and
viii carry the fight on that issue to the
convention floor, and that they will not
support candidate running on a wet
nj hnN hr OF ,1In v.Lr d.
the Democratic platform and a candi-
date named by the wet leadership
running on that wet plank
Should the wet leadership succeed
in writing their wet plank into the
Democratic platform and dictate the
nomination of wet candidate, then the
same group which repudiated the wet
Tammany Smith leadership in 1928 will
repudiate vigorously and l believe
effectively similar leadership in 1882.
Likewise should the wet leadership
in the Republican party repudiate the
historic attitude of both parties in the
past, and in addition to adopting a law
enforcement plank should pleoge the
party to reSubmisSion or repeal of the
amendment it cannot escape RESPONSE
bility for thrusting the prohibition issue
into a raging and tearing political
campaign.
1T is admitted on all sides that
President Hoover will be the Republican
nominee. He can demand that the Re
publican Convention limit itself to the
adoption of a law-enforcement plank.
He can prevent the injection of a plank
for resubmiSSion of the prohib ton
question in the Republican party plat
form. The responsibility for the Re-
publican party platform rests with him.
and he must justly be held responsible
for whatever action is taken by the
convention.
Elimination of Issue.
Should both conventions adopt law
enforcement planks, as in the past, the
prohibition question Will be taken out
of the campaign as far as the party
platforms are concerned, and will center
around the personally expressed views
and records Of the two candidates
But, should both conventions adopt
planks advocating resuDmission or repeal
of the prohibition amendment, and should
both the Democratic nominee and Mr.
Hoover agree to run on such wet planks,
then there should arise a situation
which would compel those who put their
convictions and moral principles above
party labels to confer together to deter
mine the proper course to pursue under
such conditions"
Referring to the newspapers, Bishop
Cannon said:
The worst offenders in recent years
have been the press of certain cities.
usually with population largely foreign
born or of foreign extraction.
These papers, not only in news, but
also in editorial columns. have carried
on such false and vicious wet propa-
ganda that there is no escape from the
conclusion that ignorance, bias, preju-
dice or malice, or all combined, sit
enthroned in the editorial chairs"