Evening star., 1932-12-01
The Political Mill
By G. Gould Lincoln.

The "wet" organizations Of the coun-
run the Government. They are not,
they say by implication, to set up q
dominating lobby just outside the doors
Of Congress, such as the "drys" main
tanned for years. They are content to
let Congress operate, now that "our ma
uonal legislators are fully advised Of
the sentiment of the American people
so definitely expressed in the recent
election in the matter Of prohibition" J"
This is the language Of the UNITED Re-
peal Council" setting forth its statement
OF policy. The council adds, however,
that it "favors outright repeal of the
eighteenth amendment, and will work
to that end cnly. 1t is hopeful that a
straightforward resolution for repeal
Will be submitted to the States at the
earliest possible date, for ratification
by conventions called for that specific
purpose In the several States"
The VETS 1t appears, are more anx-
ious to get out Of the hands of the
Government than they are to take con-
troll OF government. 1t will be inter-
esting to see If they can maintain this
attitude. Once group finds itself in
a dominating position, it is difficult to
relinquish it and the power that goes
with 1t. The statement Of policy" just
issued by Pierre S. du Pont, chairman
Of the United Repeal Council, was ap-
proved by the Association Against the
Eighteenth Amendment, the Crusaders,
the Women's Organization for National
Prohibition Reform, the Voluntary Com
mittee Of Lawyers for Repeal, Inc; the
American Hotel Association and the
| VpfpTancs Parao1 Tvn Loo
has just been admitted to membership
in the council.
In the House. the advocates of
straightout repeal of the eighteenth
amendment appear to have the bulge
over those members who prefer to
write into the resolution submitting a
new amendment to the Constitution a
declaration banning the old saloon and
assuring protection to the States which
remain dry. They have the advantage
II for no other reason that when the
resolution Is brought into the House
and pass 1t the resolution will not be
open to amendment The vets will
have to take the repeal resolution as
1t ts-providing for repeal, plain and
unvarnished-or leave it. They are
not likely to turn it down. Speaker
Garner, who has been agitating for
action on a repeal resolution on the
opening day of the session of Congress,
next Monday, believes now that it will
be possible to get the resolution through
without any concessions to those who
wish to put strings on repeal. Un-
doubtedly II the Speaker would permit
an amendment banning the saloon and
throwing the strong arm Of the Fed
eral Government around those shrink
ing dry States 1t would have support
from considerable number Of southern
Democrats and even from those in the
North and East. The Democratic plat
form, however, has pledged straightout
repeal and the Democratic leadership
does not intend to take, If it can help
1t, the formula developed by the Re-
publicans for dealing with prohibition,
which pledged no saloon and protec-
ton for the dry States.
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Once the matter Of repeating the
eighteenth amendment gets to the Sen
ate, another picture will be presented.
In the Upper House any one can offer
an amendment to anything, almost at
any time. There is already on the
Senate calendar resolution introduced
at the last session by Senator Carter
Glass which virtually carries out the
Republican platform on prohibition,
although 1t mentions repeal of the
eighteenth amendment, and the Re-
publicans would merely revise the pro-
hibition amendment. Furthermore,
there have been plenty Of wet Demo-
Gratis in the Senate who feel that q
straight repeal resolution, with no BAN
ming Of the saloon, might have much
more difficult time when it comes to
| ra&{Aao{to,, Lx, <hroo -fr,,w<hs nf fho
States, needed to amend the Consti-
tuition. Senator Walsh Of Massachu-
sets, one of the wetteSt Of the vets,
and his colleague, Senator Marcus A.
Coolidge, are among those who believe
that 1t would be wiser to put through
resolution proposing an amendment
along the lines OF the Glass proposal
than to hazard all on straightout
repeal Of the eighteenth amendment.
In the Senate, too, there will be
plenty Of debate on the repeal Of the
eighteenth amendment, unless all signs
fail. Prohibition has always been a
fruitful source Of conversational the
Senate and out Of it. II there Is to
be action on a repeal resolution at the
to bring the resolution up as early
as possible for consideration and keep
it before the Senate long hours. The
legal aspects Of the matter will be
canvaxsed from every angle In the Sen
ate, as well as the social and economic.
1t has been suggested in some quarters
that the Congress can not only submit
resolution Of repeal or revision of
the eighteenth amendment, but that it
can at the same time make provision
for electing and setting up constitu-
tional conventions in all of the States,
so that they may act in unison and
promptly. If this is undertaken seri-
ously, there will be a lot of debate.
Many of the States rights Senators win
be on their toes.
The speakership fight in the next
Congress Is growing warmer and
warmer Majority Leader Rainey, who
halls from Illinois, seems to hold the
inside track, but the decision is not
yet sure. Against him are Representa-
tive McDuf1e Of Alabama, q great friend
and supporter of the present Speaker;
| Representative Joe Byrns of Tennessee,
chairman Of the Appropriations Com
mittee; Representative Rankin of
Mississippi, Representative O'Connor of
New York and others. In the past when
the Democrats have had control Of the
| House, the SpeakerSn1p mas gone TO
Southerner or at least to a man from
one of the border States. The makeup
Of the next Congress, however, shows
an entirely new situation. Owing to
the big sweep made in the West, Middle
West and North by the Democrats in
the last election, the preponderance of
Democratic members Of the House Is
from those sections Of the country, with
the South and the border States in a
minority position. When. all the men,
bers Of the "solid South" in the House
are added to those members hailing
from the border States, including
Missouri and Maryland, the total Is las,
while the total Of the House Democratic
membership from. the States Of the
West, Middle West and North is 169
The difference Is "A In favor Of the West
and the North.
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