Evening star., 1933-08-24
The Political Mill
By C.. Could Lincoln.

IexGS, an empire IN lCSelI, on 6dt.
urday will decide whether it favors
the adoption Of the proposed twenty
first amendment Of the Constitution,
repeating national prohibition. In the
past the Lone Star State has been
peculiarly allied with prohibition. 1t
sent to the Senate Of the United States
the man who was to draft the eight
zenith amendment, Senator Morris
Sheppard, who is now campaigning as
he has rarely campaigned before in
his effort to hold the State in line
for the drys. For years he has been
regarded as one Of the greatest orators
the State ever produced, and he is
using his talent now in the interest of
the cause he has favored so consis-
tently. On the other side Of the fence
is Texas foremost political figure, John
Nance Garner, Vice President, q candi-
date for President in the pre-conven-
ton fight last year, and a President
maker in so far as his agreement to
step aside and permit the Texas dele
cation and that from California to
vote for Franklin D. Roosevelt at the
national convention makes him so.
1t looks as though the edge lies with
Mr.. Garner and the repealists, judging
from the reports from Texas. Indeed
the prediction was made months ago
that the State would wind up in the
repeal column, despite the desperate
efforts Of the prohibitionists. One
almost rube eyes and wonders II the
world has turned upside down. 1t was
only a short three or four years age
that Senator Sheppard was declaiming
that there Is as much chance of re-
pealing the eighteenth amendment as
there is for hunlming bird to fly to
the planet Mars with the Washington
Monument tied to its tail" This was
putting 1t rather strong, even for such
an ardent prohibitionist as Senator
Sheppard. The humming bird is yet
to try the stupendous feat suggested
by the Texas Senator and the Wash
ington Monument is still firm on its
base In the National Capital But
with the repeal amendment already
voted by twenty-five States, and not
one so far voting dry, the betting is
all against Senator Sheppard Indeed
1t would be almost a miracle If the
eighteenth amendment be not repealed
before January /. Only fourteen more
States are needed to give it the coup
de grace. Seventeen or eighteen States
and perhaps more.
The vote on prohibition in Missouri
a few days ago was decisive for repeal
The drys sought in vain to prevent q
vote in the State by demanding a ref
erendum on the measure passed by the
Legislature providing for the election
Of delegates to State constitutional
convention. They had no luck in the
courts, however There will be a lot
Of people in Missouri who will rejoice
in the passing of national prohibition;
thousands of them are located in st
Louis. But no one will be more greatly
Senator from Missouri, and perhap.
the next Senator from that State
Jim" Reed denounced prohibition II
the days Of its popularity. His at.
tacks on the eighteenth amendment
and prohibition agents in the Senatt
are classics Of bitter invective. Mr.
Reed declined to be a candidate fol
reelection to the Senate a few year!
ago. He dabbled in presidential poll.
tics and sought in 1923 to become
the rallying post for the opponent!
of the nomination of AL Smith a.
the Democratic national convention il
Houston At that time he lost cast'
with some Of his old wet" supporters
For Al Smith was the darling of tht
anti-prohibitionists in those days, ane
Reed was relying on the dry delegate:
from Southern States in his effort Il
beat the New Yorker.
Senator Patterson, Republican, is due
to come up for reelection in Missouri
next year Missouri has been a rea
1ot fov
now between the Republicans and the
Democratic a year ago, and is still
apparently Democratic strongly. that
the chances of any Republican winning
a senatorial election there next veal
are decidedly not bright If Mr.. Reec
throws his hat in the ring and make!
the race for the Democratic senatorial
nomination he is likely to get it with.
out much trouble Most of his op.
ponents In his own party in the State
were drys, and they are not very potent
just now.
Up at Poland Springs, Me, Senator
William E. Borah of Idaho. who moi
long ago underwent serious Surgica
operation, is regaining his strength
Senator Borah has, in the last two OF
three years, been regarded by the pro.
hibitionists as their tower of strength
He is reported even now to look with
disfavor on repeal. But he has beer
unable to enter the campaign agains
repeal this Summer. even if he had de.
sired to throw himself into the fight
He fears, he says. that repeal of tht
eighteenth amendment will leave tht
liquor traffic almost uncontrolled, de-
70 6n aicnC nf t1n 1scfr ~
see that the old saloon shall not re.
turn. During the consideration of tn,
repeal amendment resolution by Con
gress Senator Borah insisted that ther.
should be included a proviso that tn,
Federal Government would protect dr.!
States against importations of liquol
from the wet States and from foreign
nations. This provision was writer
finally into the resolution and th'
amendment.
Senator Borah was asked recentl!
whether he believed the Republican
party was down, and out for good ane
all or whether it could stage a come
back The Idaho Senator knows hi
political history well. He replied thai
the G. o. p. surely would come back
and come back into power. But he wa!
careful to add that the party woulC
have to be reorganized and purged O.
the old control, which, he said, thu
people regard with suspicion as tht
tools of the Interests" Probably Sen
ator Borah is entirely correct regarding
the eventual return to power of the Re.
publican party and that it will continue
to live. The political parties-Demo.
cratic and Republican-have as many
lives as cat. Both have been consid.
cred entirely defunct within the shor
space of 16 years. The Republican!
were apparently clear out of the picture
after the elections of 1912. A new
party, the Progressive party, was tht
runner-up in the presidential election
leaving the Republicans only State o.
two in that contest. Within six year!
the Republicans had regained control o.
the Congress and two years later elected
Republican President the late Presi.
dent Harding. And in 1928 the Demo.
cratic party had been carefully laid out
for funeral rites. In 1880 the Demo.
Gratis won control of the House and last
year showed the Republicans under ir
the presidential race.