Evening star., 1933-11-07
Election Day.

Election day of 1888 promises to go
down in history as important for at
least one development in the political
and governmental history of the coun-
try, the overthrow of national prohibi-
ton The victory of the proponents of
amendment to the Constitution. how
ever, had virtually been accomplished
weeks ago. when State after State
elected repeal delegates to their con-
stitutional conventions. Today only
three States of the requisite thirty-siX
were lacking for the ratification of the
proposed twenty-f1rst amendment, with
the voters trooping to the polls to vote
on this question in six more States.
The repeal of national prohibition will
not, however, become officially and ac-
tually effective until December 5, when
the required number of States will have
ratified the new amendment through
their constitutional conventions. Yet
to all intents and purposes the final
victory Of the opponents Of national
prohibition will have been accom-
plished today.
In the field of national partisan poll
tics election day this year offers little
of major interest. The contests are for
the most part local and for control of
municipal governments. Many of these
are conducted along non-partisan lines
In an effort to disassociate the conduct
of local affairs from the politics of ma
tional government. Greater New York,
that huge conglomeration of more than
100000 persons, is staging the most
spectacular of all the election contests,
and national politics has been interjected
into the contest, In measure. One OF
Mckee, has claimed that a vote for
Mckee is a vote for President Roosevelt,
and that q vote for La Guardia, Fusion
and Republican candidate, is vote
against Roosevelt. In addition, Post
master General James A, Farley, Demo-
cratic national chairman and political
manager of the Roosevelt adninistra-
ton, has announced his support of
Mckee and all the other candidates OF
the Recovery party" Prof. Raymond
Moley, formerly head Of the Presidents
so-called ''brain trust" has also de-
elared that Mckee must be elected or
It will be claimed that the President
has suffered defeat. Tammany and
It's candidate for mayor of New York,
John P. O'Brien, have been fighting
hard to overcome the feeling Of re-
sentiment and revolt against the "sys-
tenn" as 1t has operated in the me-
tropolis.
The congressional field Is virtually
bare Of elections today that in any way
bear upon national partisan politics. In
Virginia occurs the lone senatorial elec-
ton, where Senator Harry Flood Byrd,
Democrat, appointee incumbent, is ex-
pected to be elected without difficulty.
In the House there are half dozen
vacancies, but only one of these is to
be filled by election today, that in the
ninth Pennsylvania district. This dis
trict was represented in the past by
the late Representative Henry W. Wat
son, Republican. The Republicans,
however, have failed to put up a can
didate and the district will go by de-
fault TO the Democratic nominee. The
Republicans in Pennsylvania announced
they did not wish at this time to pre-
cipitate a row over national politics,
which might be interpreted as an at
tack on the recovery program of the
administration, and would bide their
time until next year and the general
congressional elections So the Demo-
Gratis will add another Representative to
their already overwhelming majority in
the House.
In Boston six candidates are striv-
ing to succeed Mayor James NJ. Curley,
an original Bay State Roosevelt man.
Two Of the candidates are Republicans
and four are Democrats, one of whom.
District Attorney Foley, has been in
dorsed by Curry. Boston is strongly
Democratic city. In Philadelphia the
Ware organization is seeking to retain
control of the city government over the
efforts of fusion" of Pinchot Re-
publicans and Democrats, and further
RyNe y1tn &vN ayrnfa
gagged in a bitter contest over the city
government.