The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-07-11
THE WET" PRESSURE is BEING
PITT ON

President Roosevelt has made ms appear
to the South to vote, "wet"; Senator Rey-
nolds delivered himself of wet speech at
the meeting of the Young Democrats; and
that organization in annual convention as
sembled Vociferated for the repeal of the
18th Amendment-and the real friends OF
prohibition remain unmoved. Of course,
there are voters who will use the Presi-
dents appeal, Senator Reynolds views, or
the resolutions of the Young Democrats, as
excuses FOR voting "wet" in November.
That is to be expected and is granted with
cut argument.
AS matter of fact, honest voters who
desire to see this issue decided right, will
not be controlled by President Roosevelt,
Senator Reynolds, the Young Democrats,
or the Democratic national platform. That
instrument and the gentleman referred to
are of no effect in binding the conscienees
of American citizens at the ballot box.
President Roosevelt has right to his
views, the same for Senator Reynolds and
the Young Democrats and the, platform
makers; bat, every other American voter
has the same right; and the only right way
to vote is to vote your honest convictions
after you have taken the evidence and the
arguments and given them due considera-
ton. The views of the aforementioned gen
tlemen-and ladies-may offer interesting
material for study, but afford no reason
whatever for controlling the citizens of
North Carolina in their voting next No
vember.
Prohibition is not a party issue. 1t has
never been party issue. The 18th Amend
ment was not put in the Constitution by
the Democratic or the Republican party
but in spite of both of them, If the matter
had been left to the determination of the
politicians, of the two parties the country
would net have had prohibition, In the
good old days" the politicians in both
parties were as 'fhick as thieves" with the
brewers, distillers and saloon keepers. The
politicians supported prohibition when
they were compelled to by popular senti.
ment ana by voters supporting prohibitieH
at the polls. The politicians have changed
front when and wherever they have sur,
missed pEhhc sentiment has changed. 49,.
In the last national convention of the
Republican party the "wets' mustered suf
icient strength to "mess up the issue TO,
that party and then they went into the
Democratic convention and captured it
lock, stock and barrel. The prospective
brewers. distillers and saloon keepers Of
the country dragged the liquor question
into party politics and made it, in so fal
as they could, a party issue, believing tina
if they committed both parties to opposi
ton to prohibition they could use one o
them to open up the country again to thu
legalized liquor traffic. They figured tina
millions of voters would fall in line whe,
the party whip was cracked. The nationa
Democratic party went over bag and bag
gage to the liquor crowd and the party lasl
is now being cracked, federal patronage
being used and all the ropes that can 5,
pulled are being manipulated in the effor
to repeal the 18th Amendment. r..
But all of this does not make prohibition
a party issue. Prohibition remains what
always has een-the biggest and mos
troublesome economic, social and moral is