Evening star., 1933-07-22
FESS FIGHTS AGAIN
FOR SENATE POST
Admits Repeal, but Hopes to
Block SaIooi, Party Split
Only Chance.
special Dispatch TO The star.

special Dispatch to The star.
CINCINNATI, July 22.-ohio. upon
which the Nation always can depend
for . lively political tight. appears to
be on the verge Of . scrap Of epochal
proportions, and ~ usual It seems
likely to come from quarters whence It
has not been expected.
When the Buckeye States senior
United States Senator, Simeon Dawson
Fess, announced . few days ago that
he intended to run for q third term, he
started something that probably will
last until the voting booths close next
year. And since DR.. Fess-a, former
college president, the high priest Of
the Anti-Saloon League In its native
State and former chairman Of the
Republican National Committee - has
been the keynoter Of his party and .
close friend Of three Presidents, the
race will assume Nationwide interest.
Ever since the wet landslide Of last
November, and especially since the
return Of beer and the running start
made toward repeal, It has been COM
mon gossip throughout Ohio that
DOC Fess Is through" But the vet
eran legislator has fooled political
prophets SO often that they are begin
ming to believe he has more lives than
q cat.
Mouthpiece Of White House.
In q little more than is years, Fess
rose from obscurity to the chairmanship
Of his party. From the level Of small
mouthpiece Of the White House in the
Senate. He has shown amazing aph-
tude to take advantage Of each new
fad In politics, discarding It at pre-
cjsely the proper moment. The World
War, the prohibition movement. the
Ku Klux Klan, the original bonus de-
mand-an served his purpose In turn.
And until the 1892 election apparently
shot his State out from under him. his
fortunes were rising steadily. Even
then his luck held, for he was not up
for reelection at the time Of the
Roosevelt landslide.
But next year his term viii expire.
Republicans, as well as Democrats.
looked for his voluntarily
until he upset their calculations by an
nouncing at Springfield that he was
out for denomination. And the way he
did It contributed to the Jurors that
followed-for the veteran dry leader
bluntly said repeal was certain and
that Ohio would be in the wet column.
neither could the amazed vets.
The first guess Of the urban liberals
was that Senator Fess was getting
ready for some more Of the clever foot
work for which he Is famous: but his
words indicated that he intended to
remain true to the prohibition cause.
In fact, he said he wished to remain
In the Senate to help enact safeguards
against the return Of the saloon. That
didn't satisfy the little Columbus
suburb Of Westerville, headquarters of
the Anti-Salcon League of America.
s. p. McNaught, State superintendent
Of the dry body. promptly ''repudiated''
the Fess forecast Of repeal.
Always Sharp Politician.
But the elderly Senator always has
known on which side Of his house to
4 tion to the Senate, in fact, proved that
to keep track of his resourcefulness
would be like carrying eels In q shawl
strap. When the strongly German
| wet element Of Cincinnati resented his
dry plank, Fess twisted the British
lions tail until he piled up q sur
prising lead over the Democratic in
cumbent, Atlee Pomerene.
If the aim Of Senator FeSs Is to make
| the vets consider their path paved and
his own thorny. his strategy shows
signs Of working well. A soon as he
announced he would run as q dry, even
when admitting he thought repeal was
| certain, wet Republicans began laying
their lines for the nomination. II
several Of them divide the wet strength
and no other dry man runs, his VIC
tory In the primaries will be assured
| The Democrats carried Ohio In 1881
| by figure that set . record. Gov
George white, now generally expected
to seek senatorial honors, has lost part
! Of his following as Q result Of his
futile battle for q sales tax. and he
may have opposition for the Demo-
cratic nomination.
In which case It b not impossible
that Fess may return to the Senate
through q split in his own party at
the primaries and through q split IN
the other party In the election.
(Copyrisht, 1033)