The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1936-07-30
SEEN and HEART
around the
NATIONAL CAPITAL
By Carter Field

Washington.-Return Of the cor
ner saloon figured in \ CONVERSE
ton in Baltimore a few days ago
which, retailed By some OF those
present, has been going all over
Washington, exciting considerable
interest.
The two leading figures in the
conversation were q retired Irish
contractor and a young Catholic
priest.
The contractor was holding forth
against Franklin D. Roosevelt and
the New Deal. Just before he ran
down he shouted that Roosevelt had
kept just one, and only one, OF the
pledges Of the platform Of 1882 on
which he was elected.
What pledge was that7" Tn
quired another participant.
THE promise to get rid Of prohi-
bition," said the contractor.
wait a minute" broke IL the
priest. Il don't think Roosevelt and
the New Deal kept that pledge"
I'VE certainly got rid Of prohi-
bition, didn't wet" snorte1 the con-
tractor. I'VE got liquor back, think
God. Hoover would lever have
done that for U.s."
YES" said the priest. That
part Is true. But you are forgetting
another part Of that promise
pledge without which, / very much
doubt, you would have gotten iq-
uor back. The platform and the
candidate promised that. with the
return Of liquor, the saloon would
never be permitted to come back.
Well, the saloon is back. It Is
here. And l think a great many
people resent the failure Of that
pledge more than the breaking Of
these others you have been talk
ing about
More and more talk Is being
heard all over the country about
the liquor situation. The distilling
industry is distinctly concerned
about it. 1t has been pulling in
its horns, SO to speak, in many
ways. The Distilled Spirits insti-
tute has persuaded many distillers
to get of the air, and to tone down
their advertising. They are more
sensitive to what they fear is a
change OF sentiment than the brew
ers, and are worried that their adj
vice in this direction has been ig-
nored by the brewers.
Fear New Dry Tide
They are disturbed about local
elections in various states, and are
very much afraid that a new dry
tide is rising. Meanwhile the drys
are beginning to recover from the
state Of coma into which they
lapsed about 1880. II they had had
the vim and pep they have today
in 1888, it is very doubtful il the
eighteenth amendment could have
been repealed.
Even the distillers do not fear
another prohibition amendment in
the federal Constitution. They do
not believe there il much danger
that SO states would ever again rat
lily such an amendment. When the
eighteenth amendment was ratified
only two states, Rhode Island and
Connecticut, refused to ratify 1t.
Such wet states as Massachusetts,
New York. New Jersey and Mary
land. did.
But, most observers think, they
never would again.
The danger is OF another kind.
It is of the spread Of dry terri
tory, county by county, state by
state, with a resulting unfriendly
political feeling towards the liquor
business, and oppressive interior
ence, such as preceded the adop-
ton Of the eighteenth amendment.
At the Federal Alcohol admins
tration there is much bitterness
against the big brewers for rushing
into the old practices that were so
sharply criticized. For instance,
the tiled house" idea-where the
brewer controls the individual sa-
loon-keeper, and forces him to sell
only that particular brewers stock.
So there is 4 good deal more to
the situation than any question Of
platform pledges.
Give Landon Edge
Tremendously potent in overcom-
ing what remained after Cleveland
Of the "defeatist" attitude Of Re
publicans all over the country, the
6rst nationwide polls since the con-
vention, in showing that Landon
has = slight edge on electoral votes
over Roosevelt, have been of ex-
treme value to the Republican high
command.
One Of the reasons Why John %.
M. Hamilton has been making 20
many speeches, and making such
optimistic claims - n states for
Landon, etc. - has been to over
come this same defeatist spirit. He
has recognized, AZ have most Re
publican leaders, that this was the
first hurdle to b taken.
It i no. just = question Of band
wagon psychology. 1t was apathy
baoed on hopelessness, which not
only choked Oh contributions to
A = u