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Show NEITHER PARTY LIKELY TO HAVE A UQUOH PUWR Sentiment Against Attempt to Revive Booze Corpse BY H. N. RICKEY. N. E. A. Staff Correspondent. , WASHINGTON, May 25. There has been a rapidly increasing crystallization crystalliza-tion of sentiment during the past few weeks, among both Democratic and Republican Re-publican leaders, against interjecting the liquor question into tho coming campaign. The situation at the moment offers little encouragement to the liquor interests in-terests or even the light wine and beer enthusiasts. j Months ago, in fact as far back as .the adoption of national prohibition by 1 constitutional .amendment, an amply- financed propaganda was launched for the purpose of trying to commit either or both of the parties to a policy of exempting light wines and beer. An attempt has been made to show that there 1b a marked and growing popular reaction against drastic enforcement en-forcement particularly in respect to light wines and beer. Tho alluring prospect ot capitalizing capitaliz-ing this reaction in the form of "liberal" "lib-eral" planks was presented to Democratic Demo-cratic and Republican leaders, G. O. P. Flatly Against It. It must be said in all fairness that the suggestion fell on deaf ears so far as the Republicans are concerned. Whatever tho personal views of individual indi-vidual Republican leaders may be on tho light wine and beer question, no serious consideration has been given by those who will write the platform to the idea of committing the party to the ! so-called liberal side of the liquor ques tion. If the Republicans mention liquor at all in their platform they are far more likely to take the extreme prohibition view calling for rigid enforcement. Including In-cluding light wines and liquors, than the, liberal view. More probable than either Is that in the Republican platform the liquor question will be conspicuous by its absence, ab-sence, so far as direct reference to it is concerned. s A large number of Democratic lead ers have given serious consideration I to the political possibilities In going to I the country on a light wine and beer ; platform I About a month ago the enthusiasm for this idea reached its peak. If the platform had been written then there is some ground' for the belief that a light wine and beer plank would have been in iL - - But each day since then has madc-thls madc-thls less likely. Bryan's Position. . ! The victory of Bryan in his contest ! for a seat in the convention as a dele-I dele-I gate-at-large from Nebraska greatly J dampened the ardor of thosex who were urging that tho party come out for light wine and beer. It is generally understood that Bryan will be a member of the .committee on resolutions and probably of the sub-i sub-i committee which wlil draft the platform. plat-form. He will throw the whole weight of i his nnwerful influence not only in the committee, but later on in the conven- tion, if that is necessary, against - declaration of policy giving the slightest slight-est encouragement to any phase of tho liquor traffic. I I am .told by a close personal friend ! of Bryan who talked with him recently that the commoner feels moro strong lv on this subject than he has over feltj I about anything since he has been in j public life. Pie is much more interest-1 ed in keeping the nation bone dry than j i he is in the success of tho Democratic ! party. j j He would like to force the party to j I lake a positive position against any at i (empt to revise Ihe prohibition law 1 But he will be willing to compromise! ' on a silence program on the theory 'that when the states ratified the prohi-i prohi-i bition constitutional amendment, the , ! liquor question was settled and is no j 'longer an Issue. ; I It is a pretty safe guess that the h- j jquor question . w ill occupy the samoj 'apace in the Democratic platform l adopted at San Francisco as it will 1 occupy in the Republican platform . ! adopted three weeks earlier in Chicago. I That will be exactly no space at all. oo |