Deflated Wets

In 1917 the Senate voted 65-to-20 for the 18th Amendment. In 1919 it passed the Volstead Act over President Wilson's veto by the same vote. Since then Wets have repeatedly claimed that their strength in the Senate was growing. Last year, on the basis of recent elections, the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment estimated that not less than 27 Senators were ready to submit the 18th Amendment to the States (TIME, Nov. 15). Last week Wet claims were severely deflated in the Senate where a test vote showed 15 Wets as against 55 Drys.

The Prohibition issue was forced to a vote by Connecticut's Senator Hiram Bingham. He proposed a resolution whereby the Senate would "welcome" State referenda on repeal or modification of the Volstead Act. The Drys flayed the proposal as "passing the buck" to the States, criticized referenda in general as a "cowardly" approach to the issue. Some Wets, favoring a straight-cut test on repeal, likewise deplored the resolution's "meaninglessness."

The 15 Wet Senators were geographically distributed as follows: Walsh & Coolidge of Massachusetts, Bingham & Walcott of Connecticut, Barbour & Kean of New Jersey, Copeland & Wagner of New York, La Follette & Elaine of Wisconsin, Glenn & Lewis of Illinois. Bulkley of Ohio, Tydings of Maryland, Oddie of Nevada.

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