TWILIGHT OF THE GODS

Behemoth has been laid low by the jaw bone of an ass. Two days ago the Democrats rode to victory over the Republicans on the issues of prohibition and the business depression. They were good talking points. The triumph carries with it great significance: The people may not have proved a Democratic supremacy in the Senate, but they have voiced dissatisfaction with President Hoover and they have launched a preliminary attack on the eighteenth amendment.

This change of public affections is a healthy thing. The Republicans have been sitting on the throne for too many years. They have waxed fat and a bit indolent. Knowledge of power can be a dangerous sedative, and for years the voters have been convincing the Republicans of their strength. The kick of a donkey may awaken them.

The Democratic stand on Prohibition did much to lift the party above their rather lack-lustre past for some years. The United States has been irked by the procrastination of the Republicans where this issue is concerned. The Democratic landslide was as much a search for remedies as an expression of public faith. The repeal of the Baby Volstead Act in Massachusetts may well cast its shadow on the national elections of 1932.

Last Tuesday was a strong purgative for the rather sluggish political system of America. It is not of great importance who now holds the balance of power. Both parties are building for two years hence, the Democrats with hope, the Republicans with shaken confidence. Party issues have been clarified and the public interest is aroused.