This Week in Texas Methodist History July 24 Advocate Goes All in for Dan Moody, July 1942 A modern reader would also certainly be struck by the amount of political content in the main denominational newspaper of Texas Methodists in the mid-20th century. The editors of the Southwestern Chrisitan Advocate were not shy about involving themselves in partisan poltics. The generation of denominational leaders, including newspaper editors had cut their teeth in the battle over the prohibition of alcoholic beverages. Even when national Prohition was enacted and then repealed, the drumbeat of editorials about alcohol continued. The repeal of Prohibiton had created the local option in Texas so what had been a national political issue was refought at the local level. Under local option law, a county, city, or commissioner’s precinct could vote whether to have beverage alcohol, and if so, what level would be legal. For example some counties allowed beer and wine but not liquor. Naturally the local option law was a boon for bootleggers who often contributed to local option elections on the side of the Dry faction. Many Texas Methodists became single issue voters. Dry candidates contended in the Democratic primary over who would enforce Prohibiton most vigorously. Other qualifications were overlooked such as Earle Mayfield’s membership in the KKK. Mayfield was a Methodist, and an alum of Southwestern University, but his dry credentials carried the day. The editors of the Advocate had their greatest venom for the Fergusons (James and Miriam or Pa and Ma) even though Pa was the son of a Methodist minister. The Fergusons were wet and Ma became famous for her pardons of convicted bootleggers alledgedly prompted by bribes. The July 1942 campaign for the Democratic primary is perhaps the pinnacle of the political involvement. The Southwestern Christian Adcoate carries paid political ads for candidates for Lt. Governor, Comptrolled, two state Represenatives, Dallas County Sheriff, Dallas County Commissioner, and several judges. The largest paid political advertisement was for Dan Moody, and it was accompanied by a laudatory unsigned news article A Distinguished Methodist Layman for Dan Moody. Dan Moody was the “boy wonder” of Texas politics, shooting to fame after his successful prosecution of a gang of KKK terrorists in Williamson County. He became A. G. and then Governor at age 33. He was widely admired for his integrity and in 1942 was running against the buffoonish Senator W. L. O’Daniel and his challenger former Governor James Allred—a rare case of three Texas governors being on the ballot vying for one spot. Allred was enthusiastically in favor of the New Deal. O’Daniel said he was, but was part of the reactionary Southwern bloc of Senators’ Moody, although a Democrat, had broken with FDR and was later to support Eisenhower and Nixon. By this time alcohol as a political issue had somewhat faded. Drys tried to prohibit the sale of beer around the numerous military bases that were being built in Texas, but the big issue was winning the war against Fascism. To put is bluntly, O’Daniel was an embarrassment. While most senators worked diligently to provide the troops with the resources they needed, O’Daniel continued his demagogic ways and his incompetence brough disgrace to the conservative Democratic faction. Moody, on the other hand, was intelligent and a man of integrity. It was little wonder that the Adovate supported him all the way. He came in third in the primary. O’Daniel then barely beat Allred in the runoff---the rest of his senatorial term was not any better. In 1948, with his approval rating in the polls at 7 per cent, he declined to run for re-election. Moody became a leading figure of the conservative wng of the Demcoratic Party.