Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-05-01
THE CRAWR1sH.

The art OF making progress OaehHaru
was never more sptly illustrated by
the crawfish itself than by those who
pIofess to be leading a temperance re-
form.
The freshest examples are furnished
in the States of Iowa aud Ohio. Iu the
former State, it will be remembered,
a prohibitory amendment to the Con-
stitutieu was carried by the people, but
has Just been annullcd by decision of
the Supreme Court by reason Of inform
atty in the proceedings of the Legis-
lature.
Now, the advocates Of prohibition
propose to begin at the bottom and re-
peat the tedious process Of submitting
another amendment. To do this it will
require several years, even if the peo-
pie of Iowa should remain of the same
mind en- the question The Legislature
meets but once in two years, so that 1t
will take at least four years before a
new amendment can be ratified, and it
will he another year or two before the
necessary legislation can be passed for
its enforcement.
Nevertheless, it is admitted that
there is nothing in the Constitution Of
Iowa, any more tLan there is in the
Constitution OF West Virginia, to pre-
vent the passage Of a direct prohibitory
law by the Legislature. If the people
of Iowa want prohibition they could
nave had it ny act of the Legislature
last winter, just rs they could have had
il in West Virginia last winter, by act
of the Legislature. But the prohibit
tioniSts in Iowa. like the prohibitionists
In West Virginia, won't have present
prohibition; they want it III the future
tense; they want it to come by a round
about process Of from seven to ten
years they want it only by a cOnstitu-
tional provision that will lie inert, in
operative and practically worthless I'M
Ill they have it also 10y act of the Legts-
lature.
Ohio furnishes an'equally striking ex-
ample. There has been prOhibitOry
clause IN the ohio Constitution since,
We be ieve, the year $50. But, strange
and inexplicable ~ it may seem, al
though the Legislature has been
elected on the issue OF temperance
reform for number of years; although
the Republican party, which controls
the Legislature has year after year,
planked its platforms with pledges Of
temperance legislation, its Legislature
has me: year after year, and talked
temperance for months at stretch, yet
the idea of exercising the power of pro-
hibiting the traffic which their cOnsti-
tuition gives them, is never mentioned;
but they continue, with wonderful fla
cility to enact tax and license laws
which are unconstitutional. and to SUBJ
nit prohibitory amendments which are
already part of the constitution, while
lt,O"0 saloons continue to deal out
liquors in Ohio, free of license, free OF
tax, and in violation of the spirit of
the constitution.
Here, therefore, are two States which
are regarded ~ the present battle
ground of the prohibitiOnists, in both
OF which prohibition, if it is possible at
all, would have been possible and prac-
ticable last winter, and in one of which,
it is voluntarily made impossible or i'm
practicable for from five to seven years,
and in the other is voluntarily post
pOncd indefinitely by eomplicating the
question with a number of propositions,
some unlawful and the others unneces-
sary. This is Temperance reform"