Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-04-20
A. X. Parker Is His Name, and He Ia
Member OF Congress from
New York.
His Minority Report on the Federal
Frohibitory Amendment Reso.
luton.
tWashiustoa letter !

Warrington lotter
There is no development of the prohibi-
!ion agitation more significant or interest
ing IMAM the converting power it seems to
oe having on public men. Senator Col
quiu likes to tell about the days of yore
wnen ne and Senator Blair were the only
men who could be got to present prohibi-
ton petitions in the Senate. And those
days of their loneliness are not SO remote,
either. Now it is the commonest thing to
hear the most radical temperance talk from
Senators and Congressman. Only to-day
Senator Ransom of North Carolina said
that during the last six years he had
thought more on the temperance question
than on any other. He confessed that
he had not yet come to the conclusion
that prohibition is the best method Of
dealing with the liquor traffic, but he
added that it it were in his power to ut
it should drive him from public life. y
A new prophet of national prohibition
has arisen in the person of Congressman
A. \. Parker of the Twenty-second Dis
trict of New York. Mr.. Parker comes to
the front as the champion in the House of
the joint resolution proposing IL pr ohibition
amendment to the Federal Constitution.
This is of course the most extreme of all
temperance bills. Here is the text of the
amendment resolution:
Resolved by the Senate and House of Rep
resentatives Of the United States of America
in Congress assembled two thirds of each
House concurrlng thereln), That the follow
ing amendment 10 tho Constitution of the
United States be. and hereby is, prop osed to
the States, to become valid when ratified by
the Legislatures of three fourths of the sew
erat States, as provided in the Cons titution:
ARTICLE -
Dec !. The manufacture, importation, ex-
portatop, transportation, and sale of all alc0-
hollc liquors as a beverage shall be, and
hereby is, forever prohi bted in the United
States AMI in every place subject to their iur-
isdicton
SEC. 9 Congress shall enforce this article
by all needful legislation
This is the resolution just as it was
drawn up by Senator Blair with the ap-
proval of the National Temperance Society
and all Prohibitlonists. In the House it
was taken in charge by Mr.. Dingley, sent
to the Judiciary Committee, and from it
reported adversely with only one dissent
ing vote. The dissenter was Mr.. Parker,
and he made minority report which is
worth quoting in full. Here it is:
1.-The undersigned, dissenting from the re-
port made by the majority of tine committee
herein, respectfully submits:
THAT the question of tine sale Of alcohol
liquors as beverage. according TO existing
CUSTOM :, mas become recOSnlZeu as one OF
national scope and importance.
"That 1T Is q matter Of common information
that religious societies numbering many mil
lions in their membership urge the suppress
sion of the liquor traffic. and that extensive
and powerful labor organizations are pro-
claiming that the dramshop is the foe of the
worklngman's family, and that temperance is
the very cornerstone of prosperity, and call
for Congress sional action upon the side of re-
form; while the sociai, industrial and reform
societies which exist in almost every COM
munity in the land, and unite the contribu-
tons and la6ors OF multtudes of earnest and
Influential men and women, demand national
action.
sIf the people thus speaking are mistaken
in their views they may be disregarded, but
If they are right they should be needed
1T is not necessary to make argument as to
whether they are right or wrong, as it is q
matter OF observation or experience with al
most every one that alcoholic beverages are
in iurious to mankind
therefore, it is respectfully submitted
that Congress should adopt the resolution.
BY SO doing it will properly respond to the
just requirements Of millions OF American
citizens.
sIt will also nationalize the temperance
movement and attach 1t to the very founda-
tons of our civil organizations; 1t will chal-
lenge the attention of the people from the
most exalted platform from which they can
be addressed, and Will designate the States as
the battle fields for finally deciding this i'm
pending cnnfl'ct. A K PARKER.
The amendment resolution, by reason of
Mr.. Parkers action, is on the calendar,
and may be considered in tho House some
time. Then look out for interesting scenes.
Senator Colquitt, of Georgia, has intro
duced into the Senate local option bill
providing for referring the question of
prohibition in the District of Columbia to
direct vote of the people. The bill was
drawn up by members Of the lodge of Good
Templars. 1t is similar to the one intro
duced by the Senator in the last Congress,
although there are some notifications.
1t is understood that the Senate Com
mittee on District of Columbia will have
nothing more to do with temperance issues
until Senator Spooner's high-license bill
is ready; and the enemies of prohibition
hope to have the Spooner bill given the
right of way. Senator Farweu told me
to-day that license bill would very prob
ABLY be reported.