Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-04-20
A new PROPHET ARISEN,
A. \. Parker Is His Name, and He Is
Member Of Congress from
New York,
His Minority Report on the Federal
Prohlbitory Amendment Reso-
luton.
Washington letter.

tWaanluStoa letter.
There is no development of the prohibi
!ion agitation more significant or interest
ing than the converting power it seems to
De having on public men. Senator Col
quit likes to tell about the DAYS of yore
when he 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 vet come to the conclusion
that prohibition is the best method of
dealing with the liquor traffic, but he
added that ii it were in his power to ut
terly abolish the traffic he would do it il
it should drive him from public life. y
A new prophet of national prohibition
has arisen in the person of Congressman
A. y. 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 prohibition
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
i'll Congress assembled two thirds of each
House concurrlng thereln), That the follow
ing amendment 10 the Constitution of the
United States be. and hereby is prop )sed to
the States, to become valid when ratified By
the Legislatures of three-fourths of the sew
eral States, as provided in the Cons titutiOn:
ARTICLE -
SEC l. The manufacture, importation, ex-
portation, transportation, and sale of all alco-
hole liquors as beverage shall be, and
hereby is, forever prohi bited in the United
States ami in every place subject to their jur-
isdicton
SEC. 2. 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 Prohibitioniss. 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 q minority report which is
worth quoting in full. Here it is:
,"lhe undersigned, dissenting from the re-
port made by the ma jority of the committee
herein, respectfully submits:
THAT the question of the sale Of alcoholic
liquors as a beverage, according TO existing
customs, has become recOgniZ3u as one OF
national scope aud importance.
sThat 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 dram shop is the foe OF the
worklngmans family, and that temperance is
the very cornerstone of prosperity and call
for Congressional action upon the side of re-
form; while the social, industrial and reform
societies which exist in almost every COM
munity in the land, and unite the contribu-
tions and Ia bors Of multitudes 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 ia a
matter of observation or experience with al
most every one that alcoholic beverages are
injurious to mankind.
sTherefore, 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.
1T will also Nationalist 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 cnnt1ct. A. x: PARKER
The amendment resolution, by reason of
Mr.. Parker's 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 Farwen told me
to- day that license bill would very prob
ably be reported.