The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-11
National Constitutional Prohibition.

J
Although prohibition legislation has been
losing ground recently its advocates are not
dismayed- Having established a thorough
party organization, they will now turn
their attention 70 national consti-
tutional prohibition. This matter
has been pending in congress nearly four
/ teen years without reaching g vote in either
body. 1t was favorably reported by the
Senate committee of the Forty-ninth and
Fiftieth congresses. and a minority report
IN its favor was reported by the House COM
mittee to which it was referred in the
| Fiftieth congress
The matter will again be urged upon
! congress this session by committee con-
sisting Of the leaders of the prohibition
movement, who will have a hearing in
Washington at a joint meeting of the Senate
committee on education and labor, and the
! House committee on alcoholic liquor traffic
on June IA. The appearance of this COM
mittee is in furtherance of the "Plan of
Canvass" of which Ada NJ. Bittenbender,
the National Woman's Christian Temper
Union superintendent of legislat ion
and petitions, is the author. The prohibi-
tionists and temperance advocates have
joined hands in this movement, and the
latter have made the advocacy of the ma
tional prohibitory amendment special line
of work A call which has been issued for
national temperance congress, to meet in
New York June IL and 10, is sig
nifcant in this connection. 1t is
to all appearances an independent
movement, but it will no doubt have a
bearing on the policy to be pursued before
the congressional committees, as the con-
gress is called for the purpose of agreeing
upon a plan to fight the saloon and liquor
power. Tie congress will be one of the
most varied and powerful temperance
gatherings ever assembled in this country,
judging from the names signed to the call,
including those of men and women of all
| shades of anti-liouor views, and of all
degrees of wealth and social position.
There can be no mistake about the trend
of popular opinion on constitutional pro-
hibition of late Wherever the question
has been submitted to the people it has met
with defeat. In the new state of Washing
ton it was submitted as separate amend
ment to the constitution, and voted down.
In Rhode Island, where prohibition was
intrenched in the constitution four years
ago, it was stricken out last year by con-
stitutional amendment adopted by a
vote Of about 10000 to 5000.
In Pennsylvania prohibition was rejected
by nearly 100000 majority, and IN Massa-
chusetts, New Hampshire, Michigan, Texas,
Tennessee, Oregon and West Virginia, il
was also submitted to the people and de-
feated. Thus the temperance congress and
their friends, the prohibitionists, are con-
fronted with serious obstacle at the start
the lack of public sympathy in their
favor
In view of this it is doubtful if they will
consider it expedient to urge the matter of
national prohibitory legislation at this
time. Even if congress should act favorably
on their request, an amendment to the con-
stitution Of the United States would have
to be submitted to the legislatures of the
different states for their approval and an
amendment must receive the votes
of two-thirds of the states
before it can be incorporated in the funda-
mental law, and the indications are that
the proposition would not even receive the
support of the prohibition states. The
latter are just now in the position of the
Maine legislator who, when forced to de-
clare his position in regard to a certain
law, said: well, am in favor of the law,
but against its enforcement"
The policy always advocated by the
MORNING NEWS, viz, to allow communi-
ties to regulate the liquor traffic within
their limits by local option or otherwise, is
the wiseSt and most effective.