The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-12-18
GOV. HocH ON CANNON
The Kansas Governor Tells of His
Visit to the Speaker With the
Methodist Committee.

he fegardS as an unfair deal on the
part of Speaker Cannon to the COM
mittee of the Methodist church that
not wish to open up a closed incident
but will give the following para
graphs, which are already public
property. The following are some of
the essential paragraphs in the letter:
THE General Conference of the
Methodist church adopted a lengthy
memorial presented by Governor
Hanley, of Indiana, who, like myself,
was a delegate to that great body,
asking Congress TO pass what is
known as the L~ittlcfield bill, a bill
in brief to make liquor shipments
subject to seizure as soon as they
cross into prohibition territory. A
committee of twenty five, Governor
Hanly at its head and myself included
among the members, was appointed
10 visit the Speaker Of the House and
ask. him to present the memorial to
Congress. The Speaker received us
in a large room and seemed to be
carefully prepared for the interview.
He held in his hand Il pamphlet
which we afterwards learned cen
tanned the opinions as to the consti-
nationality of this proposed legislation
by the members of the Judiciary
Committee of the Senate, but in his
discussion of the subject he read
only fr; the opinion of Mr.. Knox,
who arsaed TIE unconstitutionality
of the N ssure. Conceding the great
ability G. Mr.. Knox, | have since read
all these opinions and personally be-
lfeve those In favor of the constitu-
tionalIty of the measure are much the
strongest in argument. The Commit
tee vas particularly courteous to the
Speaker and quite complimentary in
every reference to him. Not only his
exalted position, but the fact hat
that happened to be his 72nd birth
day, added sentiment to the occasion.
I think, however, and the Committee
Thought that the Speaker WAS, not as
courteous in return as he should
have been to a body of gentlemen re-
presenting n of the great religious
and patriotic organizations of the
country. Among other things he Of
fensively, i think, asked, *How many
of you gentlemen have read the Lit
bill?"#"Hold up your hands,"
he exclaimed. AS there We're judges
and men long in public life, as we'll
rs eminent ministers and religious
editors, present, this kindergarten
performance seemed to me to be
quite unworthy of the Speaker. In
my entirely impromptu remarks /
said that, when one coordinate
- .ch of the National government,
the Supreme Court, had affirmed and
often re-afirmed the right of a
state to prohibit the manufacture and
sale of liquor, it seemed to me hat
the other two coordinate branches
Of the government, the legislative and
executive, should hep not hinder the
state in doing this thing yet / stat
ed that, For three years and a half
have been up against the practical
nroposition of the enforcement of the
which the Supreme Court OF the
United States had often affirmed u
right to enact" and that n of the
greatest difficulties in the enforce
ment of this law in Kansas was the
attitude of the National government
toward it. 1 said this seemed to me
to be a house divided against itself,
which Lincoln said could not stand.
/ said also that I was not there pri-
marily, nor was the Committee, in
the interest of prohibition nor
even in the interest of temperance,
but we we're there in the interest of
government. | went further and said
that while | knew vel 1.-THE meaning
of the words Interstate commerce"
in the dictionaries, | thought when
these words got up into the sacred
precincts of the court for definition,
It should be defined, and some time
would be defined, as commerce in le-
Ultimate things and not in
contraband articles. 1t was at this
point, after l had modestly acknow-
lodged that / was not a lawyer and
was making these plain statements
simply as a lover of my country that
Mr.. Cannon injected the rather often
sive remark, that he observed that l
was not a lawyer that If he were
Governor Of Kansas and had the APP
pointment of a judge. he would not
appoint me until I had studied law"
81 believe Mr.. Cannon is absolute
ly wrong. as is Senator Knox also l
think. In believing that this
Fundamentally correct principal
is unconstitutional. 1t cannot be that