Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-01-12
FOESOF RUMSTRONG
IN COUNCILS Of
DEMOCRACY
MAY FORCE PROHIBITION
PLANK INTO PLATFORM
Possibility Of a Dry National
Capital No Longer Con-
Sidered Jest by Washington
Southerners Openly Favor II,
lBN HcnrN K. Lambda

W i7ilIiih ttllf Jan. ] t.-- AAtolbllB 10
several southern members Of congress.
an attempt viii be made at Denver
to write some sort Of prohibition
plank into the democratic national
platform Whatever may be the per-
sonal views Of these southern states
men, they feel the force Of sentiment
at home, and their voices always are
heard in the cause Of temperance.
Their policy is reflected on the
question of prohibition for the District
Of Columbia over which congress has
exclusive jurisdiction There would
be no possibility of prohibiting the
sale of liquor at the national capital
were II not for the southern demo-
Gratis when the question first came
up Washington people were inclined
to make Jest Of it, They refused to
believe congress would ever seriously
entertain such a proposition But
they have discovered that the prohibit
tiouists have staunch ana able sup
portcrs in congress. While II Is not
probable anything win he done at the
present session, dry" capital Is enc
Of the possibilities Of the not far dis
tant future II Is recalled now how
congress was driven by public senti-
ment into abolishing the army can
teen, though army officers were all
most unanimously against it and It
was contrary to the convictions Of a
majority Of congress.
Public sentiment also was respon-
siblc for abolishlng the sale of liquor
in the capitol building though very
large percentage of members who
voted for the measure were sorry
they had done 50 after it became a
law. For long time the house each
year passed "a bill banishing liquor
from the capitol and each year 1t was
killed in the senate. The senate finally
tired Of the game and one year 1t
carclessly allowed the bin to go
through When the house saw what
had been done there was a lot of in
dienation and the senate was charged
with q lot OF things including trea-
son. But the deed was done and IL
would be flying in the face Of provi-
dcnce to repeal the act Something of
that kind may happen as a result OF
the agitation for prohibition i'm the
district. At least, the temperance
has passed beyond the point
OF being a jest
Nor win it do 10 regard as a joke
the possibility Of prohibition plank
in the democratic platform HAIR the
pie OF this country are today ltN-
ing in "dry" territory. Five states
Maine. Kansas, North Dakota, Ala
bama, Georgia and Oklahoma-have
state prohibition laws. In the rest Of
the "dly" territory liquor has been
abolished under local option laws. In
to population, most of TINS
territory is Inn the south, whore the
great bulk of the democratic votes
must come from. II the southern dele
gates should demand that the national
convention take stand ON tn liquor
question il certainly would be en-
titled to have weight
There are a number of ways in
which the cause of temperance could
,sida from prnbibitinr the sale of r.
MAJ, IA mo bistrirt III Columbia The
most demanded is that in
.erstate carriers should be prohibto n
,itinn torritn,.,. rms wou1d ca a long
a-a,. to,,ara n,glsias nrohibiiion laws
...,It, ,tnbtnit tnotbcr acn,ana he
t,,t'p, ,,,r fa,d l,,, sbou IA.
,l,I,,a.l ~ I.,.,. d, heavv tav an nre-
ma5i,ina containinp above a I