Albuquerque citizen., 1908-03-27
BLUE RIBBON FOR
THE ENTIRE
NATION
National Prohibition Is Faint
Voiced Now. But Congress-
men Are Being Taught.

Washington. March 27.-"Nationa
prohioition!"
The voice may sound faint and fai
away But the big liquor dealers ad
init 1t is more distinct than ever be-
fore. Paid representatives of the
whisky trust are maneuvering fran
tically to still the voice.
A powerful, systematic and well.
organized prohibition lobby is being
maintained here. Matthew T.. O'Brien
a whirlwind as a result getter. is al
the head. He predicts the United
States will be nationally dry" within
five years. O'Brien was formerly
sheriff of Bridgeport. Conn. He made
2S7 arrests under the Sunday closing
laws in nine months
Through the efforts of the lobby Ga
bills affecting the liquor traffic have
been introduced in Congress. should
the three most important become
laws a steel and concrete foundation
for national prohibition will have
been laid.
A bill of momentous Importance to
the blue ribbon LOBBY is one by Rep
resentative Acheson of Pennsylvania.
1t provides that All amendment to the
constitution, prohibiting the manufac-
ture or sale of liquor, be proposed to
the legislatures of the forty-six states.
Should three-fourths of the state
legislatures ratify the proposed
amendment, the United States would
become a blue ribbon nation.
If this bill doesn't pass. the nation
a! prohibition committee will try to
have three-fourths of the state legis-
latures petition Congress to adopt the
amendment Then Congress would
be forced to do SO.
Acheson's bill. the prohibitionists
declare, only submits the prohibition
question to the people. If the people
are not given "A chance to express
their opinion, they say, it means Con-
gress no longer has confidence in the
people, and popular government by
the people is over.
Congress is worried, or at least con-
gressmen individually are. Conditions
aren't just like they used to be. In
the past lawmaker could always Oe
busy when the temperance man
called, but not any more. Today
there isn't a single congressman, out
side of the representative of the very
large city and the tenderlon district,
who can wholly ignore a recognized
leader of the prohibition lobby and
return to Congress.
Another bill provides that the gov
ernment shall not issue revenue tax
receipts to liquor dealers who cannot
produce state or local licenses Uncle
Sam issues these receipts without
asking questions. Persons living in
prohibition cities, counties and states
are licensed by the government.
For instance" says sOBrien,
Maine is a prohibition state. The
government has issued revenue tax
receipts to S5S persons in that state.
Uncle Sam is thus aiding lawbreak-
ers as well as preventing the will of
the people OF Maine from being car
ried out. The same situation prevails
in all parts of the country.
Uncle Sam assists Illicit liquor
traffic in another way. Under the
interstate commerce law it had been
held that liquor may be shipped into
a prohibition state from another
state. We have bill before the ju-
dietary committee which provides
that consignment of liquor comes
within the jurisdiction Of the state
law the moment it crosses the border
of the state Such a law would ter
inmate this evil"