Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-03-20
Southern Democrats Seek to
Secure Prohibition Plank in
Denver Platform
BRYANITEs IN A PICKLE
"Peeress One" Can Gain Southern
Support, But Will Lose Friends in
North by Insisting on Temperance
PIank-Interstate Traffic and Liquor
Shipments.

Especial Washington Correspondence
Washington, March 20.--William
Jennings Bryan will be able to enlist
all the southern statesmen on his side.
in real earnest, If he will just permit
the democrats in their Denver platform
to insert a plank declaring either for
prohibition or for such national legis-
lation as will make it impossible for
ton to nvalidate the liquor laws Of
the states.
Since the south has gone prohibition
by an overwhelming vote and senti-
ment, prohibition is rising UP with a
determination at last to capture one
of the great national parties; and. of
course it aims at the democrats. Most
of the electoral votes Of the democrats
must come from the south, and their
never to have taken a drink of liquor.
The prohibition movement is re-
garded at the south as the one great
moral movement now sweeping the
country. The south is enlisted for war.
1t watches with satisfaction the march
of sumptuary legislation into the north.
and it is determined that congress
shall pass such legislation as will put
an end to the notification Of state
liquor laws by spreading the charitable
mantle of interstate commerce over
shipments of liquor into prohibition
states, there to be secure against in
reference because interstate COM
merce is solely q federal concern.
The senate committee on judiciary
referred to a subcommittee the aues
ton of constitutionality Of such leg
islatfon, and that subcommittee has
held by vote Of three to two, that
congress can't stretch it's control over
interstate commerce to the extent of
giving the state power over liquors in
troduced therein by interstate COM
merce processes. That is. the commit
tee holds that whisky can be imported
from another state, into the dryest Sec
ton of the most devoted prohibition
state and the federal government can't
stop it. The real effectiveness of the
prohibition laws depends on giving
the state control of the liquor just as
soon as it gets inside the prohibition
The prohibition party once polled
million votes. and prohibition senti-
ment is vastly stronger today than it
was then. Most of those votes were
drawn, it is generally estimated, from
the republicans. A prohibition plank
in the democratic platform would GER
tainly not lose the party any strength
in the states it is certain to carry. 1t
is declared by democrats who advo-
cate it that it would make Indiana
doubtful if not democratic, would help
in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and many
other states. and would give the party |
one more basis for its claim that it |
the best moral sentiment |
IF the country. That the plank will |
so into the platform, unless the re-
oublicans permit some legislation on
his subject to get thru congress, is |
generally conceded. And it is all but |
pertain that no such legislation can
pass. Both committees on judiciary
ire deter:ninedly opposed to it.
There are a good many northern
democrats who don't want any such
nonsense" in the national platform.
they believe it would gain them moth
ng in the south, and would end their
chance of capturing New York. The
don't admit it. They do
lot ask, generally, for national pro-
libition measure; what they want is
he promise of such interstate COM
nerce legislation as will make prohibi-
ion effective where it is established;
md they believe this will cost the party
10 votes anywhere, while greatly
it in many sections.