Mexico weekly ledger., 1909-12-23

WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
edkGtzzy z hk co1zsosr O. tie
-LQaor o-@tscz 81 Wazkizg-o1
zyss The federal co1grezs m1R
soone O. lzter take zaaks q TIE
activity q tie Agzor tzteTesss and
thsE sftenR e oon-rol The azio1 Q,
ne fede1E government nT have
eztsred nzdO1zi poses. All VIII po-
hte evertAng ehat thsy to1eh uE
a they sre di7sn o1- We have a.
ready Een democratic coagresznsz
dragged Into The rsPub3naa camp b.
tbese iEteresis vixen a fight was be
Ing made over the rules q the house.
ior there Is 70 questoz o. the e
tsFty q the Hquor nterss.s In sup
porsng CzEoaism FEDERAL licenses
are nos ISSUED 70 thoss Who desire
70 sell liquor a. ~te-riioEy u EaSh %
cd ioeuses are deaed, and the
brewers and dis1IleTs are sm Us
ng Interstate eonueue 20 nu2s5
The kSs q the varsogs states. Sure
~ there ran be 20 excuse for the iS
sue q federal ltcsuseE 20 nquor dsss-
'ers q territory Vhers the lo.ai an-
tbodues have prohibited the sale Of
liquor. The charge for q fedsrzi IL
'eense Is SIS per year. and when a
federal kesnse IS issued upon the
payment o this sum The federal gov
erumenk either obtains the money
wfthoct eouEAqratoa Or It enters IN
70 partnership WIKI the violator o
.the law. Three ostecnons have
been made TO The proposition thai the
.fsdena government Should reuse 70
issue licenses In dry territory, name
.iy. First that taxes Should be I'M
form and that the government can
not. therefore, collect q license tax
IN one community and rsfsss TO co..
'iect such tar IN anOth@; Second.
that the federal goyezmsnE could
not prosecute a person for selling
without lkense q it refused to IS
sue e license: and, third, that the is
sue Of a federal license is useful in
that Il enables the local zuthorties
TO ascertain from the record who are
engaged in the traffic. These three
objections nigh, be met By a law re-
dnciug the license TO 81, and provid-
ing that nofoe Of the issue OF such
license De posted tmnsdiatey In
the postodce in the town IN which
The Ecensee resides and requiring
publication Of notice In a local news
paper. The 81 would not more than
cover the cost Of issuing and record
ing the license and posing the no
tee, and such a Law would take the
government on Of p~zrznershfp with
the kz breakers. By what logic can
one Justify the action q the feder-
al government In permitting inter
state commerce to be used to null
fy state regulation Of the liquor tra1-
fc7 II a state can be trusted to
protect properly and to prescribe
rules for the descent q estates. can
Il not be entrusted with the power
TO regulate the sale and use Of Kq-
uor? II the state can be entrusted
with the enactmeat and enforcement
Of criminal laws. even to the ex.
acting Of the death pena'U. can &
not be erNr1sed with the power tc
control the liquor traflsc? It can.
Of course, be taken for galted that
the liquor interests will oppose an
legislation which has for its object
the protection Of s0ciety from the
evils OF intenperance. and they viii
us they have in the past. threaten an
party which refuses io bow down u
the god which they have SCI up. but
the democratic party can better az
ford 70 invite their opposition thar
Sap~i ~ 49, A-,~ @@~-.-~ sAAi- $50
prevail"