Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-19
Will Taft Veto the Webb Bill?

COiiNtIiiiiS, its7ANNiiN NNAN -
probable action on the Webb or Ken
| yon bill, which passed both houses by
large ma iorities. Many voice the fear
that the President will accept the sin
gle claim put forth by the liquor in
terests that the act is unconstitutional
and will veto the measure. We are
asked for an opinion.
While our opinion is worth no more
than that of any of our subscribers,
in this case, yet we unhesitatingly say
| that we believe the President will not
veto. the bill We believe the Presi-
dent. even though he be done with
bubble life, cannot afford to place him
self between the most intelligent and
respectable people of this country and
the Supreme Court. simply because, in
his opinion. the bill is not constitution
ALL he SO believes.
That is the first hope of the liqnor
interests and the hosts of evil allied
therewith-that Taft viii veto the bill.
| Their next hope is that if the bill be-
comes a law it will be overthrown by
the Supreme Court.
If Taft vetoes the bin we sincerely
hope the Congress will pass ii over his
yeto-if il is unconstitutional let the
Supreme Court settle ii.
ON Saturday, Feb. s, the Webb Bill
prohibiting the interstate shipments oil
LIQUORS where such liquors are in
tended to be used in violation of law,
passed the House of Representatives
| in washington. The bill. as passed.
was then sent 10 the Senate and an ef-
| fort was made TO place it on passage
| Objection being made TO this. II was,
Lon motion. referred TO the Judiciary
lCommittee of the Senate.
The Kenyon Bill Is. 4043). introduced
| nearly a year ago by Senator Kenyon,
of Iowa, had been made a special or
der in the Senate for 3 o'clock, Mon
day. Feb. 10. Senator Kenyon called
up his bill ut the appointed hour and
| II was debated until nearly o'clock
All amendments, as was the case with
the Webb Bill in the House, were vot-
| ed down in opposing the Kenyon Bill
| in the Senate.
Senator Gallinger then moved that
the language of the Webb Bill, as
tx,, he 6 substituted
for the language of the Kenyon Bill
| then being considered in the Senate.
This amendment carried and the bill
was then passed. AS the title OF the
bill was no longer the Webb Bill, 1t
was necessary that it should go back
10 the House to be concurred in by
THAT body. This was done and the bill
passed by the House on Feb. H.
1t is now an act of Congress and
has been sent 10 the President. The
President can do one of three things:
he can veto it, he can sign it, or he
can allow it to become a law at the
end of ten days without his signature.
AS the Webb Bill was debated in the
House, ane later in the Senate, and
the language of the Webb Bill was
substituted for the language of the
Kenyon Bill, newspaper writers in dis
cussing the bill refer to it sometimes
under one title and sometimes under
the other Whether called the Webb
| Bill or Kenyon Bill, however, the
same measure is referred to.
| The liquor interests are doing every
thing that money can accomplish 10
defeat this measure because they are
alive 10 the fact that it is the begin
ming of the END of the traffic that has
cursed the world for centuries; that is
costing the United States more than
two thousand millions of dollars every
year, untold thousands of lives, and
more human suffering than did the
/ Crusades.
| But those who make booze, and their
stockholders and landlords. and those
who sell booze and their political al
lies, are engaged in the traffic because
of selfish purposes. They have neither
scruples nor conscience. They care
not one whit for the happiness, the
honor. the lives or the souls of their
victims, so long as the money comes In
from their damnable business. Some
day their traffic is to cease but they
will postpone that day as long as pos
| sible, and their millions will hire the
ablest lawyers, win buy every law
| maker possible, will be spent like a
spring. food. to stay every forward
| step of decency.
And Old Split Hoof himself will put
men upon their honor to uphold the
''constitutionalIty' of law that ruins
men and women in soul and body cv-
| cry hour
Late literature of the liquor inter.