The Washington herald., 1914-11-09
Suffrage and Prohibition.

The results of the contests over woman guf-
frage and prohibition last Tuesday not encourag
ing for the resolutions before Congress to amend
the Federal Constitution advocated by the promoters
of these two causes Both these questions were sub
mitted to a popular vote in a number of States. The
Suffragists claim to have in Nevada and Mon
tana, and admit that they lost by overwhelming ma
jorities in Ohio Missouri and Nebraska The Pro-
hibitouists claim to have in Arizona, Colorado
Oregon and Washington, and admit that they were
Overwhelmingly defeated in Ohio and California
where they made their greatest campaigns
In their bearing on the resolutions before the
House of Representatives the victories for both
suffrage and prohibition are outweighed by the de-
feats. Nevada and Montana added to the suffrage
States have three Representatives, while Ohio Mis-
sour and Nebraska have forty-four. The four
States which voted for prohibition have thirteen
Representatives while the two States that voted
against prohibition have thirty-three. The most
strenuous contest over both questions was in Ohio
where very heavy vote polled and both were
Overwhelmingly defeated. Not only did the Ohio
voters reject Statewide prohibition but they adopted
an amendment granting home rule to the municipal
tiles on this question, which repeals the county
option law and the right of municipalities
in counties to control the liquor question in their
own territory. The Prohibhonists made their great
est fight against the home rule amendment, and they
lost not only by the vote of the large cities but by
the aid of the rural vote which is considered the
surprising development of the contest
1t would seem from the Ohio returns that prohib-
ton has become more of an economic than senti-
mental question Not only the voters in the cities
but those in the rural districts considered the ques
ton of taxation to supply the deficit in
that would be created by abolishng the license fees
and other taxes on the liquor traffic. The present
Federal administration has given ample and graphic
illustration of the old law of economics that you
can't cut off revenue from one source without
making it up from some other source The discus
sion of the so-called taxes, and the final de-
cison to collect the great part of the new revenue
from beer and wine, did fit in with the millions
of revenue now received from the liquor traffic,
without restoring to new taxation The two argu-
ments were opposed to each other and the logic was
with the opponents of prohibition and in favor of
home rule for the municipalities.
+ The same argument will apply to the Constitu-
tional amendment for national prohibition, when it
comes up in Congress. Who wants to shoulder the
new taxes to make up the big deficit that would be
created by cutting off three-fourths of the internal
revenue, and one-third the entire revenue of the
Federal government? Not even the Prohibitionists
have answered by coming forward with new
schedules
Tire Prohbitionists deliberately postponed bring
ing the Hobson resolution before the House before
the election They desired to se it in the Campaign
and have the results of the election as an added
leverage in the next session They have had their test
of public sentiment and it is not encouraging The
Prohbitiousts also tried to use the old method OF
reprisal with Senators and Representatives in the
campaign threatening them with political assassina
ton unless they pledged their votes TO prohibition
That too has failed and it is one of the best re-
suits of the contest The American people have
repudated such methods in politics whenever at
tempted regardless of the issue They did If with
the old American party and with the A P A.. and
they will continue to repudiate such methods
whether they are used for good cause or bad
cause. Both the SuHragists and Prohibitionists
made mistakes in taking up this method of cam
paigning. Thousands of men who might favor both
woman suffrage and prohibition, voted against both
because they were put forward with threats of
Ireprisal