Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-04-07

whatever the foreigner wants the
American should yield.
OF course the charge of lack OF
Americanism is ridiculous on its face,
but the bitterness that has come into
this repeal matter has been such that
ordinarily well poised men lost their
courtesy and let their .empers get
the better of them. Presid emit Wilson
in his message to congress told the
members that in his opinion me law
exempting the American coasters from
tolls was a direct violation of the
Hay-Pauncefote treaty with Great
Britain and he virtually said that this
country could not afford to be charged
with breach of faith.
Caused Some Bitterness.
It is rather a hard thing to say
perhaps, but seemingly it was pleas
ant day for the senators and house
members who were opposed to the
president in this matter when Walter
H. Page, our ambassador to Great
Britain, accepted an invitation to
sneak before the members of the
chamber of commerce of London. Mr..
Page, of course 1t will be remembered,
was reported to have said things
which gave the friends of toll exemp-
ton a chance to say that he was I'M
American and that this country was
kowtowing to Great Britain. Mr..
Page made his explanations and the
president accepted his word that moth
ing that he said was out of the way
nor counter to the continuance of COM
plete international amity. A good
many members of congress, however,
refused to accept Mr.. Pages explana-
ton and the bitterness of the repeal
fight has continued.
Liquor Question Big Issue.
Senator Sheppard of Texas says:
"The two nationwide issues of over
shadowing interest are federal prohi-
bition of the manufacture and sale OF
intoxicating iiquor and woman suf-
| frage People may try to minimize
the Importance of these two questions,
but they are here and they are going
to stay here until answered one way
or the other"
| There are resolutions for an amend
ment to the Constitution of the United
States to forbid the manufacture and
sale of alcoholic liquors now I'M
der consideration in the judiciary com
mittees of the senate and the house
! II the resolutions ever are reported
into open house and senate so that
| senators and representatives must go
on record, it is predicted that they
would get at least majority Of the
| votes, although, of course, a two-thirds
majority is necessary to submit to the
states the proposed amendment to the
| great document If congress should
adopt the resolution then the ques-
ton of drink or no drink would be
put up squarely to the states OF the
Union.
1t has become evident from the
writing of recent editorials in the jour
nails devoted to the interests of liquor
making and liquor selling that a
change has come recently in the tone,
manner and method of pronounce
ments of the editors. 1t would seem
| that the makers and sellers of intoxi-
eating drinks think today that the
prohibition cause has been strength
ened considerably within the last ten
years.
| Cut Loose From Past Methods.
The representatives of the liquor In
terests today are asking the manutac-
turers and dealers to cut loose from
the methods of the past, when their
own organs declare they we're in the
habit of seeking support from political
elements in q. community which in a
way were generally considered to be
antagonistic to plans for general re
form. Today the representatives OF
the liquor dealers take the position
that their business is legitimate one,
and that it must be treated as are 9th
er legitimate business interests.
As things are, however, it seems to
the Washington senators and repre-
sentatives that the prohibition cause
is making progress all over the coun-
try, and that sooner or later the con-
gress of the United States in open
house" must meet the question of
| whether or not to submit an amend
ment declaring liquor selling illegal.
| Some years ago nearly all the sena-
tors and representatives could have
voted against a resolution seeking a
prohibition amendment without run.
ming any risks of defeat in their
states and districts. A good many
Representatives today, of course, can
vote against such a resolution with
out fear of losing votes because in
| their districts the majority opinion
PROBABLY is in favor of allowing the
! liquor traffic to continue.
A vote against 2, constitutional
amendment today, however, probably
would be fatal in political sense to
a majority OF the men in the lower
house of congress. This may explain
why it is that it is so hard for the
friends of a prohibition amendment to
induce the committees to report the
resolution to the two houses.
| Naturally enough, the doctrine of
states rights is being used as an OBJ
struction to the consideration OF the
prohibition amendment. 1t possibly
may be interesting to note, however,
that the sponsors for the present pro-
| hibition resolution are two men of
the south, Senator Sheppard Of Texas
and Representative Hobson of Ala
bama, who come from country where
the states rights tree grows sturdy.
A reading of the petitions in behalf
of prohibition tend to show that
good many American citizens believe
that the proposed constitutional
amendment, as in the case of the In
| come tax amendment, simply would
authorize congress to pass a prohibi-
/ ton law. This is not true. The reso-
luton of itself, if it be passed by con-
gress and then ratified by the requisite
number of states, will give the coun-
try prohibition at once.