The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-04-30
PROHIBITION WILL
Be LEADING ISSUE
REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC
LEADERS FRIGHTENED BY
MOVE OF DRYs.
WILL COME BEFORE CONGRESS
Anti-Saloon League Leaders Seek SUBJ
mission of Constitutional Amend
ment-lf it Fails viii Force
Issue in 1916.

Washington, April 20-National pre-
hibition will be leading issue in tn
| next session of congress.
This is the purpose of the politica
maneuvering, and clever maneuverin,
it is, of the National Anti-Salool
| League, which points at the nationa
campaign in 1916, but which has tn,
congressional issue in mind.
While the national campaign in 191,
is not directly aimed at now, the Anti
Saloon League leaders have it in mint
and if they fail in securing a submits
sion of a constitutional amendment
proposing national prohibition at the
next session of congress, then they
will force the issue in 1916.
Leaders Are Frightened.
This is the sum and substance of the
campaign which has been arranged by
the dry leaders and which is forecast
in the recent announcements given
out here by the head of the Anti-Sa-
loon League.
Political leaders in both Republican
and Democratic camps are frightened
and the strategical importance of the
move made by the drys is not ignored
or underestimate.
National leaders have in mind the
decentralization that has followed in
states where the liquor issue has been
allowed to come to the top. They have
seen economic and political questions
dwarfed to make place for the social
question of prohibition in it's various
forms; they have noted the demoraliz-
alton of the parties that has followed,
and are worried. Neither side would
like to see prohibition enter into the
national campaign just at time when
great business and economic princi-
pies are at stake. This the dry forces
recognize, and this is the point they
are making. They have offered a rem
edy and are now waiting to see wheth-
er or not it will be adopted.
Drys Offer Remedy.
The remedy is submission of ma
tional prohibition amendment by the
next congress.
The National Anti-Saloon League
has given it out cold they will not sup
port any candidate for the presidency
who has opposed the passage of the
bill relative to the in
.erstate shipment of liquor and that
hey will not support any one who voted
against the submission of a dry con-
'titutional amendment in the last con-
,ress.
They point out they had a majority |
n the last congress for the dry amend |
nent and expect to have greater sup
'ort for it next time
In the last congress the vote on the
question of submission of a consti- |
utional am endment was ayes 1877 to
avs 1873. There were ten members
aired for and five against the vote.
n other words there were 207 and
81 against, with "a not voting, clear
majority for. But the submission of a
amendment requires a
wo-thirds vote, and this the drys did
o. have.
Knowing the fear which the political
hangers have of the invasion of the
rohibition question into the realm of
ational presidential politics, the drys
lctically say, if you give us the con-
.itutional amendment we will devote
lr time to having it ratified by the
,quired number of states, but other
Use the question becomes national
sue which cannot be lodged.