The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1915-12-10
WEBB-KENYON BILL.

WEBB-KENYON BILL.
"As to the Webb-Kenyon bill,
did vote against it because, as
STATED at the time, it was a fake, a
false pretense and makeshift. Time
has proven that this is true; but
while voted against it, did vote to
make it an effective measure by vot-
ing to have a penalty attached by
which the United States government
|could enforce it and without which
Ipena1ty it can never be an effective
Temperance measure.
MY understanding is that Gov.
Patterson claims he became a Pro-
Ihibitionist when he was converted.
He was converted, as l am informed,
prior to September Is, 1913. On
September 16, 1913, Gov. Patterson
gave out spectacular interview adj
dressed to the people of Tennessee,
| in which he discussed the liquor
Question in all it's phases, and among
other things he then said:
"'That l became Prohibitionist
in a personal sense and will remain
one is true; but my opinion now is,
as it has always been, that Prohibi-
tion by law is failure, and has on
ly multiplied the evils which it was
intended to cure,
"On the question of the Webb
Kenyon bill, in the same interview,
Gov. Patterson said:
"'The Webb-Kenyon bill passed
by Congress which was intended co
prevent the shipment of liquor to
Prohibition States, is nugatory, as it
provides no penalty and need not be
considered in this discussion
again, the United States has it's
Legislation and law, and every State
in the Union has it's separate legis-
lation and laws. The United States
Government derives a large part of
it's internal revenue from the tax on
liquor. 1t protects the shipment of
liquor from one State to another un-
der the Interstate Commerce clause
of the constitution, and the State it
self is absolutely without power to
prevent it,
again, so that no liquor could be
bought in Tennessee, yet under
| the Federal law it could be
bought in any other State in the
Union and brought into Tennessee,
to be consumed by the people as they
pleased, and any effort on the part of
the State to prevent it would be un-
constitutional and void. We thus
see from the inferiority of our State
legislation, the decisions of our Su
preme Court and the constitution of
the United States, how far, even in
legal sense, Tennessee is from be-
ing Prohibition State
again, that Prohibition has fail
ed it's most ardent advocates will re-
luctantly admit. It's failure is not
only in Tennessee, but it is universal,
differing only in degree of failure
again, it (the Prohibition ques-
tion) is being used by designing men
seized with the lust for Office and
power, and it has brought us to the
verge of political and moral bank
ruptcy,. and all this time it has been
refused patriotic consideration and
honest treatment. The time has
come when there ought to be no
lodging or evasion, and the sin
cerity of men should be tested My
opinion is, that any reinforcement
bill, which may be passed of itself |
will not solve the trouble, and it's
good results will be temporary
again, I am convinced, as I have
always been, that the best solution
from all viewpoints of right and ex-
pediency is to provide for a legal
number of places in the larger cities
Of the State where liquor could be
sold.'
Again, that liquor will be used
until men learn to fight and conquer
their own appetite is truth, and we
are living witnesses to the dismal
failure of Prohibition to alter that
ruth
again, we have more officers to
arrest, more grand juries to indict
ind courts organized to try offenders,
Ind we may have additional law en-
'orcement measures, but the law
which causes them will remain. Is
lot the best we can do-the certain,
perfect, genuine reform-to repeal
he law itself?' (Signed)
"'M. R. PATTERSON
"If Gov. Patterson was in favor of
epealing the Prohibition laws in
1913, when did he
hange? Did he change after he be-
anne salaried speaker for temper
nee? Or did he change after he
hought he saw chance of becoming
Senator in exchange for giving up
What he called his lifelong convic-
ions? He asks me to speak out on