The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1915-01-20
On Question OF National
Prohibition.
GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE
Is His Plea-WantS Them
Given Privilege of V0t.
Ing Their Opinion.
LIT VOTERS SETTLE QUESTION

, The following is the speech o
Hon. Bcn Johnson. Of Kentucky il
the pouse of Representatives, DE
cen,ber 20. 1914.
The House had under considera
tor tie joint resolution Oh. J. Res
1857 proposing an amendment I,
the Constitution of the t'nit'.
States prohibiting the sale, etc., o.
Intoxicating liquors for beverage
purposes.
| MIR. Johnson, of Kentucky: Mr.
Speaker, ! shall avail myself of the
opportunity offered to give some, al
least, of the reasons why vote for
what is known as the amended Hob
son resolution.
As 1 understand the proposition,
and as everyone must of necessity
understand it, We are not called
upon to-day to vote either ''for" or
against" prohibition. The single
| question that d member of this
House must now answer is: Is he
willing or unwilling to have the
question of prohibition submitted to
the people themselves for their de-
terminatien2. --
More than 100000 good citi-
zens of this country have awaited
themselves of the privilege of 'pe
tition" already given them under
the Constitution of the United
States. BY that petition" they ask
the Congress to give to them more
than a submission of the question
whether they may or may not have
prohibition.
Thousands OF those who live in
the Congressional District which /
have the honor to represent have
petitioned me. not as an individual
citizen but as their Representative,
to give them the right of suffrage
upon this question. v
Those who oppose prohibition ask
me to vote against prohibition,
while all those who favor it ask
me, as a member of Congress, to
vote, not for prohibition, but for q
measure which will let them vote.
Can | justly answer their plea by
saying to them that l concede their
right to vote for me as their Repre-
sentative and at the same time deny
them the privilege Of voting upon
the most agitated question now be-
fore the American people?
If the question We're one wrong
or vicious in itself. or if the ques-
ton We're one urged by only a small
portion of the people, might, with
the very best of reasons. stand,
against submission.
But how can l, in my representa-
tive capacity, refuse the thousands
and Thousands of my own constit-
uents their plea for the right to vote
upon a question that is not vicious
in itself? This is the question
which | must answer by my vote
upon this occasion.
Tho fundamental doctrine mpon.
which this great Government is
is: All power is Inherent
in the people.
Does any man question that our
ancestors could have inserted pro-
hibition clause in the Constitution
4 they had so desired? The people
we're then given a clean piece of pa
Der upon which to write constitu-
ion. In writing 1t they were care
ul to protect future generations by .
deserving to them the right to add
o that Constitution such provisions
IS the people themselves, later on,
ieemed best for their own welfare.
IL our fathers had thought that
he original Constitution contained
wisdom enough for all ages, they
would not have made provision for
that instrument.
Because 3. the 100000 people I
Who then made up the United States
lid not see fit to include prohibition
n the Constitution. Is no argument
hat the 100,OO0,O0O who now. a
entury and quarter later. make
ID the Nation, should not have the
light to vote upon the question as
n amendment TO that original pa
er
Millions of our people petiiioned
congress TO give them the right to
ote upon the question whether or
OF We should submit the income
AK proposition. That right was
ranied them by Congress.
Again. millions Of oar people pc '
tioDed Congress 20 give them the a
light to vote upon The question {