The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-12-29
Prohibition in 1920

In Denver, three days after the ma
tional election in the United States
William Jennings Bryan made thi
statement: prohibition is sweepinI
the country. 1t will be a presidential
campaign issue in 1920 if constitu
tional amendment is not submitted by
Congress to the States by that time
The political supremacy of the East
especially New York, is broken. Tit
West can elect a President; it ha:
done So" If this means anything, il
means that, in the event Of the fail
ure of Congress to submit an amend.
ment to the federal costitution pro.
hibiting the liquor traffic in all the
States, or in the event of The sub.
mitted amendment being defeated OF
held up by bare third of the States
the Western and Southern democracy
in control of the national convention
of that party, will probably make pro-
hibition its paramount issue.
What support is there for Mr.. Bry-
ans position? The South and West
are almost solid prohibition sections
today. With the five States added
last election to the seventeen in the
list when Virginia became dry, on
November /, the total number of pro-
hibition States at present is %, as fol-
lows:
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colo
RADIO, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas,
Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Mon
tana, Nebraska, North Carolina,
North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon,
South Carolina, South Dakota, Tenn
esee, Virginia, Washington, West
Virginia,
The territory of Alaska also is I'M
der prohibition law. Utah and Flori-
da, in addition to extending widely
their prohibition territory, on Tues
day, elected "dry" Governors. In at
least dozen other States, "local OPP
ton" and "high license" operate to
exclude the liquor traffic over wide
areas. Restrictions difficult for deal
ers in intoXicants to meet are in force
in the District of Columbia, Indiana,
Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, New Mexico, Tenn
essee, Texas and Wyoming. One of
the most highly contested prohibition
campaigns that has ever been carried
on in the United States was that which
ended in Maryland on the 7th of this
month. Prohibition was defeated, but
the voting showed tremendous gains
for the anti-liquor element. The con-
test may properly be regarded as a
preliminary skirmish. All the indi-
cations tend to show that the liquor
interests will be routed in the next
battle.
AS the situation stands at present,
nearly half the States of the Ameri-
can Union are in the prohibition col
umn, and, at the present ratio of in
crease, the time when two-thirds of
the States, or the number necessary
to ratification of prohibition amend
ment to the Federal Constitution
through their respective legislatures,
will be reached. The present Con-
gress is in harmony with the admin
istration, and the administration owes
its success in the recent election very
largely to the prohibition States. Pol
icy would seem to dictate recognition
of this fact by the President and his
party supporters, even if no higher
motive would impel them to take sides
with the prohibitionists. The admin
istration, as a matter of fact, may
not, during the term of its new lease,
have an opportunity of getting
through a measure submitting an
if it neglects to do so in
the Congress that expires on March
5, 1917. 1t cannot now be definitely
stated that the next House will be
Democratic; even if so it may not
have free working majority, and,
if the rule that applies to the second
Congress in nearly all administrations
holds good in President Wilson's sec
ond term, it is not at all likely that
the Sixty-siXth Congress will do for
prohibition what its predecessors fail
ed to do.
Numerous contingencies are posi-
BILE which might prevent the submits
sion of a prohibition amendment be-
fore the next presidential election. Mr..
Bryan has long-range political Wis
ion. He is often credited, even by his
enemies, with being ahead of his
times. He has seen for long time
that prohibition was one of the most
questions before the peo-
pie of the United States. He advo-
Gated prohibition throughout the
Northwest in the recent campaign.
The five States that have just been
added to the prohibition roll were I'M
questionably influenced by his speech
es.
In view of the widespread growth
of anti-liquor sentiment, in and out of
prohibition States, it seems we'll with
in reasonable bounds to say that Mr..
Bryan's comprehension of the 1920
issue is in harmony with the public
opinion of the nation Christian
Science Monitor.
Tooth ANNIVERSARY