The Alaska daily empire., 1916-11-21
Determined Assault on Congressman Will Be Made at Opening
 of Congress.
LIQUOR FOES TO ACT
Have Been Encouraged by Acquisition of More States to
 Dry Column.
lRv ". ". Lermanel


 WASHINGTON Nov. l5. CBy maiD Flushed with the addition of five states to the prohibition column, the legislative committee of the An- t!saloon League has made plans to press the constitutional amendment providing for national prohibition at the coming short session of Con- gress.
 Two years ago the House voted 197 10 1S9 in favor of submission of the amendment to the State Legisla- lures. but it failed of the needed two-thirds majority.
 The leaders declare they are al- ready assured of at least thirty more votes in the present House, not counting additions which may come from the states recently voted dry.
 We are certain from a poll Of the judiciary committee and talk with House leaders that the prohibi- ton amendment will come to a vote in the House very shortly after the session convenes." said F. C. Din widdle legislative superintendent Of the league. "We are confident also that the amendment will receive the required two-thirds vote in the House. The big battle will come in the Senate. where one Senator can prevent a vote. That was where the Webb-Kenyon bill, forbidding ship ping of liquor into dry states, found the hardest sledding but we finally went through"
 The great battle in past Congress- es has been to get the amendment out of committee In every session, for at least ten years. the amend ment has been introduced, but only once has it come to a vote, anl then in the House only With each addition of dry states. however the task of keeping the lid on the ma uonal prohibition issue has become more difficult and there is abun- dant evidence in addition to the word of Mir Dinwiddle. that vote in the House win be had without a serious fight this year. It was reported dur ing the last Congress that members Of the judiciary committee mad prom .sci such vote in December if the issue were not pressed upon them just before the election.
 The rapid addition Of states to the dry column aad the desire Of poli cal leaders to get the liquor issue out of politics are the two things chiefly counted on 10 win sumbis- sion of the federal amendment. When the question was voted on and received more than a majority in the House of Representatives In 1914 there were only nine dry states and six of these were in the South.
 Now there are twentyfour dry states. half the total number More than 6O states will be living under laws and 80 per cent of the area will be dry when the last gsist Of states voting have actually l cast the saloons out.
 Many Members Must Switch
 Sixteen present Representatives | and eight Senators who voted against submission of the prohibition amend | meut two years ago. have been vol cd into dry territory. by statewide prohibition since that time, while the districts of many others have gone dry by local option A very large proportion of these, men are sure Co swing into the dry column, while new men elected from these states are almost universally dry.
 The unpopularity of the stand of in favor of liquor in many districts is Illustrated by the result of the election in Indiana last week. Two years ago the entire Indiana delegation cast it's vote against prohibition Since that time, including the current election, nine nen. favoring prohibition, have been elected to Congress in that state, re- placing the wet members. In the lefeat of Representatives Cullop and 3line. the prohibition cause lost two ,f its bitter and long-standing enc nies in Congress.
 The result of the election this nonth is particularly counted on to hake the confidence of the Congress- nen, heretofore wet. who are looking or the popular side. The biggest l ictory in the election for the pro- ibitionists was in Michigan The act that Detroit, counted fifth in I population among the cities of the ountry, rolled up a large dry vote nd that Michigan moves to the S cad of the list of dry states in In population. bring jubilation to the rohibition leaders. Then the cleo ion passed without a single step in any quarter. O Prohibition failed in California and i Iissouri but these states only re- F lain as they were Every effort to lodify prohibition laws. the Colorado roposal to permit sale of beer and b .milar propositions in other dry .ates. failed. Michigan, Montana. N t.,..,..t-- ,,H csc,,th n,1roto ,,otoJ