The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1916-12-07


through resolution submitting to
the states for ratification a prohibit
ton amendment to the federal con-
stitution.
Coupled with the fight which SEN
ator Borah intends to lead will be
separate, and yet related contest con-
Quoted under the leadership of Sena-
tor Wesley L. Jones of Washington,
to force prohibition upon the District
of Columbia. The latter is a renewal
of fight made at the. last session OF
congress, and abandoned
There has never been well organ
ICED fight in congress to submit
prohibition amendment to the states,
though many prohibition resolutions
have been proposed, only to be for
gotten, or to be abandoned, for lack
of general support. Senator Borah In
announcing his purpose to make
real fight for prohibition amendment,
makes it plain that he is going into
the contest to win, and If he is out
generated or outyoted at the short
session, he promises to bob up again
in the new congress. keeping prohibit
tion to the forefront until vote Is
had. If record vote can be secured,
Senator Borah is confident of getting
enough votes to pass the resolution.
Make Fight in the Dark.
The great obstacle to be overcome
in getting prohibition amendment
through congress, Is In getting the
proposition to a vote. Most of the OPP
ponents of prohibition are afraid to
go on record, and they necessarily
make their fight in the dark. 1t was
in the dark that the prohibition reso-
luton, along with the equal suffrage
resolution, was sdetracked at the last
session, and the same tactics will be
resorted to to kill off the resolution
which Senator Borah intends to
champion.
1.-THE time to push the prohibition
fight is now. Sentiment throughout
the country is rapidly turning to the
prohibition cause; that was evidenced
not only In the recent elections, but
is reflected in the fact that 20 states
are now dry and two more, Utah and
Florida, promise to go dry as soon as
their legislatures meet. With one
half the country dry already, and pro-
hibition sentiment strong in the re-
naming wet states, II Is time the ma
~
public sentiment" said Senator Borah.
Not Party Issue.
prohibition" he added, "is not
party question, it should not and will
not be made party issue, notwith-
standing the announcement Of great
leader of the party in power has Civ
en- indication of desire to make his
party the party of prohibition. Pro
hibltion is coming-nationa prohibit
ton is coming but it is coming not
because any party approves it, but be-
cause of the steady and growing de-
mand on the part of the people to wipe
out the liquor evil. And while | say
that no party will force prohibition, /
can with equal safety say that neither
party will go on record as opposing
Senator Borah, as stated, believes |
that If congress can be brought face !
to face with the prohibition issue, and /
can be forced to go on record, that !
both senate and house will, by the me-
cessary two-thirds majority, pass the \
resolution submitting the amendment \
to the states. He is not fooled into
believing that two-t thirds of the sem
ate or two-thirds the membership or
the house believe in prohibition, but
with records of the past before him.
he feels confident that not one-third L
the membership of either body viii |.
have the nerve to go on record as OPP h
posing the national prohibition
In Danger in Committee.
The fight for the prohibition !
lmendment-the real fight--is going y
70 be to bring the issue to a vote, and
he surest way of preventing vote
s by suppressing the resolution in the !
committee, where dozens of n
such resolutions now lie buried. Sem y
itor Borah is a member Of the judi
,iary committee of the senate, and in
he recent session, as in the proceed q
ng congress, he voted to report the II
resolution to the senate. but both
lines the opposition was strong
enough to prevent favorable action.
If the committee refuses to reopen d
he question during the short session, ;
t is quite within the power of SEN
tor to move to discharge the commit
ee, and If that motion can be once /
admitted the opponents of prohibit ~
ion will be put to their wits end to !
tave off vote on the motion to dis 4
barge, That motion, like any other
an be debated indefinitely in the SEN '
tie; 1t can be made the subject of ;
but at the same time, a
action to discharge the committee y
,ould force the fight into the open,
nd those who made the fight against i
avorable action would do so in full I
aylight,
Whether 1t is the purpose Of Sena- y
Or Borah to go to this extreme, or
neither he viii conflne his efforts to =