Arizona republican., 1916-02-16
The Next Step

The Next Step
 The temperance federation will meet in Phoenix February 29, when the next move of the temperance forces will be considered Though the meeting was called before the announcement of the supreme courts opinion in the personal use case, suppose the effect of that opinion will chiefly occupy the session of the federation and that steps will be proposed to amend our prohibition law so tEat the temperance people may fully avail them selves of the protecting influence of the Webb Kenyon There two things that may be done Either effort may be made to secure an amendment by the people, of the prohibition amendment at the election in November relief may be sought in the legislature.
 The import of the courts opinion, think, has not yet been fully grasped To some it is yet only personal opinion, a construction by the court If the prohibition amendment and the Webb-Ken- yon and nothing more. They believe that if the court had been differently constituted the opinion might have been different Such belief is roneous one and will prove a handicap in further effort Any time spent in considering the righteous ness of the decision will be time lost. There is nothing be done but to make the prohibition law of the state conform to the opinion
 It is plain that the Webb-Kenyon act divests liquor shipments of their interstate character when  tion of the law of the state It is equally plain that tine prohibition amendment does define the pos session or the use of liquor as violation of the law; hence a shipment of liquor intended for per sonal use retains it's interstate character of which it cannot be dvested by any state law
 Some think that the introduction of liquor into this state for any purpose is expressly forbidden by the amendment. As matter of fact it's intro duction under any pretense' is forbidden But we may concede in order to clear the brush away, that 10th prohibitions mean the same. It must be clear that the state cannot set aside any federal law and therefore of this state could nuify any federal law for the regulation of interstate commerce that existed before the enactment of the Webb Kenyon law which is also federal act, mod flying the interstate commerce law only to li- quor shipments intended for some use in violation of the state law.
 The weakness, if any, of the prohibition amend does not lie in any ambiguity to the intro ddction of liquor If the amendment had prohibited it's introduction in the most explicit and unrnistak able terms, it would not have been any more eff fectual If the had power to prohibit the in iroduction of liquor shipments there would have been no need of the Webb Kenyon act; the state could then arrest any article in interstate commerce; il could stop shipments of flour, meats, etc.
 
 shipments in interstate If this is borne in mind the matter becomes very simple one.
 The state though might have declared that the possession or personal liquor by citizen of the state was crime and then the Webb Kenyon act would made the shipment of liquor into the state the bringing of it into the state for that purpose a crime. The supreme court while not passing directly upon the power of the state to make the possession personal of liquor crime, expressed the belief that it has such power, and believe that any state court would sustain such by the state.
 It is in this respect that we think the temper auce forces will try to amend the law and we un- derstand that they favor submission of the ques- ton to the people next November. But they should understand that it will be very difficult to such ar amendment to the law at the hands Of the people. It will be impossible the great interest that stirred the voters years ago and they must bear in mind that hundreds of voters and perhaps thousands who supported the amendment then did only for the purpose of wip- ing out the saloons. They would vote to deprive themselves others of the right possess liquor They might have voted for such provision the amendment in the last campaign but they will not vote for it separately.
 But there is a way by which the temperance people can the amendment they desire will be through the legislature. This takes back the campaign of two years ago when The Repubi- tried to impress upon it's temperance friends the necessity of electing members of the legislature who would support the prohibition amendment and enact such supplemental legislation might be found necessary. The Republican warning that