Evening journal., 1917-03-03
SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 1917.
PROHIBITION AND THE REFERENDUM
nFIAWARE

PROHIBITION AND THE REFERENDUM IN
DELAWARE.
~ WE are 20 have Statewide prohibition in Della
4 ware It should come as a result Of referendum
vote BY the electorate Of the entire state.
II should not come as result Of arbitrary legislation
BY small groups Of men IN the State Senate and the
House Of Representatives who have received no tn-
structons from their constituents to enact such iegis-
laton
The referendum principle and the cleary-dened con-
sttutional procedure recognized fully in one re-
submission bill proposed for rural New Castle county
The referendum principle Is recognized and the
cIeary-dened constitutional procedure is Ignored in
the resubmlssion bin proposed for the city Of VIII
mngton and also in another resubmission bill pro-
posed for rural New Castle county.
Those things being true, certainly the referendum
principle should not be ignored in any Statewide
prohibition bill that may be advanced seriously in
either branch Of Legislature.
There Is no member Of the senate the House
WHO was esected with instructions TO enter into any
plan which had for lis object the arbitrary imposition
Of Statewide prohibition upon the people Of Delaware
Several members were elected with the distinct
understanding that they would vote for resubmssion
in rural New Castle county.
None Of them was elected with the distinct under
standing that he would vote Tor resubmission In WI
mngion; was there any suggestion that in order
10 bring about reSuDmlssi0n mere the pre-
scrbed by the State constitution should be oteridden
and the principle of home rule violated by attempt
Of outof-town members to ignore the wishes Of the
Wilmington members In the natter
Jt should be borne in mind, however, that in bO,h
the reguIarIyfamed and the irreguary Framed bills
for rural New Castle county and in the irregulaly-
framed bill for Wilmington, the referendum principle
Is preserved intact while in the Statewide prohibition
bill il is violated in It's every feature.
AS we view t. both tie Legislature and the advocates
of prohibition will make serious mistake II they
persist in their plan TO ignore that principle in dealing
with the Statewide prohibition proposition.
If tho prohibition question bG submitted TO the
voters Of commonwealth and majority Of those
voters declares IN favor Of Statewide prohibition then
the minority. in recognition OF the binding force Of
the american principle OF majority rule must submit
If however, the question he mot submitted to the
voters; II the referendum principle he ignored or
trnnred underfoot, and II Statewide prohibition be
imposed without due regard for formal and orderly
expression OF the public wi il win the door wide
ppen for future agitation and trouble.
IL will place I'm the mouths Of the anti-problbition
orces the unanswerable argument that the American
governmental system is based upon public sentiment
expressed by maioriies at the polls, they have
right TO demand that prohibition, ii It is 10 be made
e6ecivc at all. shall be based upon majority vote
.he duy-qualied State electors.
Statewide prohibition made Issue in Della.
ware last November. IL defeated oVerwheImingI,
at the polls. There was Prohibition ticket on The
ballot, there were Prohibition orators in the field
Every agency that the Prohlbtoniss could call into
play was used TO win support for that ticket.
What the RESULT
The total Prohibition vote for President in New Castle
county was 1896
The total Prohibition vote in the State for President
Was 60i.
Pie total Socialist vote for President in New Castle
county was $50, A votes greater than was the total
44fomoi'ion vote in this county.
me total Socialist vote for President In the State
fe"s oeo or only IA votes than the highest Prohib
- ne Total Democratic vote for President in New
asiie county was 1874
~ The total Republican vote sor p...,s... .
agastle county 1852 :" "e"
bn The total Democratic vote for President in , s.,
fhas 2f520. !" "s oA'e
'"Thc total Republican vote for pres,a.,, =, ii, -.
afsns 1876. "e S'"'e
In short, find by those election returns thu, "a
fDenware voters refused 10 support the Proh,h,,ss
y ticket while only 69I Delaware voters did sunnor, 4.
II OTHER WORDS SEyENTY-THREE TIMES a.
s MANY DELAWARE VOTERS VOTED THE DEMO
CRATIC REPUBLICAN AND SOCIALIST TICKETS Al
VOTED THE PROHIBITION TICKET
Ne fail to find in such electoral condition as tins
any warrant for the Legislature seriously considern
Statewide prohibition that Is not based upon IN
referendum principle; that does not give ample tim
10 the liquor men. who have millions Of dollars tied
in what Is legasized business, to readiust the
affairs. and that does not supply TO the State. whc
derives much through the liquor business
ample time in which to readjnst its fiscal system