The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-12-27
GREENE EXPLAINS OPPOSITION
fach State Has Power 10 Have "Bone
Dry" Laws II I, No Desires

comes up in the House Of Representa-
tiyes this Afternoon at o'clock. Can
grcssman Frank l.. Greene Of thl
First Vermont district will vote In thi
negative. Congressman Greene hal
prepared statement 10 the voters q
his district In regard to his attitude
in which he not only reYicws his con
grcAsional record as regards prohibi
ton measures. showing that he hai
favored legislation that aims at max
ing a state "hone dry" II that Is III
desire, and at the close of which ht
submits 'to the candid judgment Of
my constituents" these propositions:
This resolution Is not war meas
urc and its passage viii have no effect
in law bearing upon the liquor traffic
during the period Of the war.
THE state Of Vermont can have its
own bone-dry prohibition law any
time II wants 10 vote for il, and so can
every other state In the Union.
"Tho adoption Of the prohibition
amendment will take away from every
state forever, as practical affairs 90.
the right TO legislate for itself on this
question. If the people Of the district
want me to join in surrendering that
right, they have never manifested it
at the polls, while, on the other hand,
they have deliberately and with em-
phasis told me by their votes within a
few months that they not only want
tho state to keep its own right TO reg
ulate the liquor traffic, but they want
each town in the state 10 have the
same right for itself, too, until a
change in policy is made and change
in law is ordered.
with the clear and unmistakable
mandate Of the majority Of the voters
in my district. certified officially BY
their ballots at the polls, how am |
their servant, justified in going behind
the returns?
"As | have said before, have con-
fidence in the people of the First Con-
grcssional District to believe that, be-
fore they seek 70 compel the whole
nation to live under prohibition law
they will begin to live under q prohibi-
tion Inv themselves"
The full text Of Mr. Greene's state
ment is rs follows:
BY some people this proposition APP
pears TO be taken as n war measure
and am urged TO vote for it as one
of the methods by which the country
can be better advantaged in its stlug
gle for victory.
II Is not war measure and was
not so intended. II has been before
tho Congress in one form or another
for years. | have once before voted
against similar resolution myself. |
II does not relate to the war in any
way, and II is not expected that il ear
be adopted and made effective during |
the period Of the war. As matter
of fact, the resolution in express
terms provides that the states shall
have six yeas in which to vote on il |
and, failing adoption by that time, it
shall expire by limitation. 1t should
be understood in this connection. too
that the resolution, IL adopted, would
be passed on TO the legislatures of the
several states for their action, and not
submitted to the people of the country
at large for referendum vote.
II is true that some earnest friends
of this resolution now urge that the
sentiment of the country has changed
radically in favor Of prohibition since
the war began and that it should be
supported for that reason. And there
are some people that do not pretend
to disguise their counsel to me that il
is matter of political expediency and
sHrtNufitS< W t$iht aufaHShbt VI Nu' l
present popular concern and anxiety
over the war and rush the resolution
through at this time lest the chances
for its adoption be not so favorable
afterward when the public mind may
be cooler and more deliberate about
such things. perhaps. But not all the
friends Of prohibition resort to the
suggestion that IL is a war measure or
has anything to do with the war. The
woman's Christian Temperance Union
in national convention in this city last
week, declared itself in general terms,
as understand il, 'for the war first
and prohibition af,erward."
The Congress has already passed ;
drastic legislation in the way Of reg. I
ula,ion Of the liquor traffic as q war
measure. for all OF which | voted. IL |
has passed everything Of the kind that1 !
The President has asked for as he ,
Arcmed II necessary, both as relates to ,
Icrbidding the furnishing Of liquor to !
soldiers and sailors and as to provid- /,
ng the means for conserving grains,
r.r fa- food sltnnly II has rerhaps !