Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-01-03
Leaders, Though Pledged to
Submission of Amendment,
Are AverSe to Resulting De-
moraIization Of Party Lines,
ANTS MAY ATTEMPT
PERCENTAGE LIMIT
Bone Dys' viii Try to Secure
Statutory Measure to Assure
Barring of All Liquor Inn
mediateIy,
(By II. l.. ID. M'Allister, Staff Corre-
SpOndent.)

spOndent)
Santa Fe, Jan. 2,-What of prohi-
bition?
That is the question that one hears
most often in Santa Fe just now.
Few of the members of the legislature
have arrived in the capital yet, and
nobody can tell, except by the merest
guesswork, what will be done after
they all arrive, but the stragglers and
the advance guard, the men who are
to be seen in the hotel lobbies and
the other places where politicians
congregate, are busy with speculation
as to what legislation will h. enacted
during the sixty days that Will begin
next Tuesday. And always the con-
versation drifts around towards prohi-
bition and what will be done with the
subject when the legislature meets.
Ordinarily one would suppose with
both political parties pledged to the
submission of a prohibition amend
ment to vote of the people the mat
ter of putting through a submission
resolution would be simply one of de-
tail, to be attended to at the earliest
convenient moment, and that there
could be no further argument on the
subject But to suppose this would
be to ignore the history of prohibition
legislation during all time and i'll
every state and nation on the globe.
Prohibition is never carried except af-
ter hard fight, and the fighting he
gins at the beginning and does not
end until the very end.
Time Of Election.
TO begin With, neither party is
pledged 70 ailv nartcular date AZ
Whien the matter of prohibition shall
be submitted to the people, except
that it can not, in the very nature of
things, be later than the general cleo
ton of 1918 There is a very general
impression that the matter can not be
considered except at general cleo
ton, but an investigation of the law
on the subject reveals the fact that
such is not the case. By an amend
ment to the constitution which was
passed at the first general election
one of the so-called blue-ballot
amendments special election to
consider constitutional amendments
may be called by the legislature at
any time not earlier than six months
after the adjournment OF the session
at which such action is taken.
So that it would be possible, If such
be desired, 70 have a special prohibi-
ton election for New Mexico as early
as the middle OF next September, and
it is reasonably certain that II strong
effort Will be made to bring about
such action. 1t will be remembered
that when the prohibition question
was brought up during the session of
the last legislature the objection was
made that to submit the question at
the 1916 election would complicate
the matter with national and state
politics and result in all sorts of po-
litical Generalization. Now the ar
sument of the drys is that political
elections are all out of the way and
1t is in order to bring up the straight
wet and dry question and get rid of it.
Effort to Delay.
OF course, this will be met with the
proposition that it would be unfair to
the liquor interests to force the mat
ter upon them at an early date and
that the submission should be put off
as long as possible. and equally OF
course, if action is delayed, the same
old argument will be brought up
again that prohibition should not be
complicated with state and national
politics. The question of the time of
the election is sure to cause all sorts
Of trouble when the matter finally
comes to a showdown.
For the cold TACT is that both re-
publican and democratic leaders
would like to shy away from the pro-
hibition question if they could. Not
that they are in the pay of the de-
mon rum, or even that they are OPP
posed to prohibition as a government
tai and economic principle; but they
know that when the prohibition
question is injected into the situation
there is general breaking down of
previous political alignments and an
all-round Generalization in the game
that they are accustomed to playing.
And the political leaders, of whatever
party, are opposed to anything that
muses. things up to that extent.
Question of per Cent.
Then again, it is stated by those in
position to know that the opponents
of prohibition, realizing that an
amendment must submitted, will
endeavor to secure the submission OF
an amendment that will not pass.
one that will be almost If not quite as \
distasteful to pros as to antis. In this
connection it is declared to be likely
that an effort will be made to have
submitted an amendment that will
limit the percentage of alcohol that
can be used as beverages, so as to
let in beers and certain wines.
This, of course, is sure to raise a
storm of opposition from the "bone
drys" If 1t is attempted. but it is reas-
enable to suppose that it will find
some support also, and the antis are
clutching at anything these days that
will hinder, delay or retard the bone
dry days that they fear lie ahead for
the state.
on the other hand, it is said that
the bone drys' will start little fuss
of their own by making an effort to |
secure plain, straight statutory prohi-