The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1917-12-21
INDIANA
PREDICTS A
BIG FIGHT
TI1IES BUREAU
AT STATE CAPITAL.

Al STATE CAPITAL
INDIANAPOLIS. Dec. 2o.-The Ind
diana legislature VIII he asked next
winter, TO raufy the proposed national
/ prohibition amendment TO the federal
cons titution. which was approved By the
[ house and senate at washington this
week tt the legislatures Of three
/ fourths of the states of the union ratify
/ the amendment i'd Will become effective.
Already there are twenty-four dry
/ states. and only twelve more out of the
/ remaining twenty-three are needed TO
adopt the amendment.
Undoubtedly this means a wild and
furious fight in the state for the elec-
tion Of members Of The Indiana legIsla-
ture for the session of 1919 The old
wet and dry night VIII again be ON hand.
stronger and more furious than ever.
because Ill is certain that the vets viii
make a super-hUman effort to elect
sufficient number of members of the
legislature - defeat the proposed rati-
hcation. ON the other hand. the dry
forces of the state viii work just as
hard to elect members who will vote to
adopt and raUfy The amendment.
The action of congress names seven
years as the limit OF time ma which the
states may act on the amendment bus
1T is regarded ass likely that che effort /
viii Be to obtain action by them 1T lilo |
first possible opportunity. Therefore I
u is planned TO have the Indiana iegis- /
lature vote en- the proposition next win 1
ter. If the proposition should happen
to be defeated at that time IT. could be
voted GA agalu at a succeeding session.
within tine seven years Eut it the leg
islature ratihes the amendment next
winter that viii settle the question.
Indiana has been the stage for SO
many wet and dry nghts shat it has
become accustomed to the sensation. and
anotber such fight next wear will not bc
anything new. The FIRST big fight Of re-
cent gears camc few years ago when
Governor Hanly drove the county option
bin through the legislature hy main
strength and with the use eff large
and effective club. There was more Bit
ter feelins to The square inch ia Indiana
over that fight than has been seen fn
tie state IN many years, and JUS effects
have mot even yet died out. Echoes off
this Hght arc stul heard. especially i'm
politics. Men who favored tho passage
of that bill and those who opposed
it are stiu marked in politics by the
elements that they fought but the
years since then have brought develop
menes that placed the dry forces ON
top
This county option law was later
repealed at a session OF the legislature
that was marked for many Of the most
out eeous actions that ever took place
in the halls 81 Indiana legislation. Re
gardIess of what anyone thinks of the
wet and DRY question. that session Of
,he legislature viii stand ont in history
as one Of tho worst the state he's ever
/ experienced. III was a case of Il Iegis-
lature run WILD.
Popular sentiment became $50 strong
a gainst the liquor interests as result
of tbe repeal of This law and the rec
ord made hs CHAT session of the legisla-
1 ture that when the statewide prohi-
bition biE was proposed at the session
/ of 1916 nothing could stop it. IL was
PASSED after "a bitter but unavafliug
\ aght on Tie part Of the liquor interests.
4 This statewide prohibition law viii be-
come effective the second day of newt
\ April. 50 Indiana il practically certain
I TO he dry state before the amendment
10 the federal constitution is ratified, if
ratified al all
\ TIT Is known thaC 8 desperate attempt
I has been planned to repeal this state
mide prohibition lew at the next session
+ or the legislature but whether the ac-
Y tion of congress on Che federal amend
ment viii have any effect on this propo-
sitou remains 10 be seem