Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-02-22
VETS CLAIMING THEY
WILL DEFEAT DRYS
Legislation Offered Yesterday Will
Not Be Passed In General
impression.
ENOUGH HAS BEEN DONE
This Is The Contention Of Many And a
Change of Sentiment Seems To
Bear Out The Idea Advanced

There will be no more prohibition
legislation passed! The drive over
the top" started by the Anti-Saloon
League forces yesterday in both
branches of the Assembly will not
even get as far as the third line
trenches of the vets. Both the Ben
nett bone-dry bill applying to now
nominally dry sections of the State,
which went in the Senate, and the
Statewide measure to dry up Balti-
more City and the rest of the State, Of
fered in the House by Weimer, will be
killed probably on their second read
ing. This is the positive statement of
the wet forces whose sincerity in max
ing il seems absolute.
The prediction is being frankly
made that in the Senate. which has
had a great deal of good natured ban
ter handed il as TO its holiness, and
its DISCRIMINATION" attitude, will al
most reverse itself in the alignment as
shown first when the ratification of
the Federal Amendment was showed
through.
Much the same situation is said to
exist in the House. where the vets are
confident they will muster a safe
though not large majority.
Since the ratification of the Federal
Amendment there has been a growth
of feeling among members that fur
ther agitation will only hamper more
important legislation and lead to all
sorts of dickering and pickering which
might much better be avoided The
apparently steady march toward dry
America will, it is pointed out. accom-
plish what the drys claim to want
the absolute breaking up of drinking
of hard liquors in this country. That
further piece-meal legislation along
the line of State prohibitory laws is
not necessary is the view being taken
by many of those who voted dry on
the Amendment.
Just at such a critical point in his
tory the plea that to dry up Baltimore
City, while other large municipalities.
comparatively nearby, remain wet,
would be placing a handicap upon this
States metropolis which would be un-
fair Even the drys, many of them,
are admitting that the great army of
buyers coming from the dry South
would, in making their business trip a
Joint one with something in the nature
of a vacation, surely pass beyond Bal
timore to do their buying.
Another feature of the question
which is causing the switch of senti-
ment is the danger of entangling al
liances which might cause bitterness
and sectional legislation of a retalia-
tory nature The oyster question is
one of those involved in the tangle
which would probably occur If real
drive were made for further prohibi-
tion. This. question with the leasing
of the whole area of the waters of the
State is already injected into the
fight. However, It seems certain that
this plan would be dropped If the pro-
hibition fight started yesterday is lost
Therefore there has come the grad
ual shifting of sentiment and the feel
ing among dry members on both sides
of the Assembly that it would be much
better to "let well enough alone"
The two bills offered yesterday have
been sent to the Temperance Commit
tees and will in all probability lay
quietly there for some time and until
the swinging sentiment has crystal
ized.