The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-01-31

fought Great Britain for. because
she tried to deprive them of the
right and undertook to regulate their
affairs in Maryland by acts passed
three thousand miles away--nO fur
her than Oregon or California is
from us today.
If We don't know what that means,
gentlemen, ii is time we learned. Our
Ancestors knew what it meant: some
of my own people in these very halls
helped 10 frame the Constitution, and
| do not want to see the people of
Maryland throw it away
/ do not want to see them throw
away the right to control the ques-
ton, l DO NOT CARE HOW MUCH
YOU BELIEVE IN PROHIBITION.
THE RIGHT TO SAY WHETHER
WE SHALL HAVE 1T OR SHALL
NOT HAVE 1T SHOULD NOT BE
TAKEN AWAY FROM THE PEG
PIE OF MARYLAND.
TELL YOU, WHEN IT IS PUT
IN THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
UNITED STATES IT IS TAKEN
AWAY AND PRACTICALLY TAX
EN- AWAY FOREVER.
1t is far more serious question
with us than It is with any other
country under the sun. The Parlia-
ment of Great Britain may adopt
prohibition and no harm be done be-
cause it can change it when it sees
fit. The Republic of France may do
likewise, or Italy, or any other coun-
try. 1t was not until the United
States of America entered the fami-
ly of nations that history furnished
a record of any country. except that
of the Modes and Persians, whose
laws were unalterable. ard that as
what happens practically here.
A friend Of mine said to me, If it
don't work right we can repeal the
amendment" Well, can you? Let
us look at it as practical men. Did
you ever hear of any one of the yari-
Gus amendments that have been
adopted to the Constitution of the
United States ever having been re
pealed? Does that mean because
they were all satisfactory to the peo-
pie who were affected by them?
Gentlemen, may l not speak with
perfect candor, hoping that l may
not offend any mans party preju
dice. l want TO give you an illustra-
ton of that thing. Under the infiu-
ence of the passions of the Civil War
and the natural fury following upon
the assassination of Abraham Lin
coin, than which no greater calami-
ty ever afflicted a great people, the
madmen at Washington enacted into
law and dragged through the State
legislatures, contrary to their judg-
ment, the Fifteenth Amendment to
the Constitution by which two mil
lien Of Of fifefft j7asst Of slavery we're
given the political power in the Sou
thern States.
There is not one intelligent man
out of one hundred in the world to-
day who does not recognize that that
was a dreadful wrong and dreadful
mistake, and would not like to see it
remedied. but have you seen any sign
of its being remedied?
AND YET THE REPRESENTA-
TIVES OF THOSE SAME STATES
ARE GOING TO FORCE UPON THE
PEOPLE OF OTHER PARTS OF
THIS UNION AN AMENDMENT
AND LAW JUST AS HATEFUL TO
MANY OF THEM AS THE FIF-
TENTH AMENDMENT WAS TO
THE PEOPLE OF ALABAMA AND
IF THEY THINK THEY CAN DO
THAT AND SUFFER NO PUNISH
MENT IN THE FUTURE FOR 1T,
THEY MAKE A DREADFUL MIS-
TAKE, IN MY JUDGMENT.
The people of those States will
never forgive them. Why should
they? You may have made up your
mind on the subject of prohibition
and you may think that your con-
stituents will justify you for having
voted for it. They will until they
understand what you have done.
Until they understand that you
have caused them to do this wrong
to other people in other States and
aroused enmities for the people of
this State and especially for the peo-
pie of the Southern States. 1t might
die out in a century, but it can do
our people nothing but harm.
Those are some of the reasons why
we oppose the enactment of this
amendment and that is why l say
when you put it in the Constitution
of the United States it is there for
ever, because Constitutional
Amendment, unless it happens : to
deal with something with reference
to which there is unanimity or
opinion throughout the Union, can
not be repealed, practically can not
be repealed, because it lies in the
power of comparatively small num-
Der of people living in those small
States to veto any repeal. 1t can
only be repealed by the addition of
another Constitutional Amendment,
and that requires ratification of
three-fourths of the States and one
fourth of those States having a popu-
lation of only five or six millions can
veto the wish OF those States having
a population of ninety millions, and
that makes it practically an irrepeaI.
able provision.