The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1918-02-01

MAY LOVE OR ADMIRE THESE
PEOPLE, YOU CANNOT SURREN.
DER YOUR JUDGMENT AS TRUS-
TIES OF POLITICAL POWER INTO
THEIR KEEPING IN A NATTER OF
THIS KIND.
There Is matter to which l want to
refer you, and that Is that some people
seem to have q vague impression by
voting to refer this Amendment, to
give it referendum, give the people
chance to vote ON 1t. they will in
some way jeopardize the laws in force
in various counties In this State. II
any one will take the least trouble
and consider for mOme<it you win
see there cannot be any tlilng in that.
What is proposed? THE COMMITTEE
REPRESENT URGE UPON YOU
THAT YOU REJECT THIS RESOLU-
TION AND ADOPT SOME RBSOLU-.
TION TO THE EFFECT THAT THIS
LEGISLATURE OUGHT NOT TO
VOTE ON THIS QUESTION ONE
WAY OR ANOTHER; THAT THE
PRESENT GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
HAVING BEEN ELECTED BEFORE
THIS THING HAD BEEN SUB
MITTED FOR CONSIDERATION, BE-
FORE 1T WAS EVEN DREAMED OF,
OUGHT NOT TO VOTE EITHER FOR
OR AGAINST THE RATIFICATION
OF THE FEDERAL PROHIBITION
AMENDMENT, BUT SHOULD REFER
1T TO THE NEXT COMING LEGIS-
LATURE. You have seven years in
which to do that. and that Is only two
years hence, and In the meantime
should provide some kind Of law, just
as was cone here last year in the casa
Of Prohibition on the unit system;
some kind Of law to enable the people
Of Maryland at the next election by
some mark or something written OH
the ballot to inform the next General
Assembly as to their wishes; to tell
them whether they were In favor Of
the Amendment or opposed to it. IF
THEY DID THAT, HOW COULD
THAT IN ANY WAY, IN THE
SLIGHTEST DEGREE AFFECT OR
JEOPARDIZE THE PRESENT PRO-
HIBITION LAWS IN FORCE IN
MARYLAND? Surely. do not want
to do anything to jeopardize them.
/ am certain that a man does not
know what he will do until he tries it,
but l am very certain II 1 lived in
Charles county would be just as red
hot for the local law as anybody. All
my friends down there are, certainly,
and have no prejudice on the subject
one way or the other as far as that Is
concerned; but I certainly would not
want any action taken hdre which
would deprive my friends down there
of the right to have any laws they
want have q great many kindred
down there and know Whist that
means. I SAY IF THIS REFEREN-
DUN WHICH I HAVE SPOKEN OF
IS ADOPTED IT WILL NOT IN THE
SLIGHTEST DEGREE AFFECT
THOSE LAWS. HOW CAN IT?
The people will do it. suppose. nat
urally the way they did it two years
ago when they referred the matter OF
prohibition to Baltimore city and the
wet counties have box on the ballot.
First copy the Amendment on the bal
lot and have box opposite or after
the Amendment, so that one Of them
would have the words. For the Fed
eral Prohibition Amendm ent," and the
other box, Against the Federal Pro
hibition Amendment" so that man
might put his cross-mark opposite one
or the other, and thereby indicate
whether he favored 1t or opposed 1t.
Then, when the election was over.
have those ballots counted and the re-
suit announced and the members Of the
next Legislature would know how the
people felt on this question Of the
Federal Amendment. II the majority
was in favor Of 1t. 1t would be eouiva-
lent to mandate to the Legislature
to vote for its ratification.
Well, IL they did that, that certainly
would be exactly what our friends, the
Prohibitionists want, and. on the other
hand If THE MAJORITY VOTED
AGAINST IT, THAT WOULD BE A
MANDATE TO THE LEGISLATURE
NlCI 111c SbcAe<AA
AMENDMENT, AND THE EFFECT
OF THAT WOULD BE TO LEAVE
THINGS EXACTLY AS THEY ARE.
SAY 1T WILL NOT AFFECT THE
SITUATION IN THE SLIGHTEST
DEGREE, THAT is. TO SAY. IN ANY
WAY JEOPARDIZE THE EXISTING
LOCAL OPTION OR PROHIBITION
LAWS OF THE DIFFERENT COUN-
TIES OF THE STATE.
The question which the people would
have before them would be. not wheth-
or we shall have prohibition for Mary
land-take the people Of Charles coun-
ty, for example. or Prince Georges
county, and the question before them
would be not whether we shall have
or continue to have prohibition IN
Charles county az far as this Amend
ment is concerned, because We have
got 1t now, and the Amendment won't
take 1t away from US and won't give
us any more than we have, but the
question Is whether we shall force that
on other States.
OF course, incidentally, you force
It on the City Of Baltimore. whore
fifty thousand majority voted against
it. and you talk about democracy
making the world safe for democracy.
and making a war for democracy. and
the German Kaiser says. you lie; you
are not democrats; you are not
democracy; you have not got shred
of democracy You force these things
down the throats Of men living IN
other States three thousand miles
= away, whose conditions you know
nothing about You do that because
you have the power to do it; because
you have the political power to do 1t.
and for the same reason that tram
pied over Belgium. because l had the
power to do it, where might makes
right, and you call that Democracy.
GENTLEMEN, LET US HAVE
SOME COMMON SENSE IN THE