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

viii in some way jeopardize the laws
in force in various counties in this
State. If any Ole will take the least
trouble and consider for a moment
you will see there cannot be any
thing in that. What is proposed?
THE COMMITTEE 1 REPRESENT
URGE UPON YOU THAT YOU RE-
JECT THIS RESOLUTION AND
ADOPT SOME RESOLUTION TO
THE EFFECT THAT THIS LEGIS-
LATURE OUGHT NOT TO VOTE ON
THIS QUESTION ONE WAY OR AN
OTHER; THAT THE PRESENT
GENERAL ASSEMBLY, HAVING
BEEN ELECTED BEFORE THIS
THING HAD BEEN SUBMITTED
FOR CONSIDERATION, BEFORE
1T WAS EVEN DREAMED OF,
OUGHT NOT TO VOTE EITHER
FOR OR AGAINST THE RATIFI-
CATION OF THE FEDERAL PRO
HIBITION AMENDMENT. BUT
SHOULD REFER 1T TO THE NEXT
COMING LEGISLATURE. 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 done here
last year in the case of Prohibition
on the unit system; some kind of
law to enable the people of Maryland
at the next election by some mark or
no hol LOT 70
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 DE-
GREE AFFECT OR JEOPARDIZE
THE PRESENT PROHIBITION
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 1 am very certain if I lived in
Charles county l would be just as
red hot for the local law as anybody
All my friends down there are, GER
tainly, and l have no prejudice on
the subject one way or the other, as
far as that is concerned; but 1 Ger
tainly would NOT want any action ia
ken here which would deprive my
friends down there of the right to
have any laws they want l have a
L., L
l know what that means. l SAY IF
THIS REFERENDUM WHICH
HAVE SPOKEN OF IS ADOPTED
1T WILL NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST
DEGREE AFFECT THOSE LAWS.
HOW CAN IT?
The people will do it, l suppose,
naturally the way they did it two
years ago when they Eeferred- the
matter of prohibition to Baltimore
city and the wet counties have a box
on the ballot. First copy the Amend
ment on the ballot and have a box
opposite or after the Amendment, so
that one of them would have the
words, For the Federal Prohibition
Amendment" and the other box,
Against the Federal Prohibition
Amendment" so that a man might
put his crossmark opposite one or
the other, and thereby indicate whe-
Their he favored it or opposed it.
Then, when the election was over,
have those ballots counted and the
result announced and the members
of the next Legislature would know
how the people felt on this question
of the Federal Amendment If the
majority was in favor of it, it would
be equivalent TO a mandate to the
Legislature to vote for its ratifica-
ton.
Well, if they did that, that certain
ly would be exactly what our friends,
the Prohibitionists, want, and, on the
other hand, IF THE MAJORITY VO-
TED AGAINST IT. THAT WOULD
BE A MANDATE TO THE LEGIS-
LATURE NOT TO RATIFY THE
FEDERAL 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 COUNTIES OF THE
STATE.
The question which the people
would have before them would be
not whether we shall have prohibi-
ton for Maryland-take the people
of Charles county, for example, OF
Prince Georges county, and the
question before them would be not
whether we shall have or continue to
have prohibition in Charles county
as far as this Amendment is con-
cerned, because we have got it now,
and the Amendment won't take it
away from us and won't give us any
more than We have, but the question
is whether we shall force prohibit
ton upon the people of the entire
State.
Of course, incidentally, you force
it on the City of Baltimore, where
fifty thousand majority voted against
it, and you talk about democracy
making the world safe for democracy
and making war for democracy,
and the German Kaiser says, You
TO-
not democracy; you have not got a
shred of democracy. You force
these things down the threats of
men living in other States, three
thousand miles away, whose condi-
lions you know nothing about You