The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-03-12
DRY NATION DUE
WITHIN A YEAR
Necessary sc States Will
Ratify Prohibition, Poll
ticians Believe
VERMONT ONE OF
THOSE DEPENDED ON
Action Of New York Assembly Regard
ed as Significant Of Decline Of Wet
Out Some Statistics.

WASHINGTON, March 12.-Senti-
ment seems to be increasing SO strong
ly for the adoption of the national pro-
hibition amendment that old time poll
ticians here are predicting that the SO
state legislatures necessary to adopt
federal amendment Will ratify the
amendment within q year. The action
of the New York Assembly in favor
of the resolution, shown by the pre-
| liminary vote on committee report,
was accepted by those following the
course of politics as indicating that
/ sentiment in what was regarded as the
rock ribbed prohibition state had
surrendered TO the moral and economic
wave sweeping the country.
/ In the opinion Of the diagnosticians,
this expression of the New York assem-
bly, is an index to sentiment existing in
Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut,
and Pennsylvania. New York and those
states were regarded as opposed to the
ratification of the amendment, and the
liquor forces had counted upon the OPP
position of their state legislatures to
defeat the amendment
The liquor forces received their first
surprise in the ratification by the Ken
lucky legislature of the amendment by
an overwhelming vote. Only Is mem
bers of the Kentucky legislature op
posed the resolution, which was passed
in the senate - to 5, and in the house
66 to 10. This action, the first takeI
by state legislature after the amend
ment had been submitted by congress
was taken TO show pretty clearly the
sentiment of the country, as that state
; has as one of its important industries
the distilling business. Another state
r equally as strongly entrenched in The
past with liquor interests Is Maryland
the legislature of which also ratified
the resolution by decisive vote Il
the senate of Maryland the vote wa
Is for and against. The hous
adopted the amendment, II to 50.
! Ia addition 10 Kentucky and Mary
; land. the legislatures of Mississippi
4 North Dakota, Montana, South Caro-
e liua, Texas, aud Virginia have tati
| fed the amendment Not a single stat
E legislature has rejected the amend
, ment. and the attitude of the New
: York assembly, Anti-Saloon Leagu
: leaders say. will tend to inhuenc
y wavering members of other state legia
= latures to east their votes for the reso
fution.
Senator Penrose. Republican leade
OF Pennsylvania who voted against tn
resolution. now finds himself svep
e along by the prohibition tide. 1t ha
!. been the intention of the Penrose car
h didates for governor and the state lee
4 islature to 60 before the people oppose
10 the amendment. In the last fe'
DAYS. however, the Republican force
have changed front, and the chief cai
: didates Of that party in the comm
May primaries, including State Senate
William G. Sproul, who will seek Ii
nomination for governor, viii declal
n for the ratification of the prohibitio
amendment
ID III New Jersey the Republican leaC
Is ers are sliding away from the liquC
II forces, and it is predicted here tn.
as the next legislature of that state wi
IN ratify the amendment.
S Twcntv-six states arc now In the pr
d hibition column. and it is necessar
es therefore for only 10 other states
IL adopt the amendment to effect its rat
e tication, provided there are no bacl
H. sliders among the 20. Three "wet
l. states, Maryland Kentucky and Texa
IL have already gone into the "dry
in column. and if seven other wet
d states accept the resolution It's ado
al tion would seem TO he assured.
til The dry states, which are reaso
e ably certain to ratifv the amendmer
l. are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Col
or RADIO, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, low
n. Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Nebrask
d. North Carolina, Oklohoma. Orego
South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Was