Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-12-23
Confident Dry Law
Will Be Ratified
by 36 States Feb. /

New York, Dec. Ratification
Of the federal prohibition amend
n.ent by the necessary SO states
before Feb /, 1919, is predicted as
Certain.
Under the provisions of the
amendment submitted by two
thirds vote Of congress, this pros
pective action will mean bone dry
nation one year from the date Of
the ratification by the Both state, or
before Feb. /, 1920 The prediction
was made with the utmost conf
dence today by William If. Ander-
son, New York state superintendent
Of the Anti-Saloon league.
THE victory will be overwhelm-
ing" he said, and it is quite pos
sible that from forty-fve to forty
seven states will have ratified the
amendment before April / next"
Superintendent Anderson based
his chief prediction-that Feb. l
next would see ratification by 36 Of
the IS states-on these facts:
That Is states, including five
wet states, have already ratified the
amendment
That % bther states where the
amendment has not yet been rati-
ned are dry, and that ratification
may be expected by the incoming
legislatures.
That five of the remaining states,
not dry have elected legislatures, a
majority of the membership of
which are favorable to immediate
ratification.
OF the remaining six states-Mis-
souri,, Pennsylvania, New York,
Connecticut, Rhode Island and New
Jersey-Mr. Anderson says that
favorable action may be expected
in four, namely: Missouri, Pennsyl-
vania, Rhode Island and New York.
New Jersey is the only state
Superintendent Anderson would
class as hopeless.
Ratification was a plank of the
Republican platform, but the G. o.
2. lost" he said.
The five states not already dry,
bat in which Mr.. Anderson declares
the newly elected legislatures will
not hesitate TO ratify the amend
ment, are California, Vermont, Min
nesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.
Among the Is states that have
already ratified, five are still in the
wet column, land it is largely in the
action of the legislatures of these
states that Mr.. Anderson processes
to see the country wide sentiment
on the prohibition question re-
tlected. These states are IAenLuclIy,
Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts
and Louisiana.
These are the states that have
already ratified the federal amend
ment:
Arizona, Delaware, Alabama,
Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississ-
ippi, Montana, North Dakota, South
Dakota, South Carolina, Texas,
Virginia Total, Is.
The states in which prohibition
obtains and which are expected by
the anti-liquor forces TO ratify the
amendment are:
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado,
Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, Ne
vada, North Carolina, New Hamp-
shire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Washing
ton, West Virginia, Wyoming.
Total, %
The strength Of the prohibition
lists claim is seen in their own
classification of the other II states.
which is described by their own
agents thus:
States now wet" but where the
incoming legislatures are expected
TO ratify the federal amendment:
California, Illinois, Minnesota, YER
moEt Wisconsin.
States in which legislative action
may be more or less doubtful: Con
necticut, Missouri, New York,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island.
Hopeless, New Jersey.