The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1918-12-27
ELECT A DRY SPEAKER

editorial in Gazette and Standard,
Sterling and Rock Falls)
1t is announced this morning that
an effort will be made to organize the
state Legislature in line with the sem
timent of the Republican voters of
this state. An effort at least will be
made TO elect Speaker Of the House
who will be in sympathy with the
wishes of the state of Illinois. A wet
politician is exactly like leopard, he
cannot change his spots. No matter
what promises he may make to be
elected, he always gives the wet cause
a push forward when opportunity
comes and puts brick in the way of
the dry cause going forward, when
ever he can. 1t is impossible for him
to do anything else.
The state Legislature is over
wheimingly dry. The Republican
party is overwhelmingly in the ma
jority. The people have elected a
Republican Legislature very largely
with the understanding that the Fed
eral Prohibition amendment will be
passed. For dry House now to
elect a wet Speaker would be the
height of folly. The Republicans
might just as we'll elect a Democrat
Speaker OF the House as for a dry
Republican House to elect wet Re-
publican Speaker.
The people of this state expressed
themselves decidedly and emphatically
that they want the Federal amend
ment passed and they will want legis-
lation that will back that amendment
when it is adopted and they have ex-
pressed this sentiment by electing a
dry House and dry Senate. They
have expressed their confidence in the
Republican party by giving that party
an overwhelming majority in both
House and Senate. The whole ccun-
try will be dry July 1st under Federal
law, until peace has been promulgated
and our soldier boys have been re-
turned to their homes. A wet Speaker
of the House of Representatives can
not possibly be in sympathy with the
wishes of the voters Of Illinois.
Neither can he be in sympathy witt,
the dry policy of the United States.
We certainly hope to see the Re-
publican party get in line fully and
completely with the sentiment Of Hi
nois as expressed at the last election,
and without making an attack on any
man who may be candidate, simply
use the same common sense the party
would use in other directions and elect
a Speaker of the House who is in
sympathy with the majority sentimeni
of the House and the Senate. Tina,
means dry Speaker OF the House oil
Representative should be elected fol
the state OF Illinois at the coming ses-
sion of the state Legislature. -sai
The Republican party would not be
! foolish enough to elect free trader
as Speaker over a protection House
Neither would it elect an anti-good-
roads man to preside over House
decidedly in favor of good roads
Neither would it elect Speaker op-
posed to Governor Lowden's great
progressive program in a House over
whe1mingly backing up the governor
In like manner the Republican Legis'
lature should have the same common
sense to elect dry Speaker to pre-.
side over a dry House. 1t would be
an insult to the voters OF Illinois tc
suggest that no dry man in the ranks
of the members of the House body is
capable of performing properly the
duties of Speaker. Let us see com,
mon sense prevail in the selection oil
| a Speaker.