Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1918-02-01
Friday Morning ......Feb uary ], 1918.
The Prohibition Amendment OF The
Federal Constitution.

We regret the effort made some days ago
in the Senate Of Maryland to suspend the
rules and place upon its third reading and
final passage the resolution ratifyine the
proposed prohibition amendment to the
Constitution of the United States; and
this regret has no connection whatever
with the question Of prohibition. but ap-
plies to the manner of treating so grave
matter as a change in the Constitution
which would profoundly alter the relations
Of the State and Federal governments and.
we believe. inject elements Of discord into
the politics Of the country. The view we
take would apply with equal force to the
suffrage amendment which is now pending
in the United States Senate and which
may also be submitted to the present
session of the General Assembly.
Changes in fundamental law should not
be made lightly. At least an opportunity
should be given for public opinion to crys-
tallize for or against them, and neither
party expediency nor personal political
ambition should be permitted to control or
forestall the calm, deliberate judgment Of
the people. Certainly the present is not
time when the judgment Of the people
can be expressed with the careful consid
Grafton which the dignity and far-reaching
consequences Of this character Of amend
ment demand. The public mind is occu-
pied with war and the strenuous and bitter
responsibilities which war thrusts upon all
classes of the population.
But apart from this consideration of the
proprieties, any proposed amendment Of
the Federal Constitution which impairs the
police power Of the States should be re-
jected. The subject matter Of the amend
ment falls strictly within the police power
Of the States Of the Union. and is one with
which the Federal government was not
expected or intended to DEAL and II is
therefore unfair and unwise for the Leeis-
lature to act upon it in advance of an
expression Of the public opinion of the
State.
This would seem to be clear to any can
did mind when we reflect that this amend
ment calls upon the people to surrender a
RIGHT which they have enjoyed since the
settlement at St. Mary's and have asserted
as constitutional principle for nearly
century and a half. The fourth article of
our Declaration Of Rights provides that
the people of this State have the SOLE
AMI EYCT TIcIUE pICtIT of .oa,,Io.;,a A.
internal government and police thereof. as
a free, sovereign and independent State :"
and article three provides that "the powers
not delegated to the United States by the
Constitution thereof, nor prohibited by it
to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people thereof
and this latter provision Is also part of
the Federal Constitution.
OF course it may be argued that the Con-
stitution Of the United States clothes the
State Legislature with power to ratify
amendments proposed to that instrument !;
but the Maryland Declaration Of Rights is
binding upon the General Assembly, and
the people have had no opportunity to
consider the political consequences Of the
amendment or to give instructions to their
representatives upon it. And it is the
PEOPLES right Of self-government which
1t is proposed to surrender
We venture to say. that. whatever ones
opinion might be upon the temperance
question considered by itself. If time and
opportunity were given for discussion of
this amendment and the wide door which
1t opens to Federal usurpation and oppres-
sion were pointed out to them. the people
Of Maryland would be prompt and en-
phatic in their decision to stand by their
ancient inherent rights.
Rights surrendered are never regained
except through the bloodshed and deviltry
Of revolution. and those whom the people
have trusted to safeguard those rights
should be slow to jeopardize them by any
weak yielding to fractional pressure or to
those sincere but misguided people who
think that fundamental principles should
be disreearded in order to remove social
evil with winch nexlOle local laws can
deal with the best effect.
We trust that the representatives Of our
county will keep these views in mind and
act in accordance with them. The atti-
tude of our people towards the subject of
temperance has been repeatedly expressed,
but they have never been called upon to
determine what they would say as to
Federal regulation Of this or any other
matter Of purely local concern. Consider
alton Of this amendment should therefore
be postponed until the people have spoken.
As we view 1t. neither common sense nor
due respect for public opinion and public
rights require its ratification now.