Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-09
CLEARING THE WAY FOR
HOUSECLEANING

TT is announced that Senator Sproul IS
likely in a few days to indorse the pro-
hbition amendment to the NATIONAL Con-
stitution and to urge its adoption. j.
Denny O'Neil has already taken his stand
on the amendment. He says he is
heartily in favor Of it. The farseelng,
practical politicians are admitting that n
candidate for office who opposes the
adoption of the amendment has about as
much chance of election as the Grand
Llama of Thibet has of becoming the
Archbishop Of Canterbury.
Under the circumstances, il is likely
that the Democratic aspirants for the
governorship will fall in line with O'Neil,
and that some if not all candidates for
the General Assembly in every district
will promise to vote for the ratification
of the amendment as the price of sup
port by the church people.
There is no arguing with the church
people on the question. moral issue
has been raised and they would regard
themselves as false to all their vows if
they failed to assert themselves and to
use all their political influence to carry
that issue through to a successful con-
clusion.
Leaving the merits and demerits of
national constitutional prohibition aside,
it will be fortunate for the Common
wealth if all candidates for office in all
parties shall indorse the amendment.
The effect of thrusting such an issue into
politics was discussed by Woodrow Will
son when he was Governor of New Jer-
sey. He wrote then to the late Rev.
Thomas B. Shannon, of Newark, asso-
ciated with the New Jersey Anti Saloon
League, that he favored local option lie
continued:
But the questions involved are social
and moral and not susceptible Of being
made parts of u party program. Whenever
they have been made the subject matter
of party contests they have cut the lines
of party action athwart to the utter con-
fusion of political action in every other
field. They have thrown every other ques-
tion. however important. into the back
ground and have made constructive party
action impossible for long years together.
| So far as am concerned therefore. | can
never consent to have the question of local
option made AN issue between political
| parties in this State. My judgment is
very clear In the matter. 7 do not believe
| that party programs of the highest con-
| sequence 10 the political life of the State
| ana OF tine nation ought To he thrust
| one side and hopelessly embarrassed Tor
| long periods together by making a politi-
| cal. issue Of great question which is
| essentially nonpolitical nonpartisan. moral
and social in its nature.
| If prohibition becomes a partisan issue
| in the coming campaign all of the great
| State issues will be lost sight of and for
| gotten in the fight With all due respect
| to the temperance people, those issues
are as important as prohibition itself, for
! they go to the bottom of honest and efli-
cient public administration. Abuses
have grown up in Harrisburg which are
becoming intolerable. The State Gov.
ernment is being used as The annex of q
| political machine and the State en-
ployes-even the Capitol elevator men
are being ordered to work for the nomi.
nation of a certain candidate on penalty
of dismissal. The fact that the candi.
date has repudiated the order does not
change the situation. The order has beer
given and the State employees are obey.
ing it. This is only one of the MANY
specifications in the indictment against
political methods in vogue.
1t is of the first importance that moth.
ing be allowed to happen to make il
impossible for the voters to go on recorC
on these matters free from the compli
cations of a moral question.