Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-05-26
President May Be Given Pow
er to End War Time DrOuth'
Instead of Congress Direct
Iy Repeating the Law,
POLITICAL ASPECT
OF LAW Is GLOOMY
Bitter Enemies 10 Be Made|
Either Way Congress Acts
and Members Are Having|
Many SIeepIesS Nights,
ny Charles Nicholson.


licans in congress are CanNaSsing the
advisability of passing back the pro-
hibition buck to the president. There
is an alluring sound to a resolution
beginning Whereas, the president
has expressed the belief that he has
not the power, without legislation by
congress, to declare the end of war
time prohibition" and winding up
with a formal bestowal of the power
he says he lacks.
The allurement consists in leaving
it to the president TO incur the hos
tility of the drys If he pronounCes the
reprieve of beer and light wines, and
of the vets if he does not The fly in
the ointment is that the resentment of
the prohibitionists might scatter far
enough to embrace the congressman
responsible for authorizing the re-
prieve, which the language of the
presidents message seems to indicate
would be forthcoming.
Wilson May Have To Decide.
Before the lifted finger of the Anti
saloon league the statesmen are para
lyzed. That organization has not yet
indicated its desires in the premises,
which makes it all the more embar-
RAISING. If congress does nothing the
president will have to make the deci-
sion about August. when demobiliza .
ton will have progressed to such a
stage that withholding the proclama-
tion declaring it a fact might be do
pended on to infuriate tht anti-pro-
hibitionists.
1t is characteristic of the whole cpl
sode that nine out of ten of the men
who voted wartime prohibition are
discussing the repeal solely from the
standpoint OF what political advantage
or disadvantage there is in it and ut
terly ignore the right or wrong of the
question
The president in his message prac-
tically states that the Ostensible object
of the bill--the conservation of food
during the war period-has been ac-
compiished and that the law has no
longer Il legitimate title to place in
the statute books. Not one of the
congressman disputes this. They are
/ taken up with the iniquty of putting
it up to them to make the decision.
or course, nothing can be stated
definitely as to the policy to be pur-
sued until the Anti-saloOn league gives
permission. The suggestion that the
various bill introduced in conformity
with the presidents recommendation
NIlOulu ne ltll W ult III tOIllul1btt6 Is
the reflex of what most of the obedi-
ent ones expect will be the orders.
Stand of the Anti -salooners.
Harken to the words of DR.. Din
widdie, the chief oracle of the Anti
saloon league:
THE matter is of such Importance
because of the large and influential
constituency for which we act and of
the attitude of the president that in
dividual opinion is of 10 special value.
our legislative committee will con-
slider the entire proportion from all
angles within the next lew days, and
the actual policy of the league will be
determined
II may say, however, thrt the whole
course of the liquor trade has dis
tinctly prejudiced its case by its ap-
peals and its efforts to nullify the law
and to defy congress and toe consti-
tuition.
1--WE were not taken wholly un-
awares by the message. TIE liquor
men boasted he had been appealed to
and that such a recomme ndation
would be made. Congress. however,
knows the sentiment of the people,
and senators and representatives. in
dividually know their sentiments.
Congress has not shown an inclination
to repeal temperance legislation in he
last two decades"
And this from Wayne B. Wheeler,
general counsel of the league:
Conditions have not appeared yet,
in my judgment. which justify the
repeal of wartime prohibition and |
am surprised that the president should
make this recommendation The only
nv for Cnph Dntinn would
certainty of the termination or de-
mobilization within a very short time
after July /. Even this does not sat
isfy the minds of many.
THE legislative committee of the
Anti-saloon league and possibly the
entire executive committee will take
action on this matter before the
leagues policy will be definitely an
nounced in reference to it,"
Attitude of the Vets.
The vets are endeavoring to i'm
press on their adversaries that the
latter have something to gain by re-
pealing the bill instead of waiting for
the president to declare the termina-
ton of rehabilitation. The first course
would lift the ban from beer and wine
only: the second would also make
whiskey again available until 1t was
overtaken by the constitutional
amendment.
IF you're on the level say the
vets, you will let the lighter drinks
have the advantage of brief respite
rather than expose the country to the
greater menace of hard liquor from
the end of demobilization to the first
of the year"
This is the thought behind the bills
introduced by Fitzgerald and Gallivan,
both of Massachusetts,. MIR. Fitzger-
aid announced that he intended to
Continued on Pags Two.)