The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-01-25
NATION DRY ONLY
AFTER LONG FIGHT
Campaign Comes to End With
Surprising SuddenneSS.
BEFORE CONGRESS 40 YEARS
Sheppard Prohibition Amendment
Eighteenth to Be Adopted, Rati-
fled in Less Than Thir-
teen Months

With a SWlftneSS lnal mas uipliSON
even the most optimistic OF prohlDl-
ton advocates the United States mas
voted itself dry. 1t has done this by
voting into the federal constitution an
amendment that prohibits the manu-
facture, sale or transportation OF In
toxicating liquors within the Uniteu
States for beverage purposes, as well
as its importation into or expectation
from the United States and all terri
tory subject to its jurisdiction.
>, For fifty years the campaign to Cd
tain prohibition either by state or fed
eral legislation has been waged with
: out interruption, but now the desired
end has been reached by writing the
prohibitory regulations into the or
Canlc law. In this form, owing to the
difficulties attendant upon changes in
the Constitution, nationwide prohibi-
tion becomes more of permanent In
stitution than an experiment that
could be terminated by congressional
legislation.
The Sheppard prohibition amend
ment, which has just been ratified by
more than three-fourths of the states
of the Union, the number required to
make 1t effective, becomes the eigh-
teenth amendment to the Constitution.
The resolution providing for its sub
mission to the state legislatures, intro
duced by Senator Morris Sheppard OF
Texas, was finally adopted by congress
December Is, 1917. On January IL,
1919, less than thirteen months after
the adoption of the resolution by con-
gress, ratification of the amendment
by the states was accomplished. No
other proposed amendment to the Con.
stitution has been adopted with such
speed, with the exception OF that
which provided for the abolition OF
slavery. Action on the seventeen Other
amendments that have been adopted
has required from nine to forty-thret
months. The average time required
has been about two years.
The war is given the credit for has
tening the adoption of prohibition il
~ this country. The economic aspect o.
the question was emphasized by thu
war emergency, and the handwritin,
on the wall was seen when congress!
passed a law providing for nation
wide prohibition as war measure, t
become effective July 1, 1919. and Z
continue until the armies of the Unit
ed States have been demObiliZed. /
this law goes into effect, as cOntem
plated, the country will go dry July
although the constitutional amend
ment will not become effective unit
one year after its ratification by tn
required number of state legislature:
Text Of Amendment.
The text of the resolution embody
ing the amendment which has noN
been adopted is Ns follows:
JOINT RESOLUTION PROPOSIN
AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONST
TUITION OF THE UNITED STATE!
Resolved by the senate and house {
representatives of the United State
of America in congress assemblies
two-thirds of each house concurrin
therein, that the following amen'
ment to the Constitution be, and her
by is. proposed to the states to b.
come valid as q part of the Constit'
tion when ratified by the legislator,
of the several states as provided /
the Constitution:
Section AFTER one year from II
ratification of this article the mani
facture, sale or transportation of i
toxicating liquors within, the impo
tation thereof into, or the exportatiC
thereof from the United States ar
all territory subject to the jurisdictiC
thereof for beverage purposes is her
by prohibited.
Section 2-The congress and Il
several states have concurrent po'
er to enforce this article by appropl
ate legislation.
Section 3-This article shall be
operative unless II shall have be,
ratified as an amendment to the Co