Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1919-07-04
JULY | PROHIBITION
IN UNITED STATES
PRESIDENT WILSON WILL NOT
SUSPEND THE WARTIME
ORDER NOW.
ISSUES Statement TO PEOPLE
Convinced ! Have No Legal Power"
He DISSATISFACTION Restricted
Decentralization Will Give
Power to Act.

Washington.-Pre Wilson has
announced that he would not suspend
operation of the wartime prohibition
law, effective Monday at midnight.
Secretary Tumulty gave out the fol-
lowing statement:
THE secretary to the president at
the White House made public the fol-
lowing cable from the president with
reference to wartime prohibitions
Has No Legal Power.
81 am convinced that the attorney
general is right in advising me that
have no legal power at this time in
the matter of the ban on liquor I'm
der the act of November. 1918, my
power to take action isSrestricted. The
act provides that after June 80. 1919,
until the conclusion of the present war
and thereafter until the termination of
rehabilitation, the date of which shall
be determined and proclaimed by the
president, it shall be unlawful etc.
Will Act After rehabilitation
"'This law does not specify that the
ban shall be lifted with the signing of
peace, but with the termination of the
rehabilitation of the troops, and can
not say that has been accomplished
My information from the war depart
ment is that there are still a million
men in the service under the emer-
gency call. 1t is clear, therefore, that
the failure of congress to act upon the
suggestion contained in my message
of the Goth .of May, 1919, asking for a
repeal of the act of November 81, 1918,
so far as it applies to wines and beer
makes it impossible to act in this
matter at this time.
When rehabilitation is termina-
ted my power to act without congress
sional action will be exercised
WOODROW WILSON,"
Close Every Booze Shop.
Refusal of President Wilson to act
at this time means that the long arm
of the wartime law reached out quietly
at midnight Monday and closes the
door of every liquor establishment on
American soil.
How Soon?
Next in public interest to announce
ment of President Wilson's attitude
comes the question-how soon will the
army be demobilized? There was
strong belief in some quarters Monday
that this date would not be long de-
layed, in view of the signing of the
treaty, the action of congress in re-
ducing the size of the army and the
effort of the government to bring back
all troops from abroad as speedily as
it is humanity possible.
The presidents emphatic announce
ment as to what he would do when
rehabilitation lis terminated" was
exactly in line with the opinion of
members of the house judiciary COM
mittee expressed heretofore--that it
did not require congressional action to
authorize him to declare wartime pro-
hibition ended.
Still Selling.
Washington, ID. c.. June 30.-As war
time prohibition took effect tonight
the department of justice announced
its agents throughout the country
would not stop tomorrow the sale of
az per cent beer
This eleyenth-hour development, a
flat reversal of an earlier ruling today
by the department, was due to the un.
certainty as to how the federal district
iuh
pending claim by brewers that beer
containing that much alcohol was not
intoxicating
But while this uncertainty existed
as to beer of lighter alcoholic percent
age than that sold generally heretofore
full warning was given that with re-
spect to whisky and all beverages as
to whose intoxicating powers there
was no doubt every government legal
agency would be set to work in de.
termined effort to prevent their manu-
facture and sale
Congress May Step to Front.
How long the sale of 2A per cent
beer might continue would depend
ordinarily upon the speed of the
courts, but congress meanwhile will
step to the front in an effort to COM
plete the effectiveness of the war.
time law.
Exactly what they have refused
heretofore to do prohibition members
of the house will now attempt-pass.
age of a straight, clear-cut bill for
-,