Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1919-01-17
THE WATER WAGON

nave ICll llkC ENlllh6 iliiN''Ch
last night; and every liquor-lapper
must have found himself, perhaps for
the first time, face to face with great
sobriety For, know all men by these
presents: The United States of America
has definitely committed itself for all
time to get onto the water wagon.
The die was cast yesterday. At
1882 a. m. western time, or at about
noon here, the Nebraska state legisla-
ture cast it by voting for the ratifca-
ton of the federal prohibition amend
ment. A lot of things ftom time to
time have been thought to spell the
doom of the liquor traffic; today that
doom is written into the Constitution
of the United States, and in such letters
that nothing less than the blood of a
civil war can ever obliterate them.
There are those who already rue the
act as rash; there are those more or
less passively pleased with what APP
pears to be a great moral step for
ward; and there are those said ardent
prohibitionists who must, in Celebra-
ton OF their victory, feel very much
like going out Ito paint the country
red" We own to belonging to the mid
die class, without an accent on the
"passively" for we have from time to
time urged the saneness OF national
dealing and permanent dealing with
what has always appealed to US as a
national and permanent problem.
There is a class, too, more or less
ignorant of what has occurred, through
the mere vote OF a handful OF Nebras-
kan legislators Yesterday, to so move
the nation.
The spinal column of the 100 millions
of people who 60 to make up our body
polite is the Federal Constitution
whose preamble we learned in school
beginning Eve the people ct cetera
Students OF political anatomy have
always deemed that spinal column a.
quite model set OF veterbrae 1t stood
the wear and tear of organizing the
greatest democracy the world has ever
known, and with minor exceptions de
veloped no apparent weakness until the
bloody operation OF the Civil War set il
right in its weakest spot by abolishins
slavery.
But even Carrie Nation could moi
stir the country to such war against
the liquor traffic Booze was at once
too much the friend and foe OF too
many people. The great moral victory
has been due to education
Back in the fall of 1911 we remember
hearing Mrs. Lillian n. NJ Stevens O
Portland, Me, president of the Natl
onal Woman's Christian Temperance
Union, proclaim that within decade
prohibition shall be placed on the Con
stitution of the United States anC
we agreed if it were to be placed any
where that were the place
Six years later lin August 1917 thu
United States Senate by vote OF o.
to 20 adopted a resolution submitting
to the states a prohibition constitution
al amendment. a year ago last montl
the national House OF Representative
concurred in the Senate resolution ant
the amendment was referred to tn
states for ratification.
Mississippi in the following January
lead the galaxy OF thirty SIX state
or three fourths of the union, to ratifl
the amendment. Following Mississippi
came three other southern states Nir
ginia, Kentucky, and South Carolina
and together with many western
states rolled up a chorus Of approva
until Yesterday Nebraska, running necl
and neck with Vermont and other leg
islatures then in session, got the homo
of the last word.
Vermont lost her place on the homo
roll, though, in spite OF her reaction
arv governors views, she was desiring
a place ON it, as evidenced by tn
haste with which the senate yesterda,
scrambled onto the band wagon.
A year hence the amendment take
effect, prohibiting THE manufacture
sale or transportation Of intoxicatin
liquors for beverage purposes within
the United States or the importation q
liquors into the United States or int
any territory under its jurisdiction.
And the amendment adds
THE Congress and the several state
shall have concurrent power to en-
force this article by appropriate legisla
ton"
1t will take more than legislation I
enforce it, it is true The private dis
tinery will flourish, evils unthought @
will be met; but the fact remains tina
while the Eouor traffic has Withstoo