Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1919-01-31

1912, Eugene W. Chain, Arizona,
and Aaron S. Watkins, Ohio, 208.923
votes.
1916, J. Frank Hanley, Indiana, and
DR.. Ira Landrith, Tennessee. 214,84c
votes.
The National Prohibition party.
%curiously enough, has been rather OPP
posed to prohibition by constitutional
amendment. In the last Year book
(1916) we read:
Although the Prohibition party
may be said to be committed by plat
form declaration to the adoption of a
national prohibition amendment, when
placed in power, the program Of the
party has never contemplated agita-
ton fer a nonpartisan amendment to
be enforced by administrations not ia
vorable to prohibition. . The
general opinion seems to favor admit
ting the ~desirability of the amendment
as the end to be accomplished, at the
same time emphasizing its impracti-
cability as a method, and denying It's
necessity as a condition precedent to
securing national prohibition. E.
The odds are so overwhelmingly
against the ratification Of an amend
ment that they cannot possibly be
overcome through any reasonable ex-
penditure of time, money and effort so
long as the liquor traffic exists to fight
for its life."
The National Prohibition party is
certainly right about the apparent
odds against the adoption by congress
of a constitutional amendment and
its ratification by the states. There
have been 1,757 amendments to the
Constitution proposed and IS Of them
have been passed. Herein lies the mar
vel of the ratification of the eighteenth
amendment In about thirteen months.
1t has been figured that the chances
against the passing Of al amendment
are 10 to 1. The case is put thus:
The chances against ratification are
2 to 1 in the house of representatives,
and 2 to l in the senate, and, there
fore 4 to 1 In congress. That is:
Should the measure pass either house
by unanimous vote, the one-third op-
position in the other house would
block it in congress as a whole; in
other words, the resolution must be
supported on the two chances in each
house, while if the opposition scores
on its one chance in either house, the
a foi1C Tho ahonnnc in tho
state legislatures are 6 to 1 against
the resolution hence, in the congress
and the legislatures combined the
chances are 10 to 1 against passage.
In other words, the measure might
pass both houses of congress unani-
mously, and be defeated as a whole by
the one chance in the states. 1t might
pass either house of congress and all
of the legislatures unanimously, and
be defeated by the one chance in the
other house of congress.
ST. John Makes a Stir.
John P. st. John was the first Pro-
hibition party candidate to make a
real stir in the political world. What
he uIu Ill llS VI AOo1 was
long remembered. st. John was born
In Indiana and in the Civil war was
lieutenant-colonel of the One Hundred
and Forty-third regiment, Illinois vol
unteers. He was twice elected gov
ernor of Kansas on the Republican
ticket and was defeated for re-elec-
ton to this office in 1882 by anti-pro-
hibition Republicans, who thought him
too warm a friend of the temperance
cause.
Frances E.. Willard and a delega-
ton of women presented ar enormous
petition to the Republican national
convention, urging consideration for
the prohibition forces. The story of
that time vas that the. petition was
not only laid on the table but thrown