Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-01-08
D|ST|LLERs PLAN
ORGANIZED FIGHT
AGAINST DRY BILL
Wartime Prohibition and
Federal Amendment DecIar-
ed Revolutionary Methods
by Liquor Men,
lr1 MORNING Iouss.L SPECIAL LEASED wrssi


Chicago, ILL.,, Jan. Three more
states today ratified the proposed
prohibition amendment, making {
total of nineteen states that have in.
dorsed the proposal of congress. The
house of the Idaho legislature vote
/ today for the amendment, and if the
| senate follows suit. the proposal will
4 need to be passed by only sixteen
/ more states
While the proposed addition to the
! basic law was ratified today by the
| legislatures of Ohio, Colorado and
| Oklahoma, representatives of the dis
! tillery companies Of the country met
| in Chicago and decided to oppose
| both the amendment and the wai
| prohibition law which is TO 90 into
effect on July /. by every legal means
| possible.
| The states which have ratified the
prohibition amendment thus far are:
| Kentucky, Virginia. Nississinni. south
! Carolina, North Dakota, MARYLAND,
Montana, Arizona. Delaware. Texas
South Dakota, Massachusetts. Geor-
gia, Louisiana, Florida, Michigan,
Ohio, Colorado and Oklahoma
At meeting Of the distillery inter-
ests of the United States resolutions
adopted declared that the time had
come for members of the industry
to make "a most determined resist
ance to such revolutionary methods"
referring to the wartime prohibition
law and the proposed federal consti-
trtional amendment. The action
token today also provided that power
to make LIQUORS. fight shall be vest.
"a in a committee and Attorney Levy
Naver OF Chicago, was appointed as
chief counsel.
Although Mr.. Mayer would maize
10 statement for publication regard
ing plans for the coming court bat
ties which will be taken TO the Unit
ed states supreme court for the final
outcome. it was le1rned that the dis
tillers will not quietly submit to en-
forcement of the wartime prohibit
lion act which becomes effective next
July /. 1t is said to be the plan to
GLOW the government to make the
first move by charging n violation
and upon the prosecution thereof tho
lioncr interests win wage their fight.
The resolutions adopted tohav stat
ed that there are 500 distileries in
the countrv with an aggregate invest
ment in nlants and products of at
least 9I,VUU,UUU,UUO, the industry aC-
tuallv antedates the constitution
adopted in 1889, and that the bust
ness has heretofore been recognized,
encouraged and protected hv the
United States government itself" II
was also stated that there is on hand
about 100000. 900 gallons of whisky
and alcohol, of total value Of $780,
100000, and that federal and state
taxes of at least $5.000.000, 900 have
been paid since the enactment of the
internal revenue law of 1862.
The resolutions declared that car
rving out of the wartime prohibi-
ton legislation and the proposed
amendment would destroy the prop
erty involved and would violate ev-
erv principle of American Justice and
of constitutional guarantees"
1t was further asserted that con-
stitutional lawyers of eminence have
given their opinions that the propos-
ed amendment "is inherently vicious
and destroys the basic rights of To-
cal government which is the
cornerstone upon which our constitu-
ton and the whole theory and struc-
ture OF our government rests"