Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1919-01-30

1912 Eugene W. Chain, Arizona.
and AarpN S. Watkins, Ohio. 20S,923
votes.
1916, ]. Frank Hanley, Indiana, and
DR.. Ira LAndrith, Tennessee, 214.340
votes.
The National Prohibition party.
curiOusly enough, has been rather op-
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 contemplated agita-
ton for a n%onpartisan amendment to
be enforced by administrations not IA
vorable to prohibition. . The
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. .
The odds r 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 LIST 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 an amendment
are 10 to 1. The cas is put thus:
The chances against ratification are
2 to 1 in the house of representatives,
and 2 to / in the senate, and, there
fore A to l in congress. That is
Should the, measure pass either house
by unanimous vote, the one-third OPP
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 cores
on it's one chance in either house, the
Measure fails. The chances in the
state legislatures are 6 to l against
the resolution hence, in the congress
and the legislatures combined the
chances are 10 to l 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 al
of the legislatures unanimously, anG
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
real stir in the political world. VIVA
he did in the campaign of 1884 wa
long remembered. st. John was borl
in Indiana and in the Civil war wa
Northumberland 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 hin
too warm a friend of the Temperance
cause.
Frances e. Willard and a delega
ton of women presented an enormou
petition to the Republican nationa
convention, urging consideration fo
the prohibition forces. The story o
that time was that the petition wa
not only laid on the table but throw