Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-10-22
"BUNK" AND "HOT AIR"

for the punishment Of those who violate the wartime prohi-
bition which is now supposed to be in effect. This law is now
in the hands of the President. Unless he vetoes it between now
and next Sunday, October 90, i t will go into force on that date.
No one, for a minute, believes that the President will veto it.
When this law becomes effective the United States De-
partment of Justice, with headquarters at Washington, will
proceed against every liquor dealer caught doing business.
When federal agents make an arrest for violation Of a fed
eral statute they do not take the prisoner to the local police
court and have him held for the county grand jury.
Aman arrested by the federal authorities for the violation
of a federal statute is taken before a United States commits
sioner, probably at Newark, and there he is most likely to be
held for a federal grand jury.
Local authorities have nothing to say about it whatever.
What fallacy, then, it is for the Democratic candidate for
governor to go about the state Boosting that if elected he will
resist the prohibition enforcement.
Mr.. Edwards is an intelligent man. He knows full well
that there is no legal power whereby he can even so much as to
lift a finger against the enforcement of prohibition by the fed
eral authorities.
He is merely trying to fool the people. In his quest for
votes he has decided that New Jersey, because she was one of
the three states in the whole forty-eight that held out against
the ratification of the prohibition amendment, is a booze state.
He believes that by appealing to the booze interests he will get
the most votes and thus land the office of governor.
Prohibition is a part of the Constitution. It has been
DdSoGu u u INO-unuo NObO.O VI DOu Jus VI . ou hN
been ratified by three-fourths of the several states. Congress
or any other legislative body has no more power to repeal pro
hibiion, as far as the constitutional amendment is concerned,
than it has to repeal the whole Constitution.
The only thing about prohibition that can be repealed is
the law giving the President power to declare prohibition dur
ing war time, and the law providing for the enforcement of the
law, which is now about to go into effect.
Having just enacted the law to enforce prohibition 1t
hardly seems likely that congress will repeal the law at this
time.
But suppose congress should obey the dictates of the gov
ernor of New Jersey and repeal the wartime prohibition law
together with the enforcement act, what would happen?
The liquor business would once more flourish in all its
glory and misery without let or hindrance up to January 16 of
next year interchangeable constitutional amendment goes
into effect.
Yes, by quick action on the part Of congress the law that
is supposed to make the country "dry" today can be repealed.
But one can imagine the excuses that would be INDUCED in
during that brief period and the ogry that would result.
Does any sensible man desire to have such a period Of
drunkenness added to the troubles the country is already ex-
periencing?
But in all this discussion, not once does the authority of
any governor or of any state legislature or of any county pros
ecutor or county judge enter into the matter.
The federal agents are preparing to start out the first
thing next week to make the country dry in fact as well as
in name. Is the governor of any state planning to interfere
with the federal authorities in the enforcement of the federal
law next week?
Not one.
Neither would Edward I. Edwards be taking any such a-
ton if he were governor.
He would be just as helpless as all the governors are to-
day.
Why does he, then, go about the state pretending that he
can do something he knows he cannot do?
Mr.. Bugbee, the Republican candidate has the only logical
and sincere position on prohibition. He insists that it is a fed
eral matter pure and simple and that it is entirely beyond his
control. In this stand he is perfectly honest. He stands for.
law and order and unfolding the Constitution no matter wheth-
er he agrees with all its provisions or not.
While Mr.. Edwards is continually demanding that Mr..
Bugbee declare himself on prohibition, why does he not be
honest with the people himself and tell them how he is going