The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1919-08-05
FIGHT BY THE VETS
HAS ONLY STARTED
WILL WORK THROUGH MAZE
OF COUNTY, DISTRICT AND
STATE SUPREME COURTS.

NEW YORK, N. Y.-The legal
fight against the eighteenth amend
ment has hardly begun. Before the
opponents of prohibition submit to
enforcement of the amendment they
will fight the drys through a maze
of county, district and state supreme
courts and eventually in the supreme
court of the United States. They will
fight by petition, by referendum, by
injunction and by mandamus pro
ceedings.
Announcement of the legal strate-
gy to be adopted by the vets was
made here Thursday night in state
ment issued in the headquarters of
the association opposed to national
prohibition.
Referendum proceedings have been
invoked in fifteen of the forty-five
states which ratified the amendment
and if only ten of these should prove
successful the amendment will stand
defeated, said a statement by Levi
Mayer, circulated by the association.
Need Ten Reversals.
Mayer pointed out that the vets
only require ten reversals in order
to defeat the amendment. The meas
ure requires ratification by thirty-six
states and if the voters in ten states
should disapprove the action of their
legislature the measure will then
lack one state.
Referendum proceedings have been
begun in fifteen states. In three of
these states, Oregon, Utah and Idaho,
the state supreme courts have ruled
that the matter is not for referen-
dunn. Mayer says this decision may
be appealed to the United States
supreme court.
In addition, the vets have suffered
a setback in Colorado, where the
state supreme court ruled that the
referendum law does not permit a
referendum on legislative ratification
of a national constitutional amend
ment.
Dramatically opposed to the Ore
gon and Colorado decisions are de-
cisions by supreme courts Of Wash
ington and Ohio, which held that the
matter is susceptible to adjudication
by popular vote.
Legal Battle Imminent.
In nearly every state and every
county thereof the fight is being wag-
ed with the best available counsel
arrayed in opposition. The drys and
vets are availing themselves of ev'
cry legal technicality, the drys seek
ing delays wherever delays promise
top ut the vets at a disadvantage
and the vets instituting mandamuS
proceedings to compel reluctan1
county officials to receive the peti
tions circulated by the vets, calling
for a referendum vote. In most states
only or per cent. of the voters
need sign such petitions in order tc
secure place for the issue on the
next regular ballot or, in some cases
special election ballot.
Mayer cites Ohio as an example OF
wet success in the preliminary ref
erendum fight. The vets won the
right to submit the question to the
people and an election will be helC
in November which will give both
sides a clear impression as to wheth
err the people want prohibition OF
were misrepresented, as the vets
claim, by panic-stricken legislators
Make Independent Fight.
Another fight, Independent of the
referendum matter, will be made in
the supreme court of the United
States, but Mayer says the wet argu-
ments are still in formulation. The
outline of the vets case before the
national supreme court will be made
public soon.
Still another attack on the amend
ment, allied with the Mayer cam
paign, but conducted by other forces
will be made by the attorney general
of Rhode Island, who is instructed
by the Rhode Island legislature to
carry prohibition to the supreme
court of the country on states right
issue. Individuals, in the legal role of
taxpayers, and distillers are expected
to file a number of suits in various
courts as soon as the Rhode Island
suit is begun, furnishing them with