Evening journal., 1919-01-16
So STATES Vote TO
MAKE nation DRY
Continued from page one.)

Federal expense by decreasing law vio-
lations. t
The fight on liquor. triumphant to-
day. Is as old as tho constitution Itself.
II raised It's head early In the nine
teonth century and was looked upon
as another crank notion" But Il
gathered strength. Churches took It
up, doctors followed and then came or
ganizatlons OF anti-liquor societies--the
w. C. T. u. the Anti-saloon League and
others.
In the middle OF the nineteenth CEN
tury Maine went dry. Kansas followed
AT the end OF the Civil War the little
band Of anti-slave agitators who had
won their tight, seriously considered
turning 10 the prohibition battle. Their
number included William Lloyd Garri-
son and the poet Whittier.
About 1900 came the militant" stage
Of the fight In the person OF Carrie
Nation OF Kansas. probably the most
picturesque figure the night ever de-
veloped
Ten years later the crusade against
liquor had grown from the rawlings
OF cranks" into an Irresistible move
ment that swept through the country.
But John Barleycorn will try to stage
comeback"
Distillers are already planning a night
on the amendment in the courts on the
grounds that the amendment was not
adopted by two-thirds OF the whole
Congress and that the seven-yea~ limit
alton In 1t, invalidate the measure.
Drys say they are confident neither
OF these contentious will hold and on
their side are preparing legislation car
ryins heavy penalties for violation Of
prohibition. A special agency In the
Internal revenue bureau will probably
be asked.
The first SO States ratlfying the
amendment are: Mississippi, Virginia,
Kentucky, North Dakota, South Caro-
lima, Maryland, Montana, Texas, Della
ware. South Dakota, Massachusetts,, Ari-
zona, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Mich
igan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Maine, Idaho,
West Virginia, Washington, Tennessee,
California, Arkansas, Illinois. Indiana.
North Carollns, Alabama, Kansas, Iowa,
Colorado. Oregon, New Hampshire,
Utah and Nebraska.
or the SO States that have already
acted only Ii have notified the State
Department Of their ratification.
National dry leaders here today were
confident that the distillers' attempts to
force q referendum on the legislatures
ratification OF the Federal dry amend
ment in California and dozen or more
other states are doomed 10 failure.
The constitution provides that en-
amendment must be ratified by leg
islatures" OF three-fourihs Of the
States
ut Is hard to conceive how any
State law or any section OF a State
constitution giving the right Of refer
endum TO the voters could override a
specific provision In the Federal con-
Representative Webb, chair
man OF the House judiciary commission |
and co-author OF the Webb-Kenyon bill, |
said.
Representative Randall, California,
pointed out that laws Of most OF these |
States which had the referendum pro- |
vldes that the voters might pass upon |
"acts OF the State legislature"
The dry amendment Is not an act OF
any legislature OF any State, because II !
originated in Congress-" Randall said. |
"The only chance drys see for a posi-
bic wet success Is for the courts 10 /
provide for a possible referendum vote |
OF the States"
II the wet attack should succeed drys
say that they can easily win three
fourths OF the States through referen-
dun in the various States.
Nebraska; home State Of William
Jennings bryan, ratified the Federal
amendment today. II was
The 36th and final State necessary to
make prohibition part Of the constitu-
lIap ~ Fho TTnf4ed Cfs4ar