Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-30
FAIR PLAY FOR JERSEY
To the Editor of The Telegraph:


AT the convention of the National
Dry Federation in the Chestnut
street auditorium, an address was
delivered on Wednesday afternoon
by Clinton N. Howard, chairman of
the campaign committee of the Fed
Grafton. In this address Mr.. Howard
very dramatically said:
! "In one year and eight months
after the first state ratified tthe
Amendment it was done! The Re-
cording Angel called the roll. and
forty-two states answered, 'Dry!'
Pennsylvania, the Gibraltar of the
trade, will ratify; New York, the
Empire state, will ratify; the late
Rhode Island will ratify; and New
Jersey-Oh my! Oh my! oh you
sweet potato state! Oh you mos
quito state New Jersey has never
ratified any of the eighteen amend
ments to the constitution! Not one!
She may not this time, but let her
| stew in her own juice until January,
1920. One more year of disgrace,
ohu c'hSiS sam VIII mans iSi ouI
! today!
Hush, New Jersey, don't you cry!
You'll be weaned and spanked bone
Eighty million people have voted to
ratify."
The facts do not sustain Mr.. How
ards statements with reference to
ratifications by the state of New
Jersey.
The first ten amendments (twelve
were proposed by Congress, but
two failed of ratification) were sub
mitted to the several state legisla-
lures by resolution of Congress
passed on the 25th day of Septem-
ber, 17S9.. They were ratified by
New Jersey on November 20, 1883,
the first state legislature to act on
the amendments. The acts of the leg
islatures of states ratifying these
am endments were transmitted by
! the governors to the President, and
| by him communicated to Congress,
following ratification by Congress,
| December 10. 1871.
do not have at hand the records
of ratification of the eleventh and
twelfth amendments, The eleventh
, amendment was declared by the
President, in message to the two
| 1898, to have been adopted by the
legislatures of three7fourths of the
states. The resolution proposing
the amendment was passed by Con-
gress March 5, 1894. The twelfth
amendment was submitted to the
legislatures of the several states by
q resolution of Congress passed De-
cember IL, 1903. 1t was ratified,
according to proclamation of the
Secretary of State dated September
25, 1904.
The resolution proposing the thir-
teenth amendment was. passed by
Congress February. 1. 1865. 1t was
ratified by New Jersey January 23,
! 1866, a month after the amendment
had been declared ratified accord
ing to proclamation by the Sec
retary of State.
The resolution submitting the
fourteenth amendment was passed
by Congress June 16, 1866. New
Jersey ratified this amendment Sep
tember IL, 1866, being the. fourth
state to vote in. favor of ratification.
The amendment WIS declared rati-
fed by three-fourths of the legisla-
lures, according to q proclamation
by the Secretary of State, July 2S,
1sss.
On February 81. 1869, Congress
by resolution submitted the fifteenth
amendment to the several states for
ratification. On February 81, 1871,
the legislature of New Jersey rati-
fled this amendment.
| July ~, 1909, the sixteenth
amendment wns proposed to the sew
eral state for ratification by resolu-
ton of Congress-. On February 5,
1918, the Legislature of New Jersey
voted in favor of ratification. The
proclamation of the Secretary of
state, declaring the amendment duly
ratified. was issued February %,
1918.
The last amendment prior to the
pending one, being the seventeenth,
was proposed by resolution passed
by the two Ho1ses of Congress on
/ May is, 1912. On March Is, 1918.
1T was ratified by the Legislature of
/ New Jersey. And on May 81, 1913,
1t was declared part of the Con-
stiution of the United States, ac-
cording 10 proclamation of the Sec
retary of State.
As Mr.. Howard has access to the
records from which the foregoing
facts are taken, 1t is difilcult to ac-
count for the statement. which he
made in his eloquent address, SO
palpably at variance with these facts
EUDIA.