The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-01-24

islature without relinquishing in any
degree it's right to ratify the pending
amendment of the Federal Constitu
ton. House bill No. 50 provides for
referendum vote at the March
meetings. After that vote had been
taken there should be no question
about the will of the people in regard
to this important matter. This legis
lature would be in possession of the
peoples mandate and could act &C.
cordingly."
Taking up the constitutional rights
Of Vermont the governor said: 81
contend, Mr.. Chairman, that the mem
bers of this legislature, having taken
an oath that they will mot do or con-
sent to any act whatever that shall
have tendency to lessen or abridge
their rights, that he, the rights and
privileges of the people as declar-
ed by the Constitution of the State
have no right therefore to ratify this
amendment without first having pre-
scented it in some form to the quail
fled electors Of this state"
He examined in some detail the
legal question as to whether Con-
gress had submitted the amendment
by the necessary two-thirds vote,
and stated that litigation might be
expected in twenty-five states whose
legislatures had ratified the amend
ment. He referred to the action of
the bar associations of New York and
Massachusetts, which recommended
that the amepdment should not be
adopted on account of the way III
which it was proposed.
He quoted Elihu Root on local self
government and called attention to his
words in which he declared that "to
subject any section of the country in
its local affairs to the dictation of the
vast multitude of voters living in 9th
er parts of the country would create
condition of intolerable tyranny
and to use the power of the nation to
bring about that condition would be
to make the nation an instrument OF
tyranny"
The Governor gave resume OF
II years under the local option law
during which time the number of Ii
cense towns had been reduced anc
I enforced He also called attention te
the liberal laws Of Italy, Spain anG
] France, where wine is cheap and it is
seldom that an intoxicated man il
D seen.
He declared that he did not oppose
: prohibition SO far as it might be eff
z fected by Individual states and so long
as the sentiment of the people was
for enforcement. But he urged thai
the Sheppard amendment meant thai
if a farmer put in a barrel of cider
in his cellar and it became alcoholic
he would be subject to arrest and tt
have his property seized under the
law. He warned the committee thai
spies and informers, graft and hypo
crisy might follow the attempted en-
forcement of the national prohibition
law in Vermont and in other states
as it followed the attempts to enforce
the state prohibitory law in Vermont
Making a final argument for the
o1ItCC1Cy VI ClO OO1iSCILOt1O1l, C1Ae
Governor said: Cup to this time
there has been no sumptuary provis-
ion in the Constitutional law, either
in the United States or in Vermont
and there should be none. 1t is the
basic law which defines the limit OF
legislation in the interest of the min
ority. It prevents the majority wher
in power, represented by the govern
ment, from attacking certain rights
of the minority. If this measure be-
comes a part of the Constitution, ii
upsets the Constitution itself and
changes the very purpose for which
it was formulated.
"This is the entering wedge to q
system of centralized Federal power
and is radical change from the orig
inal plan of our organic law. 1t
should be considered with the utmost
care and deliberation. Benefits which
it is claimed will be derived from its
adoption should be considered in con-
necton with the evils which are liza
BILE to follow; and should be weighed
carefully in order that in obtaining
such benefits we may not be inviting
the most serious consequences