The Elbert County tribune., 1919-01-24

1912. Eugene w Chain. Arizonn.
md Aaron S. Watkins. ohio. ooS-925
gotes.
1916, j. Frank Hanley. Indiana, and
Dr. Ira Landrith. Tennessee. 214.3fp
votes.
The National Prohibition party
curiously enough. has been rather op-
posed to prohibition by constitutions
amendment. In the last Year BOOK
(916) we read:
although the Prohibition party
may be said TO be committed by plat
form declaration to the adoption OF
national prohibition amendment. when
placed in power. the program OF Tue
party Has never contemplated agita-
ton for n nonpartisan amendment 10
be enforced by administrations not IA
vorabIa IN nrobIbition. The
general opinion seems to favor admit
ting the desirability of the amendment
as the end TO be accomplished. at the
same time emphasizing its impracti-
cabillty as method, and denying It's
necessity as n condition precedent to
Nsecuring national prohibition.
L ne ouuS are 81 oNtl
against the ratification of an amend
ment that they cannot possibly be
overcome through any reasonable ex-
penditure of time. money and effort so
long as the liquor traffic exists 10 fight
for its life
The National Prohibition party is
certainly right about the apparent
,la ,lA nv
of constitutional amendment and
its ratification by the states. There
have been 1,757 amendments to the
Constitution proposed and IS of them
have been passed. Herein lies the mar
vel of the ratification of the eighteenth
amendment in about thirteen months.
1t has been figured that the chances
against the passing of an amendment
are 10 to l. The case is put thus:
The chances against ratification are
. 10 i in the house of representatives,
and TO l in the senate. and. there
fore 4 10 l in congress. That Is:
Should the measure pass either house
by unanimous vote, the one-third op-
position in the other house would
block 1t in congress as whole; in
other words, the resolution must be
supported on the two chances in each
house, while If the opposition scores
on its one chance in either house, the
measure fails. The chances In the
state legislatures are to l against
the resolution hence, in the congress
and the legislatures combined the
chances are 10 to l against passage.
In other words the measure might
pass both houses of congress unani-
mously, and be defeated as whole by
the one chance in the states. 1t might
pass either house of congress and all
of the legislatures unanimously. and
be defeated by the one chance in the
other house OF congress.
ST. John Makes a Stir.
John z. St John was the first Pro-
hlbition party candidate to make n
renl stir In the political world. What
he did in the campaign of 1884 was
long remembered. st. John was born
in Indiana and in the Civil war was
lieutenant-colonel of the One Hundred
and Forty-third regiment, Illinois vol
unteers He was twice elected gov
ernor of Kansas on the Republican
ticket and was defeated for .re-elec-
ton to this office in 1882 by anti-pro-
hibition Republicans. who thought him
too warm a friend of the temperance
cause.
Frances f. Willard and delega-
tion of women presented an enormous
petition to the Republican national
convention, urging consideration for
the prohibition forces. The story of
that time was that the petition was
not only laid on the table but thrown