The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-16

Washington, Jan. 16.-Prohibition
became part of the basic law of the
United States today. Ratification of
the federal amendment BY the Ne
braska legislature makes that meas
ure the eighteenth amendment to the
federal constitution.
All but half dozen of the forty
eight states are expected to adopt the
amendment in the next few weeks. but
the action of Nebraska today gives
the ratification of three-fourths of the
states the number necessary to admin
lister John Barleycorn the X. O.
punch.
one year from today every saloon,
brewery, distillery and Wine press in
the land must close its doors, unless
as now seems likely, they are already
closed at that time by war prohibition
which goes into effect next July and
stays until completion of demobiliza-
ton. Here is what the amendment
will do:
Wipe oft at a stroke 236 distilleries;
1872 brewer.es. and over 100000 sa
looms and wholesale liquor establish
ments.
Cut off from these persons annual
income totalling more than $40
100000 in pre-war times.
Cut off from the United States
treasury a source of taxation counted
upon for al even billion dollars in the
first drafts of the new revenue bill
and millions in additional incomes to
state treasures.
Remove the liquor question from
national. state and city politics for all
tine and help decrease city. state and
federal expense by decreasing law vio-
lat;ons.
An O;d Fight Won.
The fight on liquor, triumphant to-
da%. is as old a the constitution itself
1t raised its head early in the nine
teenth century and was looked upon
as another crank notion"
But it gathered strength. Churches
tool; It up. doctors followed and then
came organizations of anti-liquor so
cict'es, the Anti-saloon league and
others.
In the middle of the nineteenth cen
tury Maine went dry. Kansas fol-
lowed At the end of the Civil war the
little band of anti-slaVe agitators. who
had won their fight seriously consid-
cred turning to the prohibition battle.
Their number included William Lloyd
Garrison and the poet, Whittier. About
19CO came thu militant" stage in the
person of Carrie Nation of Kansas,
probably the most picturesque figure
tlr fight ever developed.
Ten years later. the crusade against
liquor had grown from the rawlings
q cranks'' into an Irresistible move
meut that swept the country.
VIII Try for Comeback"
But John Barleycorn will try to stage
Il comeback" Distllers are already
planning a fight on the amendment
in the courts on the ground that il
was not adopted by two-thirds of the
whole congress and that the seven
year limitation in it invalidates the
measure.
Drys say they are confident that
neither of these contentious will hole
and on their side are preparing leg
islation carrying heavy penalties fol
violation of prohibition. A specia
agency in the internal revenue bureau
will probably be asked.
The Thirty-Six States.
The first thirty-six ratifying th
amendment are:
Mississippi, Virginia, Kentucky
North Dakota, South Carolina, Mary
land, Montana. Texas Delaware, Soutl
Dakota, Massachusetts,. Arizona, Geor
Eia. Louisiana, Florida Michigan
Ohio, Oklahoma. Maine. Idaho, Yves
Virginia, Washington, Tennessee, Cal
ifornia, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana
North Carolina. Alabama, Kansas
Iowa, Oregon, Colorado. New Hamp
shire. Utah, Nebraska
Cannot Manufacture Liquor.
The resolution follows:
Resolved. BY the senate and hous
of representatives of the United State
of America, in congress assem- BILE
(two-thirds of each house concurrin
therein). that the following amend
meut to the constitution be, an
hereby is. proposed to the states. I
become valid as a part of the con
stitution when ratified by the legis
latures of the several states as pro
vided by the constitution:
Article
Section AFTER one year from tn
ratification of this article. the manu-
facture sale. or transportation of in
tOxicatiOp ljouOrS within the irnDorfl
ton thereof into, or the eXportatio
thereof from. the United States an
all territory subject to the jurisdictio
thereof. for beverage purposes
hereby prohibited.
Sec. 2.-The congress and the SCI
eral states shall have concurrent pow
tConflnued on rarN TwoI