Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-04-19
is WAR ENDED?
ANSWERS VARY
Problem Thus Presented Has
Proven Knotty One for Lead
ing Students of Country.
ARGUMENTS ARE HEATED
A Good Suggestion as Solution of
Question Might Be @Leave
Ii to Supreme Court"
TITS AND TISyT.


Federal Judge Walter Evans, at
Louisville, KY, April 2-''The war
was legally ended when President
Wilson, in communicating the
terms OF the armistice TO a joint
session Of congress on Nov. II.
1918, remarked: The war thus
comes to an end"
sFederal Judge E. e. Cushman,
at San Francisco, Cal, April A.
THE war is not over until the
president notifies the people by
proclamation"
Knotty legal problems. bearing
directly or indirectly on both war
time and constitutional prohibit
ton, threaten to clutter the dock
ct of the United States supreme
court Pending anticipated ap-
peals to the country's final tri-
bunal from conflicting decisions
like the above, the state of Rhode
Isl2nd is reported about to make
a test case before the supreme
court of the constitutionality of
national prohibition.
According to well defined re-
port current in the supreme court
room, distinguished counsel, act
ing in the name of Rhode Island,
will soon file briefs there in which
the legality of the constitutional
prohibition amendment is to be at
tackled on various grounds, in
Guiding the right of several state
legislatures to ratify the amend
ment because of the existence in
those states of a referendum.
Prohibition leaders here declar-
meet the latter contention with one
met the latter contention with one
that, inasmuch as Rhode Island,
whose legislature refused to rat
fly the amendment, is without a
referendum, she is not entitled to
NEEDLE with the affairs OF those
states that possess one.
Could Expedite Case.
However soon Rhode Island,
whose proposed action is describ-
ed here as having been authorized
by her legislature, may seek to
have her test case placed on the
under the rules Of procedure of
the next term, which starts in Oc-
tober next. The court could. how
ever, then expedite the case. and
"wets" here who are apparently
seeking some ray of hope from
Rhode Islands move, expressed
the belief that there wouldn't be
much difficulty in having a final
decision handed down before con-
stitutional prohibition is scheduled
to go into effect on Jan. 16, 1920.
1920.
While constitutional prohibition
is looming up in the supreme
court, the question of whether
war time prohibition is or is not
to become effective on July /, 1919,
is one that was becoming today
more and more subjecssfor heat
ed argument between "wets" and
"drys" It was not regarded as at
all unlikely that the supreme
court might eventually decide
when the war did legally, end, but
hardly before the next term of
court, if such a decision is eX-
pected as result of the opposing
views of Federal Judge Evans and
Federal Judge Cushman, by which
time, July /. 1919, would have
passed INTO history.
The White house is certain to
be watched closely, upon the pres
ident's return, by both prohibition
lists and anti-prohibitionists, for
with hin will rest the power to
revoke or not revoke the order
for wartime prohibition. "Wets"
admitted they were not pinning
too much hope on revocation of
the order; ''drys" predicted that
it would not be revoked.
Probably Got 1t Straight.
In the meanwhile official Wash
ington was still discussing a cir
cumstantial story from Pennsyl-
vania, the home state of Attorney
General A. Mitchell Palmer, that
a prominent Democrat who ran on
the Democratic ticket in that state
at last years election. upon re-
turning to Allentown from Wash
ington, had offered to wager
$1,000 to $500 that the war time
prohibition order would be re-
voked by June l.
The wet" prophet is close
enough to at least one cabinet Of
ficer to have received a straight
tip as to administration plans,
ran this story.
ITO be or not to be-" seems to