Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-07-11
BY EDWARD w. PIckARD.


The United States has launched the
great experiment. Just after the
treaty was signed that nominally
brought the war to an end, our war
time emergency prohibition act went
into effect and the entire country be-
came officially "bone dry" Presuma-
bly, demobilization will be completed
within two months or so, and there
will be wet spell'' at least in some
states until the constitutional amend
ment goes into effect on January 16.
At present there is considerable con-
fusion co1:cerp:ng the scope and the
enforcement Gf the emergency law. A
| federal court has ruled in favor of
beer and wine containing not to eX
ceed "a per cent of alcohol and in
many localities the dealers are taking
| a chance and dispensing those drinks.
In most states the old and new laws
on prohibition prevent even this. In
any case the manufacture and sale of
all drinks with the greater alcoholic
content are barred and Attorney Cen
eral Palmer has ordered rigid enforce
ment of the law relating to them.
The "wets" have been making
game but losing fight, and the "drys"
have refused to yield at any point
! The forces of the latter in congress
are planning to pass measures to pre-
vent the country from going on a
whisky-drinking basis between the
time of rehabilitation and January 16,
and to put stop to the sale of weak
beer and light wines at once, regard
less of court rulings.
Though the United States is now the
only dry" country, there may be an
other before very long, for the United
Kingdom alliance, encouraged by the
success of the American prohibitionists,
has opened campaign to put Great
Britain on the same basis. American
methods will be followed and Ameri-
can speakers imported. London CORE
spondents predict that to deprive the
| Britisher of his ale, porter and beer
would almost precipitate a revolution.
British labor is against prohibition,
but so is American labor; and it may
be that John Bull will in the not dis
tant future be reduced to drinking
lemon squashes" and minerals" The
world will watch the American expert
ment, one of, the greatest ever made
| in economics, with intense interest.
His great task abroad completed sc
far as might be, President Wilson has
returned to his domestic duties. Or
the homeward trip he signed bills ant
read documents and otherwise pre-
pared himself for the contest that con
fronts him i'll the United States. The
goal he has set for himself is the rati
fication by the senate of the peace
treaty, including the covenant of tht
League of Nations. Victory will no
come easily, though it probably viii
come, maybe after the covenant ha
been amended to meet the objection
now made by a considerable numbe
of senators. Those who are agains
the league in any form are very few
but stubborn. If Mr.. Wilson is equal
iy stubborn, the whole matter is likel
to become partisan issue despite tn
efforts of many party leaders to pre-
vent this. 1t is intimated that, If tn
senate makes evident it's intention
refuse to ratify, the president wi
withhold the treaty for the time bein'
and that would at once make it an ou
and-out party question. There is PR
cedent for such a course.
If the issue is put up to the peopl