The sun., 1919-10-29
Congress Eagerly Takes the Respon.
sibility Shed by the President.


sibility Shed by the President.
Yesterday afternoon by vote Of
more than three to one the Senate
concurred with the House in over
riding the Presidential veto. The
Volstead bill is thus enacted in dis
regard of the perfectly sound and
valid objection presented in Mr.. VIII
soN's message.
Whether the result of this extraor-
binary legislation in advance of the
life of the constitutional amendment
is to make the country bone dry for
the eighty days or so before Jahu-
airy 10 depends on two things: First,
the possible action of the Supreme
Court as to the constitutionality of
this part of the Volstead law, and.
secondly, the vigor of the Executives
enforcement of a measure which the
President has denounced and dis
credited. AS TO the first considera-
ton, the time is too short for much
chance of interference by the Judi
clary. AS to the second. it is scarcely
conceivable that the President, in the
absence of directions from the SUI
preme Court, will attempt by languld
action to nullify what is clearly the
law of the land, good law or bad. SO
our best guess is that between now
and the middle of January there will
not be much of an open season. We
must wait and see. Meanwhile every
body may be happy, or at least
everybody can try to he happy.
The ingenuity of the veto message
is typical. The President puts again
upon Congress whatever onus there
may be for the strict enforcement of
the war time prohibition act, for
whose origin the Administration was
responsible. He has declined to end
war time prohibition by proclama-
tlon, for the act is effective until the
conclusion of the present war" as
we'll as until the termination of mo-
bilization." Therefore those who
thirst are welcome, so far as Mr.
WILSON is concerned, ~ blame the
Senate for not concluding the war by
ratifying the treaty post haste. or to
blame the Congress for not repeating
the law.
But is a President justified in at
ina 70 Wit he
of law merely because he believe, il
should be repealed? On this point
the dexterity of Mr. WILSON'S pen j.
useful. 1t enables him 10 divert at
tention from the bald question and t
insist that war time prohibition and
prohibition by amendment of the Con
stitution should not be coupled:
"It will not be difficult for Con-
gress. in considering this important
lions and effectively to leg!slate re-
Earding them, making the proper dis
tlnction between temporary causes
which arose out of war time emergen-
Giles and those like the constitutional
amendment of prohibition. which is
now part OF the fundamental law of
the country"
This is perfectly clear. The Presl
dent made it plain that, for good O
III, Congress keeps the lid ON at a tim,
when the law, which was worded b,
somebody who never dreamed that de
mobilization might precede ''the con
ulusion of the present war" did no
contemplate the need of prohibition
This may satisfy the Vets in their at
titude toward Mr.. WILSON. As 70
prohibition by amendment Of the Con
stitution. none can say that the Presi
dent had anything to do with IT, on,
way or the other.
The House, while undoubtedly re
Joicing at this documentary evldenc,
Of the Presidents dialectic activity
showed no hesitation in passing tn,
hill over Mr.. WILSON'S veto. The Sen
ate followed with the same manifesto
non of unqualified willingness. Con
eress evidently is glad to take the re
sponSbility for keeping the law o
November 81, 1918, on the books AM
adding teeth to It, With the 10th o
January in mind the Congress quote
10 the weak of will: Eventually, VIII,
lot now"