Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-01-02
Domestic Affairs

Domestic Affairs
The return of the United States to a
condition of peace was not accom-
plished easily. Unusual conditions ex-
listed and the people of the country
were confronted with problems that
had been unknown in the days before
the war
The adoption of nationwide prohi-
bition and the submission by congress
of the constitutional amendment for
complete woman's suffrage were inn
| portant events of the year. Ratif1ca-
ton of the national prohibition amend
ment came early in the year with
rapidity that surprised the nation. On
January % the state department pro-
claimed the ratification of the amend
ment and set January 16, 1920, as the
date when it would become effective.
On January Attorney General Greg
DRY rendered his resignation, to become
effective March 4, and A. Mitchell Pal
mer was appointed to succeed him on
February, q. On January II Walker
D. Hines was appointed director gen
eral of railroads to succeed William
G. McAdoo.
The governments first blow at the
radicals during the year was deiiv-
cred on January when Congressman
Victor L. Berger and four other So
cialist leaders were found guilty by
federal jury in Chicago of conspiring
to interfere with the successful con-
duct of the war On February Is they
were sentenced to 20 years imprison-
ment
In response to an appeal by Presi-
dent Wilson, the senate after several
days of bitter debate on January "A,
passed bill appropriating 100000
600 for the relief Of the starving in El-
rope, stipulating that none of this
money should be used for the relief
of peoples of the central empires.
On March 2 Herbert Hoover was
appointed by the president to be di-
rector general of American relief
among the population Of Europe.
Because of the necessity for legis-
lation to meet the new after-war con-
ditions, President Wilson on May Z, by
cable from Paris, called special SEES
sion of congress to convene May 19.
On May 10 the campaign for the Vic
tory Liberty loan, the last popular war
loan, closed with a heavy oversub-
scription of the $4,500,000,0O0 bond
issue.
The special session Of the Sixty
sixth congress opened on May 10 with
ahe Republicans in control of both
house and senate for the first time
since 1912. The house of representa-
tives was organized by the election of
! Congressman Gillett Of Massachusetts
as speaker. In the senate Senator
Cummins of Iowa was elected presi-
dent pro TEN.
One of the first acts Of the new
house was to pass the woman suffrage
amendment to the Constitution by a
vote of 3O4 to 80. The amendment
was again brought up in the senate on
June and this time was adopted by
vote of Sc to %.
ments were manifested on June
when bombs were exploded simultan-
eously at the residences of ten men in
! eight Eastern cities.
On July / the wartime emergency
| prohibition act went into effect and
for the first time in history the sale
| of liquor was illegal throughout the
| United States. On July II President
Wilson vetoed the agricultural appro-
priation bill because of rider" re-
pealing the daylight saving law. Con
gress promptly passed separate bill
repealing the daylight saving law and
when President Wilson vetoed this
measure, both houses passed the bill
over his veto on August 20.
Much of the industrial unrest exist
ing throughout the country was at
tributed to the greatly increased cost
of living. AS prices continued to adj
vance. the government took steps to
curb profteering and to reduce prices.
On August President Wilson adj
dressed congress on the necessity OF
reducing the cost of living, recon-
mending measures designed to pro-
duce this result. Some of the legis-
lation proposed was enacted by con-
gress and the department of justice
undertook to enforce vigorously the
laws prohibiting profteering.
The country was aroused during the
summer by a series of race riots, the
/ first of which occurred in Washington
on July 81. Four persons were killed
in the rioting at the capital. On July
27 the most serious race riots of the
year began in Chicago. It was found
necessary to call out state troops and
before order had been restored 81
persons had been killed and hundreds
injured.
In recognition of the services which
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