The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-04-30
Farmers Took Lead.

AS the first states to go dry were
agricultural states, the vets Congrat-
ulated themselves that it was purely
rural movement, and would not reach
states containing large cities. But it
did. State after state went dry-South,
West and North. The movement trav-
eled toward the northeast. gathering
strength as it went. Still the Eastern
editors insisted that it never could be
submitted, because submission re-
Quired two-thirds of both houses. But
it was submitted and won with votes
to spare.
Then the vets said that it could not
be ratified, and they pointed out what
seemed to them an insurmountable OPP
position. THE drys," they said must
have both branches of the legislature
in three fourths of the states, while the
vets need only one house in each of
Is states" In other words, the drys
had to elect 70 houses in Sc states
while the vets only had to hold Is
houses in IL states. 1t did seem like
tremendous handicap, but the drys
carried 81 houses out of 90, while the
vets held both houses in New Jersey,
both in Rhode Island and one house in
Connecticut.
When ratification began some of the
smaller states acted first. Then the
amendment was ratified it would be
ratified by the small states-that they
might thus force prohibition on the big
states. They grew very indignant at
a constitution that would permit such
an outrage. But within an incredibly
short time-less than a year and a
half-all the big states, all the middle
states and most of the small states had
ratified. The big states Joined the
middle size states and nearly all the
small states in forcing prohibition on
Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode
Island.
To show how complete the victory is,
It Is only necessary to point out few
facts First "a states are dry by their
own individual act--nearly all of them
by constitutional amendments adopted
by popular vote. Those states that
since its adoption, elected legislatures
pledged to continue prohibition.
The amendment was submitted by
five more than four-fifths of the sem
ate, when only a two-thirds vote was
required for submission. The house
taken since that time indicate that
the strength Of prohibition has in
creased in both senate and house. The
last record vote in the senate showed
majority Of to ! for the prohibition
| side. The last vote in the house showed
majority of almost to !,
But. more significant still it is not
partisan victory. on the contrary,
| the two leading parties have been close
rivals in the effort to see which could
give to prohibition the largest per
centage of its votes in senate and house.
| In the senate the Democratic vote was
| just 3 to | in favor of submission ana
| the Republican vote 5 more than 3 to l.
| in the house both parties gave more
| than two-thirds of their vote to the
amendment, the Democratic percentage
being just little the larger.
Both Parties for 1t.
Seldom If ever before, have the two
parties acted together so tremendously
| on any important question. 1t was a
| triumph Of the conscience of the ma
| ton irrespective of party. 1t was the
| greatest moral victory ever achieved at
| the polls so far as history records
These facts have been presented in
| order that the reader may understand
| the audacity of the effort now being
made by the opponents of prohibition
to undo what has been done, or, rather
| to invite a period Of lawlessness. be
cause they can not hope to repeal the
| constitutional amendment by constitu-
| tional methods.
To repeal the amendment it would
| be necessary for the vets 10 secure
| two thirds Of both houses in order to
submit a renealing amendment and then
secure ratification by SO of the AZ
states who's believes that such a
change in public sentiment is posi-
| BILE?
A few states have attempted to de-
| fine for themselves the alcoholic con-
tent to be permitted in beverages man
ufactured and sold within the state.
| Rhode Island attempted to fix the alco-
holic content at 4 per cent, and New
Jersey has recently attempted to fix
| II at az per cent, In Massachusetts a
number Of legislative districts voted
under a state statute, to instruct their
representatives in the legislature to vote
| for per cent. The federal enforce
ment law fixes the alcoholic content
at one nalf of one per cent and one
and -tenths per cent has been de-
clared by the war department to be
| intoxicating-pos not to the men
whose system has been diseased by al
| cohol-but at least 10 the beginner.
1t is hardly possible that the supreme
court will permit the notification Of a
| federal statute and the federal constiu
| ton by state action, A decision sus-
| tanning a state law permitting more
| than one-half Of one per cent of alco-
| hol in beverages would entirely defeat
| the purpose OF the constitutional
amendment because, II the constitution
has no effect as against state stat