Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1920-10-06
TO THE CITIZENS OF WINNIE.
SHIEk COUNTY.

mOluCS, ana my name VIII appear up
on the Official Ballot at the Election
November End, 1920. Before the
Primary Election last June l was at
tackled and criticised for my votes in
the Legislature in 1919 upon five
major offenses" namely, my vote
upon the Eighteenth Amendment
known as the Prohibitory Amend
ment; my vote upon the 10th Amend
ment to United States Constitution
known as the Woman Suffrage
Amendment; my vote in favor of the
Impeachment of Governor William
L.. Harding; my vote on the road
Law, and on the Bank Charter Bill,
or Bank Monopoly Dill. l was also
criticised for certain measures which
i introduced which did not become
law.
ask your time and attention, and
i will discuss these Criticisms" in
the order in which | have enumerat-
ed them. However, only two of them
will be taken up in this issue of this
paper, and further discussion will APP
pear in succeeding issues.
The 18th Amendment-Or Prohibit
DRY Amendment.
NdD Cudl GoCu Will IliOt CpICSCu
ting Wnneshiek County because /
voted in favor of the passage of this
Amendment to tho United States
Constitution. 1t was claimed that
went against what Winneshiek Coun-
ty had voted upon, so ask you to
examine the following:
In October, 1917, an Amendment
to IOWA "TATE Constitution was
submitted to the voters of Iowa:
this Amendment read as follows:
ITO add to the State Constitution
following Section &c thereof, the fol-
lowing to be knownsas Section 81
The manufacture, sale. keeping for
sale as a beverage. of intoxicating
liquors, INCLUDING ALE, WINE,
BEER, shall be forever prohibited
within the state of Iowa" This is
the Amendment that you voted up
on in 1917.
In 1919 the 18th Amendment TO
UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
was submitted to the states for act
ion thereon This Amendment was
in the following words: After one
year from the ratification of this
article, the manufacture, sale, or
transportation of INTOXICATING
LIQUORS within, the importation
thereof into, or the expectation
thereof from the United States and
oil territory subject to the juris-
diction thereof for beverage ,pur-
poses is hereby prohibited" This
Amendment l voted for. in 1919.
The two are very different; one
amends the IOWA State Constitution
and forbade ALE. WINE and BEER
that is the one you voted upon;
the other one amends the UNITED
STATES CONSTITUTION, and for
bids INTOXICATING LIQUORS as a
beverage. Light Wines and Beer"
are not mentioned at all in the
Amendment upon which voted. and
ALE, WINE AND BEER were spe-
eifcally mentioned in the one on
which you voted; also the one on
which / voted was to amend UNITED
STATES CONSTITUTION, ques-
tion upon which no vote Was ever
taken in Winneshiek County, or
Iowa; the matter was not submitted
to vote anywhere, for the U. s. Con
stitution prescribed when adopted
the exact manner in which il might
be amended. This amendment when
voted upon in the Iowa Legislature
received in the House sc votes for
adoption, and 10 against adoption
and 9 absent or no voting; in the
Senate it received AZ for, and Z
against adoption. and 1 absent
When the Resolution to pass this
Amendment was before Congress
every Iowa Republican member OF
the House, including Congressman
Haugen voted for its adoption, and
both Senators, .Gummins and Kenyon
voted for its adoption i'm the Senate.
Senator Harding of Ohio-now Re
publican candidate for President
voted for its adoption. and of the
8 Republican Representatives from
Ohio voted for its adoption while the
Democrat Senator from Ohio and z
Democrat Congressman from that
state voted against adoption.
II will thus be seen that ! did not
misrepresent Winneshiek County:
and that I voted in harmony with
the Republican Party's record in
Iowa for 38 years, and In harmony
with the Republican members or
Congress from Iowa. and in harmony
with the man who is now the Re-
publican Party's choice for President
of the United States. Only three
states of the forty-eight refused to
adopt this ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Jersey.
Connecticut and Rhode Island.
The act of Congress known as the
-'Volstead Act" became introduced
by Congressman Andrew J. Volstead
of Minnesota, is the real regulatory
measure that restricts the quantity
of alcohol that may be contained N
beer, or any other drink, and the
Iowa Legislature had absolutely
nothing to do with that Act. How,
then. can the election of wet
State Representative aid in any way
in getting beer back to the people oil
Winneshiek County? A State Repre-
sentative has absolutely nothing to
do with that matter; any thing that
is done must be done by UNITED
STATES CONGRESS, and that Is
why an urgent effort has been made
10 organize the 'iwet" voters in every
county, and in every state this year
in the hope that a wet" Congress
might be elected this fall. and that Is
why wet" states, and the Liquor
ORGANIZATIONS all over the United
states worked so hard TO prevent the
THIRTY SIXTH state from ratifying