Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1920-09-16
Will Not DO to Change Law.

Will Not DO to Change Law.
William G. McAdoo, ex-Secretary OF
the Treasury, who is to campaign ex- |
tensively for Governor Cox, the Demo-
cratic presidential nominee, in z state |
ment last week said he strongly fav-
ored the prohibition amendment and
was as strongly opposed to any modifi-
cation of the Volsteai act, which will
permit the sale Of beer and light wines
prohibition means prevention"
said Mr.. McAdoo. at does not mean
license in any form. To permit the
sale of light wines and beer is 20 open
crack in the door Of prevention and
once the crack is open the door IS wide.
II would be impossible to administer
beer and light wine law in such
manner as to prevent the gravest
abuses.
81 know from experience as Secre-
tary of the Treasury that no law which
provides for a drink containing GER
tain percentage of alcohol can be sue
cessfully enforced. If the law should
permit thousands Of breweries and
wineries to be reopenei throughout
the land and to manufacture beverages
with a specified alcoholic intent, it
would be impossible to prevent the
manufacture Of those beverages with
a larger percentage of alcohol than
prescribed or to prevent adulteration
after manufacture and the effect would
be to nullify the prohibition amend
ment.
even If the saloon itself were not
reopened, light wines and beer would
be sold at every soda fountain, at
every lunch counter and in every res
taurant and hotel. A large enough
chemical plant with sufficient force to
analyze the alcoholic content of these
beverages could never be provided. 1t
is a notorious fact that drunkards be-
gin by drinking light wines and beer
when young, and as the appetite grows
the desire for strongc. drink is devc!
oped. If we turn loose upon the coun-
try light wine and beer to be sold at
every drug store, soda fountain. lunch
counter, hotel and restaurant, we have
destroyed the prohibition amendment
and brought back upon humanity a
curse greater than war itself. The
greatest victory ever achieved for help
less women and children would be
thrown TO the winds.
sit required two-thirds vote Of The
Congress to submit the amendment
to the States. 1t then required three
fourths of the States to put The ,mend-
ment in the Constitution. Forty-five
States have ratified the amendment If
Congress can, by mere majority, H.
cense beer and light wines, then prohi-
bition which required a two thirds vote
and Presidential approval, plus the
consent of three fourths of tine States,
can be nulified by majority of Con-
gress with the approval Of the Presi-
dent.
THE brewe-ies and the wineries
know this fact. They know that the
prohibition amendment will be a dead
letter once beer AMI light wine bill
is passed. Every man and woman
voter who puts the welfare Of children
and humanity above the mere xratifca-
ton of harmful appettes should see
to 1t that the next Congress does not
destroy the prohibition amendment, re-
store the breweries and wineries TO
political power and re-establish the
deoasing and immoral liquor traffic"
AS an evidence of complete Demo-
cratic party harmony it was announced
at the Democratic campaign head
quarters that Mr. McAdoo will send a
personal letter to each of the delegates
who voted for him at the San Francisco
Convention urging each one to work
for the election of Governor Cox.