South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-06-30

Hcan congress is an extreme exercise Of the
powers granted by the 18th amendment, etc"
That is slop FOR the wets-and sand-paper for the
drys. It is also false. II is false a whole. but
question OF its being an extreme exercise OF
the powers granted" by the amendment, being
matter OF opinion let pass The insnuation. how
ever. that the president vetoed that account
Is absolutely misleading and il the presidents
may be in rebuttaI. such insinuaton OF
downright prevarcation.
Understand Us We do not claim that Prest VIII
is any such pronounced dry Col W. J.
Bryan He did not nevertheless the Vols1esd
account OF the enforcement OF the 18th
amendment at all. and explicitly said He raised
no question TO the proper applicability OF the law
for enforcement of the constitution. but distinctly
stated that his objection lay in its application
10 war prohibition which in his judgment, as ne
pressed it 10 congress should have been repealed
The president left every L assume that but
Tor the applicability to prohibition he would
have approved of the bill Does Mr. Burleson pre-
tell the president misled
We do say that the president was right in
his veto such basis II
the time that the measure was passed over his veto
that for congress had been right pres-
dent wrong-just that once.-incident to which we
also challenge Mr.. Burleson's further insinuation
that the republicans in congress alone did 1t. You
could easily draw conclusion from refer
to the overriding of the "by republican
congress" Fact of the matter is that while the
publicans in the majority in both houses you
that majority fingers of your
hands. and it takes a two-thirds vote to pass
bill over the presidents veto
Accordingly it would have taken every repub-
can and nearly half the democratic vote to pass a
bill the presidents veto-but that not
the The figures have been temporarily misaid,
but a fairly good memory, upon which will
ing 10 bank shows a very little difference both
the republican and democratic votes. whether for
against the repassage of the Volstead bill The re-
publicans democrats while determined
pass the bill and get rid of the squabble still
scared the and dry votes back home that
they came out nearly even both in their race to
pass the in repass IT. Therefore
repassed and the credit belongs to both par
tes-with but slight shade of difference.
The president has enough to answer for with
erence to his veto of the Volstead act because OF
his antipathy to the extension Of war prohibition,
without seeking TO make ii appear that he was
opposed to efficient enforcement of the consttu-
ton. Mr. Burleson misrepresents the president,
warrantedly and decisvey, imposing upon him
undue dscredit less represensble than the
credit he would give the republican
gress" This latter Is asnine the republican
claim that the president prevented ratification OF
the Paris treaty by the senate
Fact OF matter the could ratify
the Paris treaty-with its much mooted Lodge
vations-even after w. ]. Bryan had lined up with
the republicans more democrats than was necessary
ratify The record shows that only 20 democrats
voted against the treaty in the senate after slightly
modified Lodge reservations had been passed. The
republicans with that aid should have had rs votes
notification program but their rreconcilable
Is were quite as obdurate against any ratification.
as were the 20 democrats who stood firm against
notification.
Mr. Burleson should not condescend to that low
level of the ublican leaders in their efforts
perpetrate fraud upon the public by such misrepre
sentation-even in a cause that him
dear.
But then such is Burleson.