The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-06-07
PROHIBITION IS
HERE TO STAY
United States Supreme Court
Upholds Amendment and
Volstead Act of En-
forcement.
/, is LAST BLOW TO VETS
All Contentious Made by Most Skill
fut Lawyers Of Liquor Interests A
Have Been Swept
Aside.
u, IS LAST BLOW TO VETS

| United Press Leased Wire Service.
! WASHINGTON, June Z. = The
United States supreme court today
upheld constitutional prohibition. IN
a sweeping decision the court declare
that the prohibition amendment to
the constitution is valid and held that
the yolstead act enforcing it is con
stitutional.
! The courts action means that the
iVolstead law prohibiting the sale OF
any beverage containing one-haf of
| one percent or more of alcohol must
be enforced in every state Of the
union, regardless of whether the
state has ratified the amendment
State laws providing higher alcoholic
content, such as have been enacted
| in New Jersey, Wisconsin and Rhode
Island, are nullified. -
| The decision dispels the hope or
! the brewing interests that the prop.
critics could be used for the manu-
ifacture of light beers and wines and
! thus minimize the losses due 20
national prohibition.
4 The courts decree. rendered after
three months OF legal attacks on tha
law by the liquor interests and the
wet states, is a complete victory FOR
the federal government and the pro-
hibition forces. 1t is SO far reaching
that it settles once for all that na-
tional prohibition will stand until the
prob ibition amendment IS removed
from the constitution by action or
!,three-fourths of the states.
| All the contentious made by the
most skillful lawyers of the vets
were swept aside on the ground that
it was legally ratified and that the
states in so doing gave congress
power to enact the Volstead law.
| UNFOLDING the amendment, the
court stated prohibition is valid
subject for an addition to the con-
stitution and that such action does
not conflict with other articles of
that historic document.
The constitutionality of the Vol
stead law was based upon the gen.
eral principles laid down by Chief
Justice Marshall more than a hun
dred years ago that where state laws
conflict with federal statutes the fed
eral laws are supreme.
A blanket decision was recorded
by the court on seven suits. These
were brought by or appealed from six
states-Rhode Island, New Jersey,
Mas sa chusetts, Wisconsin, Missouri
and Kentucky. Rhode Island and
New Jersey as states instituted pro.
ceedings in the court to have the
amendment declared void and to en-
ioin the enforcement of the Volsteat
law within their limits.
The appeals were on cases insti-
tuted in lower courts by Christian
Feigenspan, a New Jersey brewing
corporation. George G. Dempsey, a
Boston liquor dealer, the St. Louis
Brewing association the Kentucky
Distilleries and Warehouse company,
Louisville and the Manitowoc Prod
ucts company, Milwaukee.
The government won all but the
Milwaukee case in the lower courts,
and consequently today's action af-
firms the Judgment in all the others
below. The Milwaukee decision, rem
dered by Federal Judge George. was
reversed. In the New Jersey and
Rhode Island state actions the mo-
ton of the federal government to
dismiss the cases was granted.
The courts opinion took up all the
contentious of the wet forces in de-
tail and then declared that there was
TO legal loI lutIh
Chief Justice White said he re-
gretted that the court had not seen
fit to outline the steps which led up
to it's decision. He indicated, how
ever. that he was not dissenting from
the opinion. He said congress in the
eighteenth amendment should have
defined intoxicating liquors.
Justice Vandevanter read the opin-
ion of the court.
After pointing out that the court
was concerned with seven cases in
yclving the validity of the amend
ment and of certain general features
of the Volstead law. Justice Vande-
vanter announced the conclusions of
the court on the various points
raised: SIS
Following is the decision:
al. The adoption by both houses
of con gress, each by two-thirds
vote, of joint resolution proposing
an amendment to the constitution
shows that the proposal
was deemed necessary by all who