The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1920-06-18
Eighteenth Amendment and
Volstead Act Are Sustained
UNANIMOUS DECISION
ENDS LEGAL BATTLE
Prohibition Law Meets Every Test
ENFORCEMENT NEXT

On Monday, June 7, the fight to Sc
cure a valid National Prohibition law
ended with a decision by the United
States Supreme Court upholding the
| Eighteenth Amendment and the y OIL
| stead Enforcement Act The Proh-
| bition battle from now on is matter
years the Anti-Saloon League worked
for law prohibiting the liquor traffic
throughout the United States step by
step The battle was fought for
minor laws then for more important
laws until at last the Eighteenth
Amendment and the Nolstead Act
providing for the enforcement OF the
|, same were placed on the statute
books. The vets then made their
final stand. They hoped TO have Pro-
hbition declared unconstitutional
The ablcst lawyers procurable by the
liquor traffic prepared the eases for
the vets and argued them in the SUI
premc Court. The Constitution and
the Nolstead Act were attacked at
every point in various cases.
On June the highest court in the
land sustained the law at every point
and the battle Tor a legally dry nation
WAS won.
4 staff correspondent OF the Chicago
Tribune wrote the following report
OF the Supreme Court decision;
(By Staff Corresponding
/ Washington, D. C., June 7-(Spc-
cial.) Court battles over Prohibition
gShas se,sgiTi ssT.eaa7splete '.iates::sa fer
the drys.
The Supreme Court of the United
States, in a sweeping decision today,
covering both the Eighteenth Amend
ment and the Nolstead enforcement
act, held both OF these legislative en-
actments constitutional
The decision was practically unani-
nous. Justice McKenna delivered a
dissenting opinion on the Concurrent
power" issue, and Chief Justice White
and Justice McReynolds criticised GER
tain features of the law, but their OBJ
jections were so slight that they did
not deliver minority decisions, but an
nounced their concurrence in the con-
clusions of the court.
Those Directly Affected
The court dismissed petitions filed
by the states OF Rhode Island and
New Jersey to have federal officials
enjoined from enforcing Prohibition
in those states.
The court also dissolved the injunc-
ton restraining Prohibition authori-
ties from interfering with the Mani
towoc Products company i'll the man.
! ufacture OF beer containing more than
onehalf of | per cent OF alcohol,
Court actions of Christian Feigen-
span, Newark, N. J., the St. Louis
Brewing association, and George c.
Dempsey of Boston, also were thrown
out.
Federal court DEGREES dismissing in
/ JullCtlOH pIONStuiHSS lISliluicu py lllc
Kentucky Distilleries and Warehouse
company to enjoin enforcement were
sustained by the court
Remaining Hope of Vets
The only form of attack now left
for the vets is through amendment of
the Volstead act permitting a greater
amount of alcoholic content than one
half of pei cent as provided in the
present law.
The vets refuse to give up hope
that a revulsion of feeling on the part
of the voters of the country may
sweep a wet Congress into power.
Nothing in the Supreme Court de-
cisions will prevent amendment per-
mitting the manufacture of light
wines and beers.
Ruling by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court in its ruling,
held as follows:
1.-THE adoption by both houses
| of Congress, each by two-thirds
VOTE of joint resolution proposing
an amendment to the Constitution
sufficiently shows that the proposal
was deemed necessary by all who
voted for it. An express declaration
that they regarded it as necessary is
not essential None of the resolu-
tions whereby prior amendments