Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1920-09-20
THE WET ISSUE.

Il The WE lO0OE.
las a progressive. in government.
know when an event has passedsby and
become a part Of yesterday. The re
dictionary rarely does. The friends OF
jworld peace and the friends of progress
will win this election and any attempt
to divide them on any question not al
Tissue will be unavailing.-Gov. Cox al
4 Seattle.
4 The governors assertion that 81
know when an event has passed by and
ibecome part of yesterday" has refer.
ence to the liquor question, as he had
been pressed to make his position plain
upon that issue.
The governor insisted that he would
if elected president enforce the law
The Journal is not going to
question but that Mr.. Cox If. elected
will do as good job at law enforce
ment as President Wilson, whose ad.
ministration he has given blanket
endorsement, has. But the president
vetoed the prohibition enforcement act
and Mr.. Cox and the Democratic plat
form endorses that veto along with the
balance Of the record.
The question is not one of law en-
Iforcement, nor even Of the past records
of the Republican and Democratic
candidates for president. The question
now is: Is MI. Cox for the Volstead
act or is he. against it: That is the
test. He has been asked repeatedly
to state his position regarding this law
and although he is making speeches
every day, some days a dozen of, them
he is silent upon this paramount issue
Senator Harding supported the prohi-
Ibitory amendment in the senate and
voted for the ,Yolstead act. That ought
Ito establish IFS present status, whether
or not he came into possession thirty
years ago of three shares in Marion
brewery, as charged by the Democrats
The New Jersey Liquor Dealers As
ISOLATION says Cox is wet, and the New
Jersey Liquor Dealers Association can
be depended upon to know its friends
| W. j. Bryan also declares that the
Democratic nominee is not to be trust
ed by the friends Of prohibition. MI
Bryan hasn't reference TO enforcement
alone. but to repeal of. the FOlstead
act. He insists that u two-thirds
Temperance congress should be elected
| to override the veto of the president
and to impeach the president ii the
chief executive refuses to. enforce the
law. E,lt
Senator Harding is on record in
favor of the. present law and said In
his letter of acceptance, referring to the
Eighteenth amendment, that .."'Neithel
government nor party can afford to
cheat the American people. The laws
of congress must harmonic with the
constitution, else they are soon adjudg-
ed to be void. We cannot
nullify because of divided opinion
we cannot jcopardize orderly govern
ment with contempt for law enforce
ment. Modification or repeal is the
right of free people, whenever the
deliberate and intelligent public senti-
ment commands. but perversion and
evasion mark the paths to the failure
| of government ITSELF
Some Democratic partisans connect
Fed with some branches of the w. c. L.
III. have bounced upon this latter
sentence. separating it from the rest OF
the statement, including it in rec
ord' against Harding of their own
making
Liquor interests that are favoring
law giving permission to sell 3 to 4
per cent beer are trying to pervert
and evade the real intent of the pro-
hibitOry amendment, and President
Wilson was doing that very thing when
he vetoed the Volstead Act. 3 or 4
per cent beer is intoxicating and II
congress should enact such law II
would be guilty of evasion in attempt
| ing ito cheat the American people"
against which Harding advises, ana
such law would not .harmonize with
the constitution" and Mr.. Harding in
sists all law must harmonizei with that
instrument. l-
TRYING TO SERVE TWO. MASTERS.
The Christian Work: The investi-
CATION of Governor COx's charges that