The Washington herald., 1920-03-07
BRYAN DECLARES
PROHIBITION ISSUE
MUST BE REPUDIATED
CONTINUED PROM PAGE ONE.

ratified.
When the Constitution was writ
ten, slavery existed IN many Of the
States. an institution that had come
down from the most ancient times.
ard yet IT was abolished.
The Constitution provides for the
election Of Senator's by State iegisla-
lures. but in 1918 an amendment
was adopted which changed the
method of electins Senator's and
provided for election by popular
vote instead of by State legislatures.
This (prohibition) is the only
amendment that the Democratic
State convention Of New York sees
fit to 'unaiterably' oppose. And
tsis opposition is in spite of the
fact that this amendment has been
ratified by torty-five States, New
York included among the number
All but three of the forty-eight
States have ratified the prohibition
amendment. the only States failing
being Rhode Island. Connecticut
ana new Jersey.
Discerns "Pa1pabIe Falsehood.v
The second sentence quoted from
the platform would be amusing II
IL did not deal with a serious SUBJ
ject. Those who wrote the plat
form "feel that prohibition was inn
posed by active minority against the
great majority Of the American peo-
pie"
Men who feel that a paIpabls
falsehood IL true are not safe ad-
visers. One does not need to be
well informed to know that profii-
bition was not imposed by IAN ac-
tive minority against the wishes OF
the great majority of the American
people," On the contrary IL was
imposed by the conscience of a con-
siderable majority of the American
people, expressed after long delib-
GRAFTON, and triumph was won over
a very "active minority" under the
leadership of men without con-
science and with money sufficient to
employ the ablest lawyers-like
former Secretary Root, for instance
and to corrupt politics, as shown
in many places. and impudent
enough to attempt to terrorize those
whom they could not buy.
Why this distrust Of State legis-
latures? The descent of property is
q matter of State statute; domestic
relations and the rights Of children
are defined and afe-guarded by the
State statutes; life and property are
protected by the State statute and
men are executed by States in ac-
cordance with statutory provisions.
Liquor Trafae -ResentfuL.
IL is only when the legislature
dares to lay its hands upon the
liquor traffic that 1t forfeits the re-
spect of the men who wrote the
New York platform and arouses their
..unalterable opposition"
1t would of course be a reflection
upon heads and the hearts of men
responsible for the New York plat
form to say that their opposition
Is a matter Of principle. There are
no such isolated principles. Moth
ing but feeling can explain their
attitude of these unalterable op-
ponents of prohibition, and they do
we'll to use the word feeling" in
stead of conscience" or intellect"
IL the feeling is due to thirst. il
Is a disease that needs a remedy;
Iif II Is due to coercion brought to
bear upon them by the representa-
,tives of a revengeful and outlayed
liquor traffic, It Is q disgrace. But
whether the feeling THAT Is so feei-
ingly expressed is a disease or dis
grace. II is an insult to the Demo-
cratic party and to the nation.
But passing from the "unalter-
able" objection to the Federal
amendment, we come to something
even more startling. viz: The sen-
tence in which they declare. not only
for the speedy repeal. although that
Is bad enough. but to the statement
that, until such time as this re-
peal may be brought about" they
declare the right" of the State of
New York, "in the exercise OF Its
sovereign power, to SO construe the
concurrent clause of the eighteenth
amendment as to be in accord with
the liberal and reasonable views of
our people"
NulIiAcation rs Aim.
IL this is not the doctrine of null
lification, IL has no meaning; IL II
is the doctrine of notification, il
raises an issue greater than any
other now before the country. The
right OF a State to nullify the Fed
eral Constitution was settled in the
negative nearly sixty years ago,
and the case will not be reopened
merely to, please men with an ap-
petite or men who want to re-enter
a crime creating business. And this
in the name of personal liberty.
The statistics show that the saloon
Is the creator of crime here and
everywhere, but II increases the
number of accidents in industry: it
pauperizes on a large scale; it dis
rupts families: IL starves children
and increases the death rate among
infants. 1t is the direct and active
cause behind crimes of-every kind
The issue raised by those who
wrote the New York Platform is