The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-04-12

the Dation"and shall prescribe wheth-
er such change shall he ratified by the
legislatures OF three fourths of the
states, and that whatever course is
outlined by congress shall be fol-
lowed Exactly SO, in other words,
the eighteenth amendment was on
acted according to the orderly pro-
cesSes of law. in precisely the same
manner In which all preceding
amendments were enacted.
Remember. too, that this is the
same law that our forefathers. the
trainers Of the constitution" handed
down To us. it bears their signatures
aud pulsatcs with their spirit" To
make an amendment, therefore, in
any other way that has been made,
would violate both thc letter and the
spirit Of this ''infallibie constitution"
Transmitted by our fathers" who,
thank God. looked with prophetic
ken down the coming years and
forthwith wrote article five into the
constitution thereby making pro-
vision for the changing needs and
conditions of unborn generations.
in the Light of those truths. the per-
son who makes a foot ball out of the
eighteenth amendment. is an anar-
Chisi at heart Why not take a knife
and oIt ali the other amendments
out2 They were all put there the
same way,
1t is interesting in this connection
r. take cosnizance of what The
Chicago Post has to say, listen to
this great paper:
The defeated wet who complains
that he was taken at mean disad
vantage and despoiled of his bottle
y hilc on guard Is simply cry baby
and win get no sympathy. His rer1-
edy lies In repeal BY the same pro-
cess $ that required for enactment
the amendment can be repealed. II
he complains that this is too difficult
q process he admits that he cannot
do what the prohibitionists did--com-
mand the support of three fourths Of
the states for his proposal. And by
that admission he gives his whole case
away
Let him obey the law. 1t Is the rule
Of the majority Unless he ia gym
pathizer with bolshevIsm, he Will bow
TO It,"
Men like Governor Edwards. ~
New Jersey. elected on platform thar
would make New Jersey "ss wet as
the Atlantic ocean" are traitors 10 the
constitution if they carry out their
purpose.
In New York there is an association
opposed 10 national prohibition. whose
avpwed purpose. and slogan is "to
make forever imperative the eight
eenth amendment
Such a policy is anarchy rampant.
This same crowd in most cases who
&c under the guise OF standing by
tho constitution" are the worst enc
mics the constitution ever had. They
would ''nullify II" and make It inepe-
ratiye," by sneering that at viii not
prohibit" and thus by every foul
means try to discredit the law and
bring it in disrepute, instead Of acting
the part of real gentlemen as did ex-
President Taft and ex-Justice Hughes
who. though not favoring prohibition.
refused to prostitute their inteiiects
and the name Of the high offices they
traffic for price
The same German brewers who
financed the German propaganda In
this country during the war are hnanc-
ing. largely. the present propaganda
for defying and multiplying our laws
Rabbi Stephen Wise, of New York.
pays his respects TO the "high-class
Red" In the following terms
ANY man. whatever be the num-
her and the social splendor of the
clubs to which he belongs. whatever
be his standing at the bar. who pro
poses to evade or in any way to vto-
late the prob bition laws because they
are personally unacceptable to him, is
a law breaker and is doing all he can
in order to magnify the spirit of law
lesSness and disorder in the land,
There are some gentlemen holding up
their heads in holy horror at the acts
of the so-calted Reds" because these
made for lawlessness who in them
selves are equally iawless"
These high class Reds" not only
manifest spirit grossly disloyal and
un- American. but they put old Satan
himself to shame by their monstrous
and blasphemous claims to the effect
that they are the very incarnation of
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson
and others, charged with the sacred
trust of perpetuating their krinci-
pals and keeping alive their spirit
George Washington would turn over
in his grave II he knew to what length
some OF his present day representa-
tiveS 60, in order to keep his memory
from perishing from the earth.
But back to the editorial. Let the
people vote" II the writer meant TO
imply that "the few" had suddenly
risen up over night while the many"
tneIuding the liquor interests, cor
rapt politicians, demagogues and TIE
VET press) were asleep, and put over
prohibition. beg to gently disagree
reckon no law ever enacted re-
cesved the whole hearted endorsement
or every individual citizen, but GER
'a4niE no law ever put on the statute
hooks has come so near representing
the viii OF the whole people" as has
the eighteenth amendment. The peo-
Pic have been voting on prohibition
since l6f2 t27S years aGo) when "thc
colony OF Maryland voted to punish
dFunkeucss by fine of 100 pounds
,oi fobNcoo. Virginia was one of the
hfst states to vote against the liquor
tFahIc geo, fifty-six years ago (1664)
! the virginia assembly passed a law
promoting ministers from giving
themselves 10 excess in drinking or
IN playing at unlawful games" Csad
commentary on tho ministery of that
day. During all these years the
states nave passed hundreds of pre-
hibItory laws. which have been sus-
tanned, almost invariably. by the SUI
T'fef'4t courts uf tt1c various staret.
more and more, as the years have
passed. have the people from every
conceivable walk Of life. voted again It
alcohol
Business has voted for prohibitlo,
by saying 'Drunkards not wanted .
Science has voted for prohibition Inv
declaring, Alcohol is poison"
Motherhood has voted for prohibit
ton and with emphatic voice cries.