Arizona republican., 1922-02-06
is This an aAnonymou. Tyrarryy'

Mr.. Justice Clarke of the wMited States supreme
court may be right in declaring last Saturday that
prohibition has put "demoralizng strain" upon
the country and that in consequence dsrsspect Is
not only shown for the prohibition law but In conse-
quence for all other law. II that is true not tho
law itself is condemned. but capacity for self
government is brought into question.
II a law enacted by such preponderant majority
is disregarded and II disregard is thereby extended
TO other laws something Is wrong with our democratic
government which must rest on the rule OF the
majority or it must fall 1t can have no other foun-
dation unless it be force and belongs only
The stern autocracy.
very large number Of citixens-they are every.
where in every city and community--are in revolt
against prohibition The number Of them is greater
than that OF those who rebellion against the
union. And the number Of sympathixers with them
far greater than the number OF those who sympa-
thized with the South in the Civil war.
The South had much better reason for its re-
volt than those who are violating prohibition have
for theirs The relation OF states another
was somewhat vague. whether state could with
draw from the union had never been determined. The
first court to- which the question was taken was the
battlefield At the bottom though was the slavery
question and slavery Institution established
and protected by law.
But slavery was not attacked by the North
when opposed the secession Of the South Lincoln
made that very clear. The South knew that and
knew il it laid down its slavery would not be
forciby disturbed. But it was ALSO aware of the
Increasing voting power and sentiment IN the North
which would ultimately make slavery unlawful. 80
that the war; so far the South was concerned,
was TO preserve slavery The object Of the North
only to preserve the union regardless of what
might subsequently be the effect upon slavery.
The South had the right to raise the question Of
secession. 1t something that had been defi-
eitely settled and looking back now we do not know
how it could have been permanently settled except
BY war;
Prohibition is now the law, made so with the
consent OF nearly all the states. Only two, we be-
eve refused to ratify the eighteenth amendment,
and one took no action Ratification was effected in
some the states by legislative and in others by
the vote Of the people Nowhere the vote close
Or indecisive The claim that this legislation
was ratified in the absence OF large number Of
citizens in service is most ridiculous 1t cannot
be supposed that the 100000 men then absent would
all have voted against ratification if they had been
al home and had had the opportunity. But admitting
that they would have done it is not to be sup
posed that 100000 votes scattered among the forty
five states which ratified the amendment could have
affected even perceptbiy the. result which was
reached No other Of the nineteen amendments to
the constitution the constitution itself had
been ratified so nearly unanimously after wide
and prolonged discussion The ratification process
covered a period of two years during which n every
community city, village, crossroads and farmhouse
in the land 1t to the war; the chief theme
Of discussion.
II such law is to be disregarded then every law
of the land may properly be disregarded ana
to consider democracy an anonymous tyranny" to
overthrown.