Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-05-02
CHAPTER xxx
Wartime Prohibition

On May 20, 1919, in a message to
congress, the president made the
following recommendation with ref
erences to wartime prohibition.
"The rehabilitation Of the military
forces Of the country has progressed
to such a point that it seems to me
entirely safe now to :'emove the ban
upon the manufacture and sale of
wines and beers, but am advised
that without further legislation 1
have not the legal authority to re-
move the present restrictions. I,
therefore, recommend that the act
approved November 81, 1918, entitled
An act to enable the secretary Of
agriculture to carry out, during the
fiscal year ending June 30, 1919, the
purposes Of the act, entitled AN
act to provide further for the ma
tional security and defense by stimu-
lating agriculture and facilitating
the distribution of agricultural prod
ucts," and for other purposes be
amended and repealed insofar as it
applies to wines and beers"
Congress refused to act upon the
presidents recommendation.
Under date of June 81, 1919, I
sent the following cable to the presi-
dent:
There are only four days left I'M
til nationwide prohibition becomes
effective and the country will go on
whisky basis unless you act to
suspend it. Everything that has
happened in the last few weeks con-
firms the views L expressed to you
in May excepting that added force
has been given to every argument
made especially by the action of
the American Federation Of Labor
whose membership almost unani-
mously voted at it's convention for
| lifting the ban. The action of Can
ada in lifting the ban is regarded by
| the country as significant. Work
| ingmen and common people all over
| the country cannot understand why
| light wines and beer cannot be per-
mitted until the constitutional
amendment becomes effective. Only
this week the Pennsylvania legisla-
| ture voted to 1egalize 2.75 per cent
beer and light wines. Similar &C
ton will follow in other states. The
| consensus Of opinion in the press is
that if prohibition is to be effective,
it might better be by action of
| three quarters of the states rather
than by presidential proclamation,
for which you alone and our party
would bear the responsibility. The
prohibitionists in congress are fear
full that the enforcement of war
time prohibition will cause a harm
full reaction on real prohibition, and
l believe that they are secretly in
favor Of your lifting the ban for this
reason. Decentralization figures Off
cially announced by the war depart
ment show that the number of
troops now remaining in service is
practically only the number of
| troops in the regular army. Samuel
Gompers, Mary Roberts Rinehart,
Mrs. Douglas Robinson, sister of the
late Theodore Roosevelt; Miss Ger
trude Atherton, Frank ]. Goodnow,
president Of Johns Hopkins univer-
sity, and Cardinal Gibbons, out in
strong statement favoring retention
of beer and light wines. If you do
not intend to lift the ban on July l.,
you can announce your intention to
suspend it as soon as the war de-
partment notifies you rehabilitation
is accomplished, which, the best
opinion says, will be August 1. The
feeling all over the country is one
| of harmful uncertainty and strong
ly recommend that a definite an
nouncement of some nature which
will clear the atmosphere, be made.
"TUMULTY."
On June %, 1919, again cabled
| the president as follows:
The White House.
Washington, June 2S. 1919.
The President of the United
States, Paris:
Received your message saying
that you do not intend to lift the
ban. The Republicans have been
industriously spreading the story
| throughout the country that you
in fact have power under the
act of November 81, 1918, to lift
the ban. 1 think it important,
wise and polite, therefore. for
| you to make a statement which
| we can issue from the White
| House along the following lines:
Il am convinced that I have no
| legal power at this time in the
| matter of the ban on LIQUOR.
Under the act of November FL.
1918, my power to take action
is restricted. The act provides
| that after June 80. 1919, until
the conclusion of the present
| war and thereafter until the
termination of rehabilitation.
the date of which shall be de-
termined and proclaimed by the
president, it shall be unlawful.
ETC. This law does not specify
that the ban shall be lifted with
the signing of peace. but with
the termination Of the demobili-
zation of the troops. and I can
not say that that has been &C
complished. NV information from
| the war department is that there
are still a million men in the
service under the emergency
call. 1t Is clear. therefore. that
the failure of congress to act
upon the suggestion contained
in my message Of May 20. 1919.
asking for a repeal of the act
of November 1918. so far
as it applies to wines and beers.
makes it impossible to act IN
this matter at this time. Of
course, when rehabilitation is
5szEsSlz