The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1922-06-16


of wine and beer by majority OF
207 900. Ohio adopted Prohibition in
1918. and one year later. when ref
erendum vote was taken on permit
ting the sale OF beer containing 2 "a
per cent of alcohol, the majority
against il was increased At the last
Referendum election in Ohio it
adopted an enforcement code which
prohibits the sale OF beer or wine
that contains more than one-half of
per cent of alcohol by majority of
10000 votes. Similar votes have been
recorded in Washington, Oregon, Col
orado and Arizona.
Chief Justice Taft's Opinion
Former President William H. Taft,
now chief justice of the supreme court,
said in communication published in
The Chicago Tribune on July 20,
1920: i am not in favor of amending
the Volstead act in respect to the
amount of permissible alcohol in bev-
erages. am not in favor of allowing
light wines and beer to be sold under
the eighteenth amendment. believe
il would defeat the purpose OF the
amendment. No such distinction as
that between wines and beer, on the
one hand, and spirituous liquors, on
the other, is practicable as a police
measure. Any such loophole as
light wines and beer would make the
amendment a laughing stock
The argument that law allowing
the sale of beer and wine would en-
able the government to collect large
tax Is delusive. Most OF the states
have Prohibition laws today that
could not be repealed; public senti-
ment in those states would not permit
it. Without the consent of the state
beer and wine could not be sold,
despite anything that Congress could
do. Without open sale in the states
no substantial tax could be collected.
The courts take judicial notice that
wine is an intoxicating liquor, while
beer of the strength proposed would
be intoxicating in fact, and any law
authorizing its sale would be uncon-
sttutional. The proposal which is now
urged is but an invitation to the rep
resentatives of the American people
TO disregard their country's constitu-
ton. This insidious propaganda for
beer and wine invites disregard of
law and is inimical to the peace and
good order of society. This is no time
to encourage lawlessness. The judges
of our country have sounded timely
warning when they said:
The judicial section of the Ameri-
can Bar Association, venturng to
speak for all the judges, wishes to ex-
press this warning to the American
people: Reverence for law and en-
forcement of law depend mainly upon
the ideals and customs of those who
occupy the vantage ground of life in
business and society. The people of
the United States, by solemn consti-
tutional and statutory enactment,
have undertaken to suppress the age
long evil OF the liquor traffic. When,
for the qualification OF their appettes
or the promotion of their interests,
lawyers, bankers, great merchants
and manufacturers and social leaders,
both men and women, dsobey and
scott at this law, or any other law
they arc aiding the cause of anarchy
and promoting mob violence, robbery
and homicide; they are sowing dra-
CONS teeth, and they need not be sur
prised when they find that no judicial
or police authority can save our coun-
try or humanity from reaping the
harvest
"The timeis here when all men and
women who love their country should
support its constitution and obey the
laws enacted to enforce it. Liberty
and security rest on law. License to
sell beer and wine contained in Pro-
hibition law makes it impossible to
enforce. 1t is as indcfensible to vote
for such a uncomfortable law as it
is to vote directly to violate the con-
stitution."