Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-11-18
Constitution and Amendments


70 ths Editor Of ths EVerin0 Public LEDGER!
Sir-The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Ninth
and Tenth Amendments to the Consti.
tuition Of the United States are prob: ::
bitions upon the power Of the national
soyernment, ali Of which in one form
or another, have been violated either
in the adding of the Eighteenth Amend.
ment to the Constitution or In its On.
forcement.
Yet the prohibitionists seek to create
the impression that they are tho de.
tenders Of the Constitution. To them
the Eighteenth Amendment 10 the Con.
stitution. Il matters not to them how
II got into the Constitution, what rights
and liberties Of the people were violated,
what powers Of the people were
usurped BY governmental agents to
place Il there. It 10 there and they
demand that 1t shall stay there and be
enforced. Any one who questions it,
validity or who condemns the tyrannous
enforcement act Il stigmatized 40 z
nullifier Of the Constitution and q law.
less outcast.
They can nuilify half. dozen amend.
ments which safeguard the person 9
property. liberty, rights and power Of
the people, and still be loyal to the
ConstitutiOn. The only offense against
the Constitution which they recognize 10
an offenss against their Eighteenth
Amendment. Offenses against other
amendments disturb them not. With
perfect equanimity they nullify amend.
ment after amendment. They wrap
their self. righteousness about them and
rise in public places and denounce all
who do not think rs they think.
In their latest pronouncements they
declare: "The recent but unsuccessful
attempt Of the organised liquor interests
to elect q Congress to nullify the
Eighteenth Amendment and to legalize
the sale Of beers and wine in defiance
Of the Constitution Of the United
States is the most direct challenge to
orderly government by outlawed inter
ests ever presented to the people Of the
United States"
So, In the opinion Of these self
appointed and self righteous guardians
Of the Constitution, 1t has now be.
come "a challenge to orderly govern.
ment' to appeal to the people to elect
Congress to repeal an obnoxious, II
not unconstitutional, law. But the
processes of their minds are still further
revealed by this declaration:
1T means that this Nation must
choose between law enforcement and
lawlessness, between the orderly process
OF government in securing, maintaining
and enforcing law and giving sanction
to the indefensible methods Of the liquor
interests to destroy and nullify the Con-
stitution Of the United States"
Thus all citizens who are opposed to
the principle of constitutional prohibi-
ton. to the notification by which it
was made a part of the Constitution,
to the notification by>which 1t Is en-.
forced, are grouped and classified as
"the liquor interests" And when they
exercise their constitutional right to
elect Congressman who represent their
principles Of government they are de.
nounced for using ''indefensible methods
to destroy and nullify the Constitution
of the United States"
The only "orderly government" that
seems to meet with tho unrescrved IN.
prOval Of these men Is government by
the Anti-Saloon League. 1t is treason
to oppose that government and the
Constitution Of the United States, Is by
them used as euphemism whereby
they seek to impose their will on the
people Of the United States.
They 'can fool some Of the people
all of the time. and all tie people some
of the time. but they can't fool all the
people all the time" The American
people are waking up. II. 6.
Philadelphia. November 16, 1922.