Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-10-04

SENATOR. s LEE OF GREENWOOD:
y DISCUSSES ,MIsLEADING:.. VOL
4 STEAD PROPAGANDA. s..s. ...s=..
Two years ago Volstead support
ers sent a letter all over the seventh
district which was very misleading.
While not stated directly in so many.
words the language was such as to
make many voters not well versed
in parliamentary affairs, believe that
the chairman Of; the judiciary COM
mittee Of our national House Of Re
personalities is all-powerful, that
Congressman Volstead as such chair
man must be reelected. in order to
keep the country dry; and If Vol
stead was defeated. the chairman of
the judiciary committee would be
wet, that two-thirds of the confer.
ence committee would be wet. and
the present prohibition enforcement
laws might be repealed. 80. ::
This same misleading matter is be.
ing circulated in the seventh district
this year.
Suppose the vets had a majority
in the House of Representatives now.
Then they could pass bills TO- repeal
or weaken the so-called Volstead act,
and Mr.. Volstead as chairman of the
Judiciary committee would be utter
ly powerless to prevent such action.
The chairman of the judiciary COM
mittee does not control the majority
as some would have voters believe
On the other hand it is utterly i'm
possible for wet chairman to pass
a bill weakening the prohibition en-.
forcement laws if the drys have a
majority in the: House.
The majority Of the temperance
committee, including the chairman Of
the Minnesota House Of Representa-
tives in 1915 were all as wet as
"drowned rats" and yet the drys
put It over by passing the County
Option bill and other temperance
legislation. Why? Because they had
majority in the House. The same
can be done in our national House
of Representatives. If Volstead is de-
feated by Kvale the drys can still
pass any temperance legislation they
wish provided they have the majority,
even if Volstead's successor as chair
man of the judiciary committee is
as wet as the Atlantic Ocean. All
that the chairman could do would
be to delay action for short time.
The speaker of the House appoints
all committees, or they are elected
by the House, (see rule No. Z of the
national House Of Representatives, so
that conference committee ap-
pointed to consider temperance bill
might be dry even if the chairman
Of the judiciary committee or, any
other standing committee, which had
considered the bill, was wet. AS a
general rule bills do not go to. a
conference. committee. 1t is only when
the House. and Senate disagree on
amendments that. some members of
the House and some Of the Senate
are appointed, and they meet asa
conference committee.
mention these facts to show how
very misleading the letter was. Those
who wrote it were either ignorant,
or they knowingly and Intentionally
tried to deceive voters.
A wet or dry majority in both
houses of congress can at any time
change the laws which provide the
machinery for enforcing the prohi-
bition amendment to our national con-
stitution and dry majority in the
house can at all times prevent the
vets from changing this machinery.
Volstead's defeat will not endanger
our prohibition enforcement laws in
the least, when We have Kvale in his
place.
To repeal or change the consti-
tutional amendment itself a resolu-
ton to that effect must be passed
byfa two-thirds majority in both
House and Senate, and then be rati-
fed by the Legislatures of three
fourths Of the states. This believe
will never be done by the American
DeODle-IVER T. LEE