New Britain herald., 1923-09-24

that men are proposing short cuts ] utopis. saying that ala Ideas shaal hs east aside and that the eksmnl
 Of cid timers should aes ee fellaAe'
 Al the last session nf eansssss V
 received SC proposed amendments I the constitution Al the nesi sessle there sill probably hs mere sha
 lsa. Regardless Of whether they af
 good, had or indifferent, their lntre dsetian indicates 2 tendency q
 change the constitution Llstl
 thought Is giTeH te the effset
 T am prompted n speak of thil
 because Of certain extraordinary in
 eidents ln connection with the adep'
 ton ct the eighteenth and nineteenth
 amendments
 People Gagged on Amendments
 The constitution says that amend
 ments ean be ratihsa either at state convention or by the legislatures of the respective states But or the nineteen already ratified. not one was submitted n a convention, However, have noticed that there IS q grow ing tendency for the people taking a direct part In such affairs The eons sfitutian of every state says mat amendments must he ratified hy the people. The people in Ohio amended their constitution requiring the lesiss latnre te submit amendments ta the federal constitution to them. The legislature Tn Ohio ratihed the eighs teenth amendment wherenpen enough people got together and had fl sub mitied to the electors and il was re- ieeted. The highest court in the state sustained the people. But the United States supreme court reversed the de. eision of the state court and said that the people had no right 10 pass nn amendments to the federal ennstitu- ton. Now we know that the decisions of the supreme court being the law of the land. the people cannot pass on federal amendments.
 "Gnderstand. please. that In this discussion of the eighteenth and nine teenth Amendments 10 the constitution I am not referring to the merits ot those amendments. although have my personal opinion.
 Inconsistency Of Legislatures
 When the 18th amendment reach ed Maryland, the people had reject ed prohibition by popular vote. But the legislature ratified the amend ment. The people Of Texas rejected the 18th amendment. but the legisia- .ure ratified it. The people of Call ,ornia rejected prohibition, but the eRislature ratified the amendment. Tn Iowa the people rejected state pro- ,ibition,. but the legislature ratified ,ational prohibition. The people of rejected woman suffrage. and he legislature promptly ratified the 9th amendment. Tn Ohio the peo- ,le rejected suffrage, and the legisla- ure ratified the amendment giving | he vote to women. The question oc- urs: Where do the people come in" nd deponent sayeth not.
 Legislatures Violate Oath Of Ohice
 "Thirty-eight state ratified the 18th mendment. the legislatures in SD ases having been elected before the \ ubiect was submitted for their con- i'd eration. In five of those 30 states, ,eir constitutions forbade 'holdover' .gisatures to ratify amendments. Tn lose five states. the members Of the gislature deliberately violated their aths of office. "Take Tennessee for example. By l: ,e constitution of that state, mem srs of the legislature, to qualify Tor ,tion on a federal amendment, must s elected subsequent to it's submis- on. The legislature was convened in ,eo. Politics was hot in those days nirty-five states had already ratineo e 18th amendment. One more was I .eded. The governor reminded the rislature that it could not take ac- n m It made no difference. By the ate constitution, quorum in the wer house is wo-thirds of its total 4 embership. There were 99 in the ,use so a quorum would be 66. In der to block action on the amend ant. the minority moved out of the ,te and when the legislature opened
 session there were only 59 present
 the house. It made no dlHerence. e amendment was ratified by vote
 50 to g.
 "The legislators ignored their own nstitution twice, by voting on an f when they were not quail d to do so and by ratifying It With IS than a quorum present.
 '"The news was sent to Washington ,t the Tennessee legislature had flied the amendment and the sec .ary of state proclaimed that the
 fin amendment had been adopted. en the Tennessee legislature recon- ,ed and passed a resolution rescind- . it's former action. The news was i, if to Washington, but the secretary z state said the people in Tennessee re too late, the amendment had sn adopted. '" Things of that sort. if repeated on - arge scale. present many harmful ssibilities."
 Propaganda. Wadswortf dwelt to some ent on propaganda, saying that S form of influencing opinion has
 reached it's full strength by one rd.
 Men become professionals at it. said They are well supplied with ds. become skillful politically and n learn how to influence legislative lies and convince them that the ,ple are overwhelmingly. in favor their projects In one day I received 40 tele ms on a single proposal The first ,ht have made an impression on
 if the 4o9 others had not been ched in identical language. Some propaganda is good and ,e opagandists are sincere" Sem