The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1923-06-29

Cook county.
forced So far as the Federal gov
eminent is concerned, and | am very
sure also so far as concerns the very
great majority OF state governments
and the local governments, it will be
enforced A gratifying, indeed it may
fairly be said an amazing progress
has been made i'll the last few years
toward better enforcement.
1t is curious Illustration of loose
thinking, that some people have
proposed as means OF protecting
the fullest rights of the states, that
the states should abandon their part
i'll enforcing the prohbitory policy.
J That means simply an invitation 20 the
Federal government to exercise pow
ers which should be exercised by the
states. Instead of being an assertion
of state rights, it is an abandonment
of them; it is an abdication; it
amounts to confession by the state
that it doesn't choose to govern itself,
but prefers to turn the task, or a con-
siderable part OF it, over to the Federal
authority. There could be no more
complete negation of state rights.
! Considerable of States in Enforcing
the Law
The national government has been
uniformly considerable of the sensi-
! bilities of the states about their rights
and authorities. But when state de-
liberately refuses to exercise the pow
ers which the Constitution expressly
confers on it, it obviously commits it
self to policy OF multiplying state au-
thority, the end of which we are re-
luctant to conjecture.
"The policy OF notification has
never appealed strongly to the Amer
lean people. There are some histori-
cal records regarding efforts Of states
to nullify national policies; but the
/ spectacle Of state multiplying its own
authority, and asking the national SOW
eregnty to take over an important
I part of its powers. is new. When the
/ implications of this strange proposal
are fully understood by people and
parties devotedz6to preserving the
| rights of the states, the new nulhf1ca-
tionists, / venture to say, will discover
that they have perpetrated what is
likely to prove one of the historic blum
ders in political management.
II am making my appeal in this
matter to the broadest and best SEN
timents OF law-abiding Americans
everywhere. We must recognize that
there arc some people on both sides
of this question in whose minds it is
absolutely paramount. Some would
be willing to sacrifice every other
consideration of policy in order to
have their own way as to this one.
moralizing factors in the situation.
at was very generally believed that
the adoption of the constitutional
amendment would take the question
out of our politics. Thus far it has
not done So though | venture to pre-
dict that neither of the great parties
will see the time, within the lives of
any who are now voting citizens,
when it will declare openly for the
repeal OF the Eighteenth Amendment.
But despite all that, the question is
kept in politics because of the almost
fanatical urgency OF the minority of
extremists on both sides. Unless,
through the recognition and accept
ance of the situation in its true light,
through the effective enforcement of
the law by all the constituted authori-
ties, and with the acquiesccnce of the
clearly dominant public opinion of the
country, the question is definitely re-
moved from the domain of political ac-
ton, it will continue demoralizing
element i'll our whole public life. 1t
will be permanent bar to the wise
determination of many issues utterly
unrelated to the liquor question. 1t
will be the means OF encouraging dis
respect for many laws. 1t will bring
disrepute upon our community, and be
pointed to as justifying the charge
that we are nation OF hypocrites.
There can be no issue in this land
paramount to that of enforcement of
the law.
Peril is Developing in Disregard of
Law
ut is easy to understand the con-
ditions out of which much unrest has
developed, but it is not easy to COM
prehend so much of complacency amid
developing peril. / want to give
warning against that peril.
MANY citizens, not teetotalers in