Milford chronicle., 1926-01-29
DRY ADVOCATES HEAR
CONGRESSMAN U.'SHAW
UPHOLD AMENDMENT
CONTINUED from first pagel

! NCOAkluuGu lIOlu uIbb Ddk6I
law by a brief survey of the facts.
| Thirty-three states had already out
lawed the liquor traffic by state en-
actments when he were forced to
ask for a national remedy to apply
to national evil because the great
wet centers continued to outrage the
white virtue of dry territory, that
had voted to be free. In company
with many prominent pioneers in
this movement, 1 sat in the gallery
before I became a member of this
body, and watched the battle rage
all day long around the Hobson
Amendment, outlawing liquor, and
at the end of that imperfect day in
the 64th Congress we saw that
Amendment receive a majority of
eight votes, but not being a sufficient
Constitutional majority, I saw the
Woman's Christian Temperance I'm
ion whose white badge 1 rejoice TO
wear-the brave far-visioned women
who, like the vestal virgins had kept
the fires burning on the altar when
we tardy men thought it could not
be done-I saw them stand up, grid
ed and guarded by their brother pro-
tectors, the leaders of the Ant1-Sa-
loon League, which came into being |
30 wears ago to carry out the ideals |
of those praying women who were
then denied the ballot and could not
enact those ideals into law-I saw
them all stand up, with many other
organized and unorganized frlends
of national prohibition and give TO
the press the announcement that
flashed next day on the front page
of every great daily in America: We
will go home and elect a Congress
that will enact federal amendment
10 the Constitution outlawing intox1-
eating liquors.
"And with that as the burning is
sue in the election of the 65th Con-
gress, 435 members Of that BODY
came here with an overwhelming
mandate from the American people
o mass the 18th Amendment to the
And, hear it, you who ]
say that we took advantage OF the
lbsence of two million American
,oldiers-that Congress was elected
i've months before single soldier (
ailed for France. And yet some wet
has the gall to say the
american people had no Opportun-
ty to express themselves, and that
We took advantage of two million
oldiers and did things we would
lot have dared do if they had been
t home. And even if these soldiers
ad been at home, it would not have l
hanged the result, for up to the
resent writing soldiers in the Army
o not vote on questions before Con-
ress. r
'What then? The only thing oc-
urred that could occur in consti-
ltional process-the 18th Amend
lent having received a constitution Y
| majority in both branches Of
ongress, was referred to every !,
,gislature of every state in the Am
rican Union, and before the search C
lg eyes of their constituents, to !,
hom they were amenable, forty-six
.ates-not a bare thirty-six that
ouId have passed it-but forty-siX
.ates in the American Union,
alked out in the open and voted to =.
fifty the action of both branches of u
Ongress. H'
"That would have settled it if our
ret friends had not been affected 1c
ith a spasm of constitutionitis' W
airing lest our organic law might e(
} contaminated with such an
of American liberty, en- tc
Dyed great lawyer declared by al
oosevelt to be the smartest man in el
e Republican party who had
rice been a member of the Presi- p
,nt's Cabinet, to fight the consti- Ell
tionality of this amendment before W
e Supreme Court, and when they
ID heard his brilliant sophistry, n
at court of last resort for every or
triotic American, handed down fo
e high decision that every step in
e process of enacting this law ar
IS according to the Constitution of or or
r fathers" ~