The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-01-29
M'ADOO AND NULLIFICATION
BY y. ID. Cochran

There is fine chance for a presidential candidate
to get all mixed up in fractions when he to
play sectional politics. Take the Of McAdoo, who
led the dry and funCamontaist forces in the Demo-
cratic national convention of 1924 and is evidently
the trail for 1928.
The strategy of his campaign for the Democratic
nomination involves combination of the dry West
with the dry solid South and letting Eastern and
Northern wet States go hang-hoping to get enough
electoral votes in central and ml-Western States to
finish the JOB.
Having learned the language of the Anti.saloon
League, McAdoo is charging all anti-prohibtion-
SITS with being nulifers of the Constitution. McAdoo
avs the action of New York and Montana in repeal
ing State enforcement laws is open and undisGusad
ratification of the Constitution of the United States
But he goes farther than that in his speech to the
Ohio Bar Association Note this: Constitutional gov
eminent is impossible il we proceed on the principle
shat only those parts OF the Constitution to be
deserved and enforced which any given State indi-
idual happens to like approve"
And this "A reps nj oe the Vo,sead act by Con-
would be Illegal and he contends that repeal
of a State enforcement act would be illegal unless a
new enforcement act was substituted adding there
has been fragrant and notorious refusal the part
Of certain States of the Union perform their duties
under the prohibition amendment
That will sound reasonable to an ardent prohibi-
ZIONIST, Of course In some States many will agree
that it is all right if applied to all amendments to the
Constitution. But there other States where Nc
Adoo wouldn't get three rousng cheers if he would
demand the attitude toward the Fourteenth and
Fifteenth amendments; and those States are in the
Democratic solid South, where McAdoo must look for
his strongest support.
The Fourteenth amendment says that all persons
born and naturalZed i'll the Uni ed States are citizens
OF the United States. and that State shall make
enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges
of citizens of the United States; and the Fifteenth
amendment follows this up by declaring:
THE right of citizens of the United States vote
shall be denied abridged by the United States
by any State on of race color or previous
condition of servitude: The Congress shall have power
enforce the provisions of this article by appropri
ate legislation
Now there certain States in the Union that
have not enacted State laws to enforce the Fifteenth
amendment Will Mr. McAdoo hurry down South and
tell the good folks that they guilty of fragrant
and notorious refusal to perform their duties
under the Fifteenth amendment have substituted
Fifteenth for prohibition In quoting Mr.. McAdoo
Will the eloquent and indignant Mr. McAdoo as
lSundly abuse some of the Southern States he
abuses New York and Montana?
OF course he wong. That isn't the amendment he
hopes to get votes By supporting. But when candi
date begins hurting charges of notification right
left it would be just well to look all around him
where his missile might land-even if his missl,
is nothing dangerous than political applesauce.