The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1928-04-27
PETITIONS IN
CIRCULATION
TO INITIATE STATE DRY LAW
CONCURING WITH THE
18TH AMENDMENT

only a brief campaign, to place
on the ballot next November gen
eral election the question of ini
tiating a state prohibition law that
will concur and cooperate with the
18th amendment to the federal
constitution and the Volstead act
Friends Will Sign
Copies of the petition have been
placed in town and in the country
One copy is at The Herald office
and few extra copies are avail
able if any wish to circulate them.
The genuine friends of prohibition,
and prohibition enforcement, need
not wait to be solicited but should
take interest enough to seek a pc
tition and sign of their own volt
tion. Do not let anyone make you
believe the government does not
need the aid of the state in en-
forcing prohibition.
To be legal signer to the pc
tition a person must be a quail
fled voter. Either they must have
voted at the last general election
or have been registerd since from
the precinct in which they reside
What Is Proposed
Provisions of the proposed bill
propose that the national prohibi-
tion act, approved by congress on
Oct. 28, 1919 became the state law
of Montana.
Duty Extended
The measure provides that Mon
tana recognize the 18th amend
ment to the constitution All pro-
visions of the Volstead act relat-
ing to pleading, evidence defini-
tions and penalties would be en-
acted as the state law of Montana,
courts of the state would be vest
ed with jurisdiction and the duty
would be imposed upon all county
attorneys, sheriffs, grand juries,
petit juries, magistrates and peace
officers in the state to enforce
the law.
Fines Go To County
All fines, forfeitures and penal |
ties would be deposited to the |
credit of the general fund of the |
county where the violation occurs.
Any amendment or repeal of the
Volstead act by congress would
automatically take effect in Mon
tana under the proposed measure.
Cities and towns could pass ordin-
ances restricting the traffic in
liquor.
The measure is modelled after
the Wright law of California
which was upheld by unanimous
decision of the California supreme
court.
Montana's prohibition laws were
discarded at the general election
in 1926, through approval of an
initiative repeal measure.
Fluke In 1926
Montana stands as the only
state to repudiate the 18th amend
ment after adopting laws in coop
GRAFTON with it. The result in
1926 was the result of misinforma- |
tion, misunderstanding lack of a t
campaign and failure to vote on c
the repeal question which was {
worded in way calculated to fool t
the unwary. Even then it was C
only by the vote of two or three of t
the cities that the repeal carried b
What Law Will And Will Not Do t
l. 1t does not provide for any t
that is not now in force p
in Montana and in every other part s
Of the United States. y
2. 1t does not provide for any is
new law enforcement officials. is
8. It does not provide for any
special appropriation of state
'unds for its enforcement. fl
A. 1t does provide that Montana W
shall recognize the validity of il
Section 2 of the 18th amendment, Il
"The Congress and the ii
several states shall have concur E
ent power to enforce this article fe
~ appropriate legislation.
5. 1t does provide that the en- al
orcement provisions of the Vol o.
tead law shall become the law of el
he state of Montana and when
yer Congress shall make any W
hanges in the enforcement pro- m
isions of the Volstead law, such
hange shall automatically apply n
o the state law of Montana. |,
6. 1t does provide that Mon
ana's courts and all law enforce
lent officials shall enforce the
ighteenth amendment to the con
titution through the states ac-
eptance of the enforcement pro- -
ision of the Volstead law as the u
Nv of the state of Montana. -
Z. There has been no reduction ~
! the number of District Judges I'D
r county or city law enforcement po
fficials since the repeal of our ~
tate prohibition laws in 1926, do
ut these officials have been pow ~
rless to enforce the provisions of p
part of the constitution of the pi
.nuhlic which their oath of office po
is
rurn to page eight, column two.) st