The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1930-08-14

| strong drinks and the saloon.
But it is certain that this more mod
crate program would enjoy the same
opportunity for complete success now
as, believe, it did then. The public
mind is not now in the same receptive
mood, as one finds from contact with
his neighbors, confirmed by polls.
Opinion breaks into three divisions,
those who favor the Volstead Act,
those who oppose all Federal prohi-
bition legislation, and a class between
them who favor the Wilson view. One
call each other fanatics or outlaws,
while agreeing to denounce those of
the Wilson view as "stradlers". So
tense have the divisions become that
honesty or character serves little to
save either class to the good opinion
of the other.
But it seems obvious that to secure
an all round enforcement an over
whelming proportion of the people,
not third merely, or even bare
majority, must subscribe to the
objects of law, as they do to prohi-
bitory criminal status such as those
against counterfeiting, forgery, or
false pretense. Without this substan-
tial concurrence of view l fear the
human being cannot be effectively con-
trolled against his will even for his
own good. However, certain facts and
elements in the problem are admitted
by all three divisions of opinion. They
admit that drunkenness and the saloon
are evils against which society must
defend itself; that the federal govern
ment and the state government are
charged with duties of greater or less
degree to suppress these evils; that
the problems vary with the kinds of
population found in cities and country
side and with different geographical
areas, and that all these factors are
| to be considered. Granted this be
all true. Where is the body of men
who are to adjust these elements into
reasonable rule of conduct and
workable program? 1 do not think it
is Congress. Each of it's members
stands committed to one of these di-
visions of opinion, and feels he must.
"make good" on it or his constituents,
at the primaries or the coming cleo
ton.
| Meanwhile momentous economic and
political questions have arisen and will
continue to arise. What is to be the
effect of temperance controversies
upon them? 1t may be well to quote
notable utterance of Woodrow Will
son. After pointing out that tenn
perance questions care social and
moral, not POLITICAL, he added:
whenever they have been
made the subject matter of party
tests they have cut the lines of
party organizations and party
action athwert to the utter con-
fusion of political action in every
other field. They have thrown
every other question, however i'm
portant, into the background and
have made constructive party ac-
ton impossible for long years to-
gether. My judgment is very
clear in this matter. I do not be-
lieve that party programs of the
highest consequence in the poll
tical life of the state and nation
ought to be thrust to one side and
hopelessly embarrassed
by making a political issue of a
great question that is essential
non-political, non-partisan, moral
and social in its nature"
The coal mining and other con-
ditions peculiar to this Congressional
District aptly illustrate the truth of
the above statement. "What is going
to be done to save Maryland Mining?"
citizen inquiries. Another citizen
answers: 81 don't know. Tell me,
first, how the candidates stand on pro-
hibition." Other District matters of
the gravest importance may be shun-
ted off in the same way.
Under these conditions Constitu
tional Convention, in which the whole
subject shall be considered, is indi
Gated, as it seems to me. "There is
science of lawmaking" it has been
said. at is the science of feasibili-
ties" The Constitutional Convention
which formed our government surely
proved itself a master of this science.
The members of this Convention
would not meet as Republicans or
Democrats but as citizens charged
with historic responsibilities; and
when the Convention got through with
its work it would adjourn sine die, its
members not committed to seeking
personal "vindication" by reelection.
1t could, and likely would, consider
the whole matter in dispassionate
spirit and for the best interests of the
Republican; and it's decisions and
recommendations would likely possess
sufficient weight with the states to
carry a solution. Already a large
number of the States have made form
al application for the calling of such
convention by the Congress. When
convened it might consider other
matters, e. G, the elimination of
'1ame duck" sessions and perhaps the
lengthening of the term of the repre-
sentative, say to four years.
1t is true that more than one hun
bred and forty years have passed
without the meeting of such a conven-
ton although it was thought it would
occur each generation. Certain it is
that the good accomplished by prohibi-
ton is accompanied by situation
which is intolerable to men who love
their government and know that it can
only survive through the wisdom of
it's laws and the practical respect
rendered them. The spectacle of Con-