The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1931-01-01

pose of unfolding the constitution OF Inc
United States, and for the purpose OF Co
operating with the federal government IN
enforcing the federal laws intended TO
make the Eighteenth Amendment oper-
ative
It should be perfectly clear to any
thoughtful citizen of the United States
that a great deal of false propaganda has
been circulated by people who were un-
willing to obey the laws of the land ana
that a great deal of misrepresentation has
been made on the part of and through the
public press of the nation, and as 1t Ell
fects the state of Illinois particularly
through such publications as the Chicago
Tribune and the Hearst papers, with the
effect that many unthinking people nave
been deceived and caused to take an attl-
tude in opposition to our constitution ana
our laws, feeling that they are under no
obligation to obey any law that they do
not like, which as every sensible citizen
knows is false premise.
The forces that have been opposing the
enforcement of the prohibition laws
throughout the United States have con-
centrated on certain states, trying to make
enforcement non-effective through repeal
of the enforcement act in those states,
and they have chosen few of the states
in which there is the largest percentage of
people Of foreign extraction, which is usu-
ally found in the larger cities
The referendum submitted to the peo-
pie at the last election for the purpose OF
repeating the enforcement act appears to
have been an effort to retard the enforce
ment of the federal laws relating to the
Eighteenth Amendment and the VolStead
act, and thereby make it appear that
these laws cannot be enforced. This atti-
tude is in my opinion reprehensible, and
I cannot see how any person who con-
siders himself a law-abiding citizen can
take such attitude for certainly it is the
duty Of every state to uphold the consti-
tuition Of the United States and the fed
eral laws, and the repeal of the enforce
ment act in Illinois would be an I'M
friendly act toward the nation to put it
mildly, and in my Judgment would border
on treason.
The referendum, upon which great
many honest citizens did not vote, was put
forward by the opponents of prohibition
for no legitimate purpose, as I see it, The
vote on that referendum was not manda-
tory upon the members of the legislature
because it was not majority of the votes
cast at the election 1t was simply ma
jority of the votes cast on that particular
time, and it does not indicate that the
uldJOIlUy VI UllG pCOp1S vi OtlG SIdbC VI ILL
nois favor the repeal of the prohibition
law.
In 1923 at the presidential election the
vote in Illinois was over 100000, whereas
the vote to repeal the state prohibition law
was only slightly over 100000, and dur
ing the interval there has been an in
crease in the population in Illinois. In
1880 the vote cast for the United States
senator was over 100000, or more than
twice the wet vote on the matter of refer
endun. There were at the 1890 election
over 100000 people who voted and who
did not vote on the referendum feature
Many of these declined to vote on this
feature thinking it an improper measure,
and were SO advised not to vote on it.
I, therefore, feel that it would be a
serious mistake to repeal the state prohi-
bition enforcement act and suggest that
you give the matter very serious consider
alton. Personally, am thoroughly con-
WINGED from my own knowledge Of the
conditions, and my own observations, that
the Eighteenth Amendment has been a
great blessing to the United States of
America, that its advantages very greatly
outweigh its disadvantages, and that it
came into being in proper manner, that
it has come to stay, and that no efforts of
an opposition will be successful in repeal
ing the Eighteenth Amendment, or greatly
modifying the federal laws relating
thereto.
The enforcement of the prohibition laws
T. IT,, L.