Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1933-03-09
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National Topics Interpreted - fFYY7T7Tfn
by William Bruckart ks1<1T1H

told me he thought the weight OF the
moral argument would be just In
portant In this campaign on the liquor
issue as 1t ever has been. He suggest
ed that 1t might be slow In gaining
momentum. but he is convinced it will
pick up speed as the campaign pro-
ceeds.
Such wet leaders us Bingham OF
Connecticut, and Tydings of Maryland,
however, maintain
Battle Is On there has been an
in States awakened public SEN
timent. Their argu-
ment, oft repeated, is that hundreds of
thousands of right-thinking people,
once prohibtionists. have reasoned the
thing through and have reached the
conclusion that national prohibition
has been failure. They are willing,
therefore, to vote to do away with the
policy which they hoped fondly would
eliminate the curse of the liquor traf-
fic. They found, so Senator Bingham
says, that they were misguided.
So as the state legislatures pass leg
islation providing for conventions In
the several states, the battle is on. 1t
will be on, too, In some of the state
legislatures where attempts will be
made to defeat even q call for state
convention. If that fight Is successful
of course, 1t Is almost as good for
the drys as though the state refused
potential supporter from the list of
forty-eight of which thirty-slx must
ratify.
Here is the language of the resolu-
ton upon which the states viii act:
Resolved by the senate and house
Of representatives of the United States
OF America IN congress- assembled
ttwo-thrds OF each house concurring
thereinl, That the following article is
hereby proposed as an amendment to
the Constitution OF the United States,
which shall be valid to all intents and
purposes when ratified by conventions
in three-fourths of the. several states:
Section 1.-The Eighteenth amend
ment to the Constitution is hereby re
pealed.
"Sectinn 2-The transportation or
importation into any state, territory.
or possession Of the United States for
delivery or use therein Of Intoxicating
liquors. In violation of the laws there
Of, Is hereby prohibited.
aSection 3-This article shall be In
operative unless 1t shall have been rat
flied as an amendment to the Consti-
tuition by conventions In the several
states, as provided In the Constitution,
within seven years from the date Of
the submission hereof to the states by
the congress"
And for the further purposes OF a
record, 1t may be said that the pro-
posal to ratIfy by conventions In the
several states Is the first time 1t has
ever happened that congress has speci-
fed the use of conventions The Con-
stitution, of course, permits that meth
Cd.
1t was contemplated by the trainers
OF the resolution In the senate that
no side issues should be allowed to
muss up determination Of the ques-
ton. Delegates to the conventions
will be chosen solely on the Issue OF
whether they advocate or oppose re.
peal The plan works both ways. AS
proof, attention need be called only
to the arguments. The vets claim a
direct vote on the question means re-
peal; the drys claim direct vote
means retention of the Eighteenth
amendment. Il certainly means that
the one side or the other will get
licked, and the side that gets licked
has no allbl.
Ii the undercurrent of talk be cor
rect that Senator Harrison, of Mssis-
sippi, thought he
Demand for could cut down the
Imitation Weakensvast demand for in
flation of the cur
rency by staging the series of hear
ings before his committee Oh finance,
1t must be admitted he has made some
Roadway. To be sure, there are SEN
alters and representatives continuing
their free advice to the world about
the need for additional millions, even
billions, Of paper bills without any
gold backing. but they are not now
believed to possess the strength In
congress they once had.
Senator Harrison Is aiming at gath
erlng In all shades of opinion into one
record. course that may or may not
be productive OF anything worth while,
But It is established that the deeper
purpose of the hearings was to keep
many Of the in1atlonlsts quiet.
How much easier 1t will be then to
draft legislation Then. and not until
then, will 1t be wholly apparent how
much Senator Harrison has accom-
plished by arranging laboratory
or "cllnic" for analysis Of the economic
condition.