The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-04-03
NEA Serfyice Writer

Washington.--NearIy two years of beer-and then repeal That seems to be the most reasonable guess now being made by the vets who are working to get states to ratify the repeal amendment re- gently passed by congress. It as- sumes the drys will be no more fortunate in persuading 13 states to hold out against it than they have been in stcmming the wet tide of the last few years. Ratification this year is still theoretically possible. But some legislatures have gone home with out setting up machinery for elcc- ton of state conventions and oth- CTS are unwilling to call special elections in this year when econ omy and expenditures for relief are so imperative. Most meet only bi- ennially in odd-numbered years and few probably won't act be- fore 1885.
 So 1t is generally believed now that the requisite 36 states won't have ratified through conventions before the end of 1884 and possibly not until the following spring.
 There will be special elections of convention delegates in perhaps half the states which have conven- tions. A few states may hold them in connection with their spring primaries of 1884. But very few have any statewide election this year, which means that many will wait for 1884.
 How Conventions Work
 Before they get through the states will have held the greatest national referendum in the history of the world. Thirteen already have set dates for their wct-dry clec- tions for 1883 and another state for 1884. Legislatures of seven others have provided for rcfcrenda, leav- ing the dates to their governors.
 Bills setting up the ratification machinery are pending in many other legislatures.
 The first states in line are Mich- igan. with an election April 3, and Wisconsin electing delegates a day later.
 Elections and conventions are likely to operate generally on the same procedure through which we use the presidential electoral col lege. The constitution had never before been changed except through ratification of amendments by states legislatures, so for awhile the situation as to the form the conventions would take seemed rather chaotic. They were taking all kinds of strange shapes.
 But Joseph II. Choate's Volun- tary Committee of Lawyers got to- gether with Jouett Shouse's As- sociation Against the Prohibition amendment and drew up q model bill for ther groping legislators They held that votes should be statewide and that delegates should be elected at large rather than tricts. This principle has been adopted In most ratification bills introduced in the last few weeks. Perfunctory Votes
 Under that provision, the ratifi- cation conventions will be mere matters of form. Delegates will simply go through the motions of casting their vote as would 50 many presidential electors, since they will be bound in advance. In states where both wet and dry delegates have been elected-by county or district vote-there doubtless will be some debate, al- though the convention's vote will be known.
 Where final action has been taken, provision has usually been made for two slates-onc for re- peal and one for retention of tho eighteenth amendment. But lately 1t has been argued that tho con- stitution implies that the conven- tons sould be deliberative bodies,