Evening star., 1933-04-02
BATTLE FOR REPEAL
TO0PEN TOMORROW
Michigan to Name Delegates
With Wisconsin Next,
on Tuesday.
(Continued From First Page.)

votes, Dy StaCe legislative enactmeQ
and /, South Carolina, by wha
amounted virtually to State wide
vote
while the campaign to end nationa
prohibition goes forward, the drynes,
of the country VIII be attacked iron
another angle.
Next Friday legal beer-3.2 per cen
alcoholic content by weight-may flow
in those States where the dry ban ha.
not existed or has been removed. DR.
Mcbride expressed the opinion thai
the constitutionality of this beverage
would be tested, perhaps in many
places. He indicated, however, thai
the organization he represents will not
as an organization bring the court test
but it will be made by individuals.
The drys contend that 80 per cent
beer is intoxicating to some persons
their purpose is, generally speaking, te
prevent the manufacture and sale Of al
Intoxicating beverages, there is feel
ing among the drys that it would per-
haps be just as well to permit the
country to have test of the proposed
beer. They believe that when the
country starts to drink beer on large
scale, it will be just too bad for the
vets; that the sentiment will swing
strongly to the dry cause again.
Beer will prove too heavy burden
for the vets to carry" said one of tn,
most prominent dry leaders. ut will
prove boomerang"
d. C. Test Case Predicted.
The drys regard the medicinal liquor
law, recently signed by President RooSe-
welt, lifting all limits to the amount OF
liquor which may be prescribed by ply
EicianS, much in the same light as the
beer law They see the druggists be-
coming dispensers Of great quantities
of hard liquor, giving the vets black
eve. They insist that both the beer
and the medicinal liquor laws will help
them in the end to prevent the repeal
Of the eighteenth amendment.
DR.. Mcbride said that he knew plans
were in the making for testing the con-
stitutionahty of the beer law in Wash
ington-proyided the local beer bill be-
comes law, as now seems probable.
It is expected that beer will be sold
Immediately on Friday in 10 States.
Five other States have approved such
sale, but have fixed future dates for
the sale to begin.
The drys complain because OF lack OF
time to make their campaign in Michi-
gan and Wisconsin, and, indeed, In
other States where the test is to come
soon They say, too, that they are more
handicapped by lack Of funds for cam
paign purposes than are the vets; that
they are unable to speed up their cam
paigning on that account.
On the other hand, the drys have
their old organizations, such as the
Anti-Saloon League, the Woman's
Christian Temperance Union, the
Board of Public Morals and Prohibition
of the Methodist Church and many
others. These organizations are weli
grounded and have their branches and
Committees in every State and county.
They are calling these organizations and
many of the churches into the cam
paign now. They have q national Pro-
hibition Emergency Committee and
State committees with which they now
are carrying on this campaign. The
State and local committees are made up
of representatives of the various dry Or
ganizations and of representatives OF
many of the churches
Differ on Election Plans.
The vets are frankly in favor Of the
choice of delegates to State constitu-
tional conventions by Statewide cleo
tions. The drys are just as frankly
opposed to this plan OF selecting dele
gates and prefer their election accord
ing to Legislative districts. The vets
believe that In q Statewide contest
they will have the benefit Of registering
their whole strength, with their pre-
ponderance In the populous and wet
Industrial centerS counting strongly.
The drys believe that the rural and
dryer sections should be given such
representation as they are IN State
Legislatures, for example, when 1t comes
TO the constitutional conventions.
In Michigan the constitutional con-
Vention will be composed Of 100 dele
gates, chosen by legislative districts.
Or. Mcbride said. however, 1t was his
understanding that additional delegates
were given to the more populous dis
tricts. That, he added, Is to be the
case in Indiana, where each county Will
be allowed one delegate. and for each
10000 population an additional dele
eate.
The Wisconsin constitutional conven-
.tion is to be composed Of only is dele
gates, elected at large.
Jouett Shouse, president Of the Asso-
citation Against the Eighteenth Amend
ment, In statement issued last night,
almost on the eve of the contests IN
Michigan and Wisconsin, said:
I'VE view the outcome in both Mich
agan and Wisconsin with complete con-
hdence, provided the voters Of the two
States go to the polls in sufficient num-
bers to afford truly representative deci-
sion. In these Michigan and Wiscon-
sin elections the Nation is beginning
a unique and momentuous experiment
in popular government, on the outcome
of which our whole system of amending
the Federal Constitution may depend"
Tried for First Time.
Mr.. Shouse had reference to the fact
that never in the history Of the country
has an amendment been submitted to
State constitutional conventions-but
always to State Legislatures.
MIR. Shouse included ! his statement
results Of popular elections dealing with
the prohibition question in both Michi-
gan and Wisconsin since the submis-
sion of the eighteenth amendment to
the States. The voters of Michigan, in
1919, turned down proposal to amend
the State constitution so as to permit
light wine and beer by vote Of $50, 1923
to 322 ,603. In 1882, however, the pen
dulum swung far to the wet side in
that State, and by a vote of / ,022 ,508 to
475,265 Michigan repealed State con-
oe2bGS4Ol1cA dllO pIONlSlOll 4Ol
the State liquor control system.
The voters of Wisconsin in 1920, by
vote of 419,309 to 199,876, ratified the
State prohibition enforcement act. Nine
years later, by a vote of $780, 1877 to 1885,
402, Wisconsin repealed the State en-
forcement act. In that same year, the
people voted, 321 ,628 to 20O,545, to
amend the State act to permit ATS per
cent beer. Another test of sentiment
was held in 1926, when petition to
Congress to amend the VolStead act
so as to permit 2.75 per cent beer was
carried, 349,443 to 1902.
The battle for repeal of the eighteenth
amendment-and for its retention
promises to stretch out for months and
perhaps years to come. As 1t progresses
the fighting will become more and more
Let Us Install a Ne.D