The Wilmington morning star., 1944-01-09
amendment a wear later.

The VOlSteaG act, an endpllHe
measure to enforce the 18th
amendment, was passed over
President Wilson'S veto on Oct
%, 1919.
In his veto message Wilson sale
the bill dealt with enforcement
both of the prohibition amendment
and the wartime prohibition legis
lation which came before it.
81 object to and can not approve
that part of this legislation with
reference to wartime prohibition, .
Wilson said.
90. In all matters having to
do with the personal habits anc
customs of large numbers of oul
people, we must be certain thai
the established processes of lega
change are followed"
Today, opponents Of prohibition
point out that Rep. Bryson also
has in the congressional mill a
joint resolution to amend the con
stitution again to provide national
prohibition and repeal the 21s1
amendment which. in 1884 repeal.
ed the 18th amendment.
Bryson indicates that his prohi-
bition amendment proposal is a
permanent" one looking to the
future and that he does not intend
to ask that the committee hearing
next week deal with it at all.
He says that as the father Of
two children in the service he is
more interested in pushing the
wartime prohibition bill, which he
claims is backed by petitions from
$4,000 persons.
In 1919 the nation approached
national prohibition without pre-
vious experience on national
basis, although at that time SO
states had already voted them
selves dry.
Today three states - Kansas,
Oklahoma and Mississippi are
dry but permit the sale of beer.
Meanwhile, since repeal of nation
al prohibition in 1884 local option
has been voted in one form or
another in communities in "a
states, and the Anti-Saloon League
of America reports that out Of
1885 local option elections held
from repeal to end of 1912, ''tem-
perate forces" won in 9,205 cases.
But the issues in these Local
option elections are complicated
and vary greatly, SO it is consider.
ed difficult to compare them flat
ly with the state elections prior
to 1918 when the issue was simply
to license liquor sales or net.
Different, too, is the situation
that faces the Bryson bill. The
nation has experienced national
prohibition and repudiated it, The
liquor supply is short because
none has been distilled in this
country since October, 1912, be-
cause all alcohol production goes
into war uses.
The Anti-Saloon League of Amer
lea, one of the most powerful
forces behind prohibition in 1913,
says it is not joining in requesting
passage of the Bryson wartime
prohibition bill because:
1. 1t considers existing law ade-
quate - the Presidents wartime
powers could provide any restric-
ton necessary to insure prosecu-
ton of the war-and says discus
sion should be deferred until the
men and women in the armed
services can participate fully.
2. Under prevailing public senti-
ment land with liquor legalized in
As of the 48 states, it says too
many difficulties would be en-
countered to insure successful op-
GRAFTON of wartime prohibition.
3. The Anti-Saloon League has
not altered its stated belief that
ultimately the people will turn to
prohibition as the solution to the
liquor problem, but says it wants
prohibition only when adopted by
democratic processes and upheld
by the necessary supporting public
sentiment.