Show 0 t National Topics Interpreted I by William Bruckart Washington rh The sudden action of or congress ress In submitting the billon repeal reso reso- Long Rocky t to tot o t the h be e Road to Repeal Repeat states tates has brought enough of ot a reaction lion tion right now to Justify the assertion assertion asser asser- I tl tion n that prohibition repeal still has bas hasa basa a long way to travel cl And It looks 1 like a ro rocky l y road to some of the I unbiased observers Whether you ou are ore wet cvet or whether you are dry this prohibition repeal battle bottle has an Immensely practical side and It Is that practical side which yet ret must be met Superficially Ily It looks loos like lepe repeal l has hos a R big ed edge e. e Its supporters and the bulk of those who voted for Its passage In the house and In the senate bell believe eye there are 30 G states I I which given the opportunity for a statewide expression will vote to take the experiment out of the Constitution Con Con- In other words they still have the enthusiasm that caused repeal re reo I peal or submission proposals to be put Into the party part platforms In the midsummer heat beat at lit Chicago o In In 12 1 The Ile group that forced the repeal al proposal through congress embraced man many of the same sallie leaders as were In evidence nce In the Democratic and Republican party conventions con re re- Now r however howe the they have haye havea hayea a different question to handle It Is IsI I the sober Judgment of the populace I who are not carried away by the mob psychology of a n party convention convention conven conven- tion because the they are no now talking It over O in the quiet of their homes I nd with their lr friends To get down to cases the circum circumstance stance is simply this a very great number of people are going to ask themselves If they have ho not already done so so whether there can cnn be a means menus worked out to prevent return I of the saloon The most ardent wets disavow any uny desire to have the saloon again They so declared In Inthe Inthe inthe the debate dehate on the repeal resolution But It appears to some of the observers observers ob ob- ob servers ser here that wishing will not make It so To state the thing another way the repeal resolution could coin could be talked about In n an nn academic wa way the the need aced for tor elimination of ot the speakeasies for taking the power of ot money out of the hands of ot criminals criminals crim crim- for accomplishing more respect respect respect re re- for law aw and and orlI order r. r These needs were duly stressed and there Is no doubt douht as to the value of the argument But nut when the repeal had passed congress and the question had been put up to the states for ratification by conventions It appears ap tip pears that many persons throughout through through- out the country countr suddenly came to the realization that the states were left with the Job of regulating the sale of the liquor Congress declined to put any provIsIon provision provision pro pro- vision In the repeal resolution that prohibited the return of the saloon It was content to include a pro provIsion provision provision vision which brings federal author authorIty authorIty authority Ity Into use to keep the wet states state from shipping liquor Into dry cIry states But nut that was as far as It would go Hence the problem of regulating the sale Is strictly up to the states themselves Offhand It Is made malIe to appear that In a n number of f states there will be enough dry sentiment to tie up UI with those who dont don't want the saloon to force adoption of state regulations against the pub lie barroom In others of course that condition will not exist find and there will be the time old saloon on er e every corn corner r of the street In the third class cluss of states there Is no doubt at ot all all' what will wail happen Prohibition will continue In them I have heard It said here by some of the recognized wets that the women constitute the problem of the I forces who are arc bent benton on getting rid of oC prohibition It will willbe willbe willbe be Interesting to note their behavior behave tor or In this first test of a national problem adapted locally What the strategy of ot the drys will be Is not yet et quite clear The ass assumption u m p t Ion is Concentrate they are going to toon toon toon on Dry States concentrate their I fight I mean b by that the dr drys s 's are arc going to pick their I spots because they recognize It takes only thirteen states no more no less to block bloc repeal If they go o to lint hot In perhaps not tint more than twenty states that tint have long prohibition r records or where the dry sentiment lon long has been prominent the they can enn give the wets one of the pre prettiest lights fights of madern moil mod I ern cm politics The wets o recognise the size of their Job joh It Is agreed h by nil all observers here that the tho wets are organized no now IH better than thc they have ever cr been The They have II men and women with brains and und a n very yer great deal of or money noncy That money will be spent for tor speakers for fur liter literature inure for I general campaign campal n purposes put par poses The dr drys s on the lie other hind bund c al-c not equipped with money to nn nuns particular extent Nor Is It I II II that they have hae leadership of or tintype thet the tin t type p of the late lute Wayne B B. B R hlf heeler who by sheer r force of oJ hl his pt person OIl allty and pol political l acumen 1 throve dinv the m Eighteenth JI li congress ss fourteen y years ara ago Hut But while admitting these things It t still Is to be remembered the strength of the drys In this tills battle like all they have fought lies In the moral arguments the they can advance Senator William R. R Borah of Idaho a personal as us well as a politIcal political political po po- dry told me he thought the weight of ot the moral argument would be Just lust as Important In this campaign on the liquor Issue as It ever er has been He lIe sug suggested that It might be slow In gaining momentum momen mowen turn tum but he Is convinced It will pick pickup pickup up speed as the campaign proceeds Such wet lead leaders rs as Bingham of or Connecticut and 1 Tydings of Maryland Maryland Mary Mary- land how however eve r Battle Is On maintain the there therein r e ein in States has been an awakened awakened awakened awak awak- ened public sentiment senti senU- ment Their argument oft oCt repeat ed Is that hundreds of thousands of right thinking right people once prohibitionists pro pro- have haye re reasoned the thing I through and have reached the conclusion conclusion con con- that national prohibition 1 has lias L been en a failure They are willIng willIng will will- Ing therefore to vote to do lo away with the policy which they hoped fondl fondly would eliminate the curse of ot the liquor traffic They found so Senator Bingham sa says s 's that they were misguided So as the state legislatures pass legislation providing for tor conven comen conventions lions In the several se states the battle battle battle bat bat- tle Is on It will be on too In n some of the state legislatures where attempts attempts attempts at at- tempts will be made to defeat even en evena eena a call for a state convention If It that fight Is successful of ot course It ItIs ItIs itis Is almost as good for the dr drys s 's as though the state refused to ratify In convention It takes one potential supporter from the list of forty forty- eight of which thirty six must ratify 1 t tHere Here Is the language of ot the resolution resolution resolution reso reso- lution upon which the states will act Resolved by the senate and house bouse of representatives of the United States of America In congress congress con con- gress assembled two-thirds two of each house concurring therein That the following article Is hereby proposed proposed pro pro- proposed posed as an amendment to the Constitution Constitution Con Con- of the United States which shall be valid to all Int Intents and purposes when ratified by conventions conventions con con- In three-fourths three of the several several several sev sev- eral states Section 1 The I-The The Eighteenth amendment amend ment to the Constitution is s hereby repealed Section 2 The 3 The transportation or Importation Into any state territory or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of Intoxicating intoxicating liquors In n violation of the laws thereof Is hereby prohibited I Section 3 3 This This article shall be I I Inoperative unless It shall have been ratified as an amendment to the C Constitution by conventions in the II several states as provided In the Constitution within seven seyen years I from the date of the submission I hereof to the states by the con con- gress S SAnd And for the further purpose of ot ofa ota a record it may be said that the proposal to ratify by conventions In the several states is the first time it has ever er happened that congress congress has leas specified the use of or conventions The Constitution of course permits that method It was contemplated by the framers of the resolution In n the senate senate sen sen- ate that no side Issues should be allowed allowed al al- i lowed to muss up a determination determinatIon of the question If the undercurrent of talk be correct correct correct cor cor- that Senator Harrison of or Mississippi Mississippi Mis Mis- thought Demand for he lie could cut down Inflation the vast demand for Inflation of the currency by staging the series of hearings before his committee on finance it must be admitted he has made mode some headway To be sure there are senators and nud lives continuing their free advice to the world about the need of ad ad- additional millions even en billions of paper bills hills without an any gold backing backIng back back- Ing but the they are not now now believed to possess the strength In congress they once had Senator Harrison Is aiming at gathering In all nil shades of ot opinion Into one record a II course that may mayor or mn may not be productive of anything anything any any- thing worth while But lint It Is stab e-stab established fished the that the deeper purpose of the tile hearings was to keep I many mony of ot the quiet How much easier ensler It will be then I Ito to draft le legislation resident President Roosevelt although set set- settled I tied In the White House has not had hud time LIme yet et to settle Into his Job job as Chief Executive of the nation But Bat It U cannot be said that he has not already had hind a taste of the criticism criticism cism that lint goes with that high office I do not know how much of It has bas reached his hits desk but Washington sets reactions from frum all nil parts of ot the country r that the honeymoon which Mr tr Roosevelt Roose slid said In n his campaign unit that he lie desired Is nearly if not completely over o l 1913 Western r Unto |