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The Commoner
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democrats and independents who I think 'will
bo glad to co-operate with Mr. Bryan in the
four year dry campaign. As an Independent
third party prohibitionist, I want to give my
word of commendation to Mr. Bryan for the
clean, unfaltering stand he has always taken on
all public questions and his last move certainly
proves to the people the high purpose, and un
selfish motive he is always ready to take for
the uplift of our country.
S. It. Schmutz, Mo. I am in this great fight
to clean up this great country of ours and sin
cerely hope by next election we will bo able 'to
come clean with a great victory.
L. O. Harbaugh, Ohio I heartily approve of
the method of Mr. W. J. Bryan conducting the
campaign looking to national prohibition and
Mr. Bryan can dourit on me for loyal support to
the 'extent of my. abilities, and he may feel per
fectly free to call upon me,, at any time and
place.
Henry. Schlotfeldt, Iowa. Your communica
tion of recent date announcing Mr. Bryan's
plans to smtte the saloon and redeem the demo
cratic party from the liquor dragon received. By
all means' power to his arm in that worthy, un
dertaking. No one fact is so 'prolific of evil arid
disaster.
W. H. Baldwin, Tex.- I am in hearty accord '
with Mr. Bryan in his splendid fight for the
principles of right and clean government..
A. V. MoKarriey, Ind. I think the plan an-
nounced by Mr. W. J. Bryan for the next four
years for the democratic party, is a good one.
It seems to meet the approval of most demo
crats in this vicinity as well as others.
Finley R. Crooks, Ohio. Send paper to me.
Have just returned' from the great dry conven
tion in Columbus, Ohio, launching the campaign
for a dry Ohio. It was a wonderful epoch for
the state What service Mr. Bryan rendered!
Words can not express the enthusiasm, powdr
and significance of the movement.
Albert Thompson, Neb. I -am much in sym
pathy with Mr. W. J. Bryan's plan for the next
four years. It is a big job, but quite worth
while. It will take any amount of hard work,
and meet with much opposition, but I believe
the better class of citizenship will respond.
Albert T. Landreth, 111. Please find enclosed
check for seven subscriptions at your clubbing
rate. I heartily approve of the method taken
by Mr. Bryan to suppress liquor interests, and
I certainly expect to do what I can to help him
along. I trust ho may, by the assistance of the
right thinking people, drive the saloons from
the whole country.
Edward S. Haws, Pa. I wish to assure you
of my hearty endorsement of your campaign to
make our country dry. I pray Grid may spare
you another 20 years that you may accomplish
as much as you have, done in the past twenty.
I enclose herewith one renewal, two new sub
scriptions, and the names of ten men and two
women who may be interested in the movement.
(The last two are ardent workers for suffrage.)
Jno. Mulroy, Pa. I am in hearty accord
with the campaign Mr. Bryan advocates against i
the liquor interests for the next four .years, and
will do all in my power to assist in this cam
paign. Gustave Jones, Ark. I heartily approve of
the plan that Col. Bryan has announced. The
list of men in my neighborhood who would join
the movement would take almost the . entire
Polling list of the county; as all of us, or a great
wority, are devout followers of him. The
great trouble is that it takes so long for so
many of the people to catch up with him, he is
always just a little ahead and this makes him,
of course, a typical leader. I wish he would
frankly say that he will accept the nomination
for president in 1920.
J. W. Boeing, N. Dak. I take pleasure in
sending the enclosed list of subscriptions with
M. 0. to cover amount of same. In this world
crisis, the old friends and supporters of Mr.
ryan are-tooking to him for help and counsel,
we feel sure that Mr. Bryan will be heard from
uu tne serious problems that confront the na
J on now. His influence will be used to settle
these problems in a new and better way. A
way that is, based on more -truth and justice.
Y p- Wills,, Mo. I fully indorse Mr. Bry
an s plan for the. next -four years, for I know
jnat he is right and that he is bound 'to win.
e llaB been right on every issue that has come
up slnco 189G, and I truly hope to seo him
president of the United States ii four yeaS
from the 4th of March. He iravouaWii L
1912 and elected him in iwTl tTgrcat"
est statesman in America today and in addition
he is a clean, upright Christian man Am win
ing to assist in tki great work in any way I
J n r.With CnCl08 y'0U a 1,8t oC names of
persons that you may be able to enlist in this
SSmen" imUnaI prohlbltIon and clc w"
L. A. Leberman, Pa. Mr. W. J. Bryan can
depend upon me to do everything possible, and
whatever influence and assistance I San give Sim
32ht l Jh1eerfully een and I think that tho
fight that he is now entering will bo one of tho
greatest fights that he has ever undertaken and
I sincerely hope that ho will bo successful.
Prohibition's Progress
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PROHIBITION MEASURES PASSED
BY C4TH CONGRESS AND SIGNED
BY PRESIDENT WILSON
Alaska prohibition bill, passed by tho
senate and bouse without the formality
of a roll-call.
Porto Rican citizenship bill, contain
ing a provision for prohibition, with a
referendum to the people if desired by
them.
District of Columbia bill, prohibiting
the manufacture and sale of alcoholic
beverages in the District.
Amendment to postofllce appropria
tion bill, prohibiting tho use of the mails
for liquor advertising purposes, and also
prohibiting, excepting for scientific, sac
ramental, medicinal and mechanical pur
poses, the shipment of alcoholic-liquors
through channels of "Interstate com
merce, to' individuals in states that
now prohibit the manufacture and sale
of intoxicating liquors.
Nothing but the congestion of legisla
tion caused by threatening war, pre
sented a vote on the resolution for na
tional prohibition.
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From Tho American Issue, March 10.
Two hundred and seventy-five saloons and
several breweries in the District of Columbia
will go out of business November 1, 1917. Tho
capital of the United States will go drytho ficst
considerable capital in the world to banish tho
liquor traffic in times of peace.
Drys of America are Jubilant because of a
double victory achieved at Washington during
the closing days of the congressional session.
Tho 'bone-dry feature and tho District measure
were acted on by congress at about the same
time. President Wilson has signed both bills.
Ho put his name at the bottom of the bone-dry
bill Saturday, March 3, and signed the 'District
bill on Sunday.
The house of representatives passed tho Dis
trict of Columbia bill by a vote of 273 to 137,
'that being one of tho largest majorities ever
given any bill supported by congressmen. A
motion to recommit the bill to the somewhat
hostile District of Columbia committeo failed
by a voto of 232 to 174.
No measure that ever went through congress
was fought harder than this. When the bill
was before the senate the wets sought to kill
the bill by amending it so as to refer it to tho
residents of the District, who have no suffrage
in the District. That referendum was killed
and the senate passed the bill by a good ma
jority. The District prohibition measure goes Into ef
fect November 1. The bone-dry Xeaturo of the
vpostoffico bill does not go into effect until July
1. Under the terms of the bill as passed the
bone-dry features became operative immediately,
but 'i&. the closing hours of congress the wets
.jammed through a measure giving four months
of grace to the liquor Interests.
The city of Washington has 375,000 resident.
Until Detroit, Mich., goes dry tho national cap
ital will bo tho largest dry city In tho Unfctcd
States.
PRESIDENT SIGNS DISTRICT BILL
A Washington dispatch, dated March 4, sayi:
I resident Wilson, shortly before midnight last
n Ight, put his signaturo to tho Shcppard pro
hibition bill which legislates tho District into
tho dry" column after November 1, 1917.
Up to tho last moment Representative Gal
Hvaii and other leadejjc for tho "wets" hoped
and bolievcd that tho chief exccutlvo would not
sign tho aaloonlcBs capital bill.
Great pressuro was brought to bear upon tho
President yesterday by Influential democratic
leadors to veto tho measure or let It die auto
matically at noon today without hie signaturo.
Tho President's stand was that congress has
absoluto Jurisdiction over District legislation,
and Blnco it has expressed Itself so overwhelm
ingly ho could not defeat Its voico by a veto.
Tho Shoppard law permits personal consump
tion of liquor and does not carry with it- tho
bono dry" laws. Under tho Shoppard meanuro
liquor can bo shipped into tho District from
Maryland and other nearby states.
Ut
THE "BONE DRY" LAW
Tho full text of senate amondmont No. 34 to
the Postal bill, which carries tho Reed amend
ment, or tho so-called "bono dry" provision,
follows:
"Sec. 6. That no letter, postal card, circular,
nowspaperjjmmphlet, or publication of any kind
containing anyadvertisemeiit of spirituous, vin
ous, malted fermented, or other intoxicating li
quors of any kind, or containing a solicitation
of an order or orders for said liquors, or any
of thorn, shall bo deposited In or carried by tho
mails of the United States, or bo delivered by
any postmaster or letter carrier, when addressed
or directed to any person, Arm, corporation, or
association, or other addressee, at any place or
point in any stato or territory of tho United
States at which it is by tho law in force in tho
state or territory at that timo unlawful to ad
vertise or solicit orders for such liquors, or any
of them, respectively.
"If tho publisher of any newspaper or other
publication or tho agent of such publisher, or
if any dealer In such liquors or his agent, shall
knowingly deposit, or causo to be deposited, or
shall knowingly send or cause to be sent, any
thing to bo conveyed or devellvcred by mail in
violation of the provisions of this section, or
shall knowingly deliver or cause to be delivered
by mail anything herein forbidden to be carried
by mail, shall bo fined not moro than $1,000 or
imprisoned not moro than six months, or both;
and for any subsequent offenso shall bo im
prisoned not moro than one year. Any person
violating any provision of this section may bo
tried and punished, either in tho district in
which tho unlawful matter or publication was
mailed or to which it was carried by mall for
delivery, according to direction thereon, or in
which it was caused to bo delivered by mail to
tho person to whom it was addressed.
"Whoever shall order, .purchase, or ciiums In
toxicating liquors to bo transported In Interstate
commerce, except for scientific, sacramental,
medicinal, and mechanical purposes, into .un
stato or territory the laws of which Htate or
territory prohibit tho manufacture or sale there
in of Intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes
shall bo punished ay aforesaid: Provided, That
nothing herein shall authorize the shipment of
liquor into any state contrary to the lawn of
such state: Provided further, That the post
master general is hereby authorized and direct
ed to make public from time to time in suitable,
bulletins or public notices the names of state
in which it is unlawful to advertise or solicit
orders for such liquors."
The part of tho bill printed in blackface typo Is
known as tho "Reed" amendment. Fenate
amendment No. 34 came as a rider on tho Postal
bill. Senator Jones of Washington took tho
Bankhead anti-advertising bill and put It on li6
Postal bill as an amendment. 'Senator Reed of
Missouri was successful in amending the Jones
amendment In tho senate, February 15, his mc
tion carrying by a vote of 45 to 11. Tho house
on February 21 passed tho 'senate measure by k
vote of 319 to 72. - -
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