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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1917)
u nfB W7 r The Commoner APKIti, 1917 13 i $Hl I W5SpO,,'lf,"!W.(K,"fvvi"T-Tf- In Favor of Bone Dry Prohibition Speech of Hon. Charles R. Crisp, of Georgia, in the house of representatives, Wednesday, February 21, 1917. M& Speaker and gentlemen of the house, I have not consumed much of the time of the house since I hayo been a member. I have a few things that I desire to say to the house on this occasion, and therefore I ask my colleagues not to interrupt me until I shall have stated what I desire to say, and if I have any time left I will be glad to answer questions to the best of ray ability. I have always been a prohibition ist. I have voted for prohibition for 25 years city, county, state and national and it is in conceivable to mo that any. prohibitionist can be opposed to the amendment before this house. (Applause.) I can readily see how gentlemen who do not favor prohibition can oppose it, and I have no fault to find with my colleagues who differ with me; but I desire to address my re marks principally to the prohibitionists of this house, and if they will stand together before this congress adjourns we will have the- best prohibition law on the statute books that has been enacted since this government was found-, ed. (Applause..) Now, what is the amend ment before the house? It is an amendment to -prohibit whisky advertisements being trans mitted through the mails in any of those states where by law the advertisement of liquors is prohibited; and It also prohibits the Interstate shipment of liquors in any quantity into any state where by the law of that state it is pro hibited, except for medicinal, scientific, and sac ramental purposes. Strange as it may seem, Mr. Speaker, a num ber of prohibitionists are opposed to the amend ment,, and they place their opposition, so far as I have been able to gather from personal con versation with the members of this house, on three grounds. In one of them they say that the; amendment was proposed by a very, dis tinguished gentleman, a member of another, au gust body, who is not in sympathy with prohi bition. I know the maxim, "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts"; but, Mr. Speaker, when this amendment was, offered by the distinguished gentleman it was a very different ..proppsitlon from the amendment now before the house. Thq amendment as offered, among other things, mde it a crime to, take a drink of whisky in:& dry state. Possibly It was pffef.e,d,.Ji:pr thq; pur pose of making, the legislation obnoxious; out it has been perfected in another body at the other end of this capitol, and it, comes before us now a splendid prohibition measure (applause), the best one and the most practical one for pro hibition "that has ever been before this body since I have been a member of it. (Applause.) Mr, Speaker, to oppose thia amendment on that ground does not attribute much intelli gence to thife body, for the members of this body can read, the English language, and we know what the amendment says. It is a good prohibition amendment, and will make states bone-dry. Otli$L gentlemen may do as they please, but I shall not desert my flag or vote against a good, practical workable prohibition measure because it was suggested by an enemy of prohibition. Now, the second opposition to it is that it in terferes with state rights. How often, Mr. Speaker, have gentlemen used the state rights proposition to get behind a thing they do not favor! (Applause.) I do not believe this in terferes with state rights. We have a dual form of government, state and national", each being supreme within their respective jur tion. When this government was organized, and the respective states confederated' them selves into one government, certain powers were reserved by the states, and certain other powers were by them delegated to .the federal government;- and among fne powers delegated to the federal government was the right to reg ulate interstate commerce between the several states. I know some Of the states have a law to the effect that you can import certain quantities of whisky, and those who are arguing now that tho Reed amendment is an infringement of staterights-say'it takes away the-right of a cit izen, .in a. particular state where the law au thorizes him to have a quart, to got it. Good Lord, I can not understand a "quart prohibi tionist." (Laughter.) Mr. Speaker, it does take away that right. Until tho Webb-Konyon law tho states could not prohibit 'the importation of whisky into it through interstate commerce in any quantity; but tho Webb-Kenyon aqt outlawed whisky so far as interstate commerce was coftcornod. I grant you if this amendment passes it will bo unlawful to ship whisky in quarts or half gal lons or gallons into any state where it is pro hibited except for sacramental, medicinal, or scientific purposes; but that Is not interfering with state rights. The states had no rights in the premises save what tho federal congress gives them, and the federal congress had tho right to amend the Webb-Kenyon act, and that is all the Reed amendment does. It says to the, states, "You may be wet or dry; chooso fori yourselves." If whisky is injurious, and I be lieve it is, I think whisky shipped into my state from some other state will affect tho health, morals, and welfare of the people of my state as much as if it was manufactured in Georgia. Another .thing, Mr. Speaker, some of tho friends" of prohibition say they favor national prohibition, So do I. But it is a "long, long way to Tipperary" before you get national pro hibition. It must pass, or be submitted, by a two-thirds vote of both branches of congress, and then be ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the states in the union. I voted for national prohibition in tho last congress. I will vote for it again. But I am not fooling myself that it is going to become a law in the near future. But I want some of those friends who favor nation-wide prohibition and oppose this law to differentiate how this law is inter-' fering with state rights and the national con stitutional , prohibition would not. . Say th,roe fpurths of the states , want constitutional pro hibition .and one-fourth of the states do net, do. not the1 three-fourths, force prohibition on tho one-fourth of the states that do not want it, thus clearly interfering with tho rights of those states? Then, Mr. Speaker, some friends say they are opposed to it because it Is too drastic. Now, I want to 'say in my experience the greatest ar gument prohibitionists have always had td com bat is composed of two propositions: Ono .of them isithatprohibitionists arehot sincere. Mr. Speaker, if prohibitionists opposo -this Repd amendment it seems to mo there is some foun dation for that criticism. (Applause.) Tho other is they say it interferes with quart laws of the respective states. My state has a. 2-quart law. But I want to say that when my stato enacted that law the proponents of prohibition desired to make it as dry as possible. 6ur law was en acted before the -decision in tho West Virginia case, and there was a common Idea prevalcnr that if you prevented the transportation of whisky entirely In interstate commerce from one state to another tho courts would hold. the whole law unconstitutional; and that alone is the reason that they put the 2-quart proposi tion in it. I have received this morning a tele gram from Georgia which I 'desire to read: "Atlanta, Ga., February 21, 1917. Hon. Charles R. Crisp, The. Driscoll, Washington, D. C: At a meeting of 150 citizens of Atlanta at the Ansley auditorium, including Anti-Saloon league and Georgia Dry Federation forces, it was unanimously voted that we stand for drastic legislation and everything elsetbat will make the nation dry. Wo aro with yoand urgo all Georgia representatives to fight to finish for bone-dry legislation. Chas. F. Jones, Chairman Headquarters Committee, Georgia Anti-Saloon League." Mr. Speaker, remarkable as It Is, some pro hibitionists say they are opposed to this Reed amendment because It will make the states too dry, and,ift number of states now dry in name, if they are made dry in fact, will again vote In favor df liquor. I do not subscribe to this prop osition. On the contrary, I believe a number of citizens in the respective states in past pro hibition elections have voted against prohibi tion because they sincerely believed It would not prohibit. If this amendment Is passed, -it will prohibit, and It will have back of It, to in euro its onforqemout, both tho laws of tliu states and United States. This amuudmont will mako dry states ''dry," and, in my Judgment, tho ben eficial effects of a "bone-dry" state will bo no great that tho peoplo will not for ono moment consider voting again In favor of barrpoms, -qui tho neighboring states, scolng tho splendid efr fects of tho bone-dry law, will thotnoivon go, dry. Mr. Spoakor, I am frank to say this In my honest belief; but I am candid enough to say. If a majority of tho peoplo of a stato donlrp to, bo "wot," under our form of government thoy havo a right to control. As I have burora mated, , wo havo a 2-quart law In Goargla, and I earn estly wish tho advocates of "quart prohibition" could visit the different express olllces in tho various cities und towns of Georgia on any Saturday and hoo tho hundr6ds of persons, mostly negroes men and women lined up to got tholr monthly Installment of liquor. I do siro to savo them from themselves, and If this law Is passed It will do It, and thin unseemly sight will be a thing of tho pant, humanity will bo benefited, and an ugly cancer rcmovod from tho body politic. "Mr. Speaker, this is a practical age, and a man, to succeed in business, must bo practical. In my opinion we must bo practical to nccuro desirable legislation. Now, what is tho prac7 Ileal thing for tho prohibitionists to do regard ing tho Reed amendment? J A referonco to tho proceedings had in another distinguished body will show that four of tho five honorable gen tlemen who might bo tho conferees on this bill If tho Reed amendment is amended in any way and It is sent 10 conference aro antagonistic to tho Reed prohibition amendment. I fear if wo amend tho provision and it goon to conference that tho senate conferees will recede from that part of the amendment prohibiting the ship ment of liquor Into dry states and wo would loso a golden opportunity to make' dry states "bone-dry." r earnestly appeal to all prohi bitionists to stand together, for "united wo stand, divided wo fall." I beg that the true friends' of prohibition will vote down any ahiendment nrtd let us b!do our-time, and, un der the rulps pt the house, I aosure you that in duo course wo will haVo an opportunity to vote on tho motion offered by tho gentleman from California (Mr. .Randall) to concur, without amendment, in the senate Reed amendment; and, if .this prevails, the conferees will havo no powej; to' alter br change the amendment in any vay 'and wo will' then havo a prohibition law that prohibits in fact as well as in name, a consummation devoutly to be wished for. (Ap plausd.) , The UBe of bay rum, cologne, Jamaica ginger and like concoctions where alcohol forms tho base, Is said to be largest In the states that havo most recently gone dry. There is this to' bo said, however, that nobody is known to havo beaten his wife after a spree on cologne and that anyway men who drink these concoctions In lieu of booze either get enough In a short time or else don't remain long enough on earth to do much damage. Winter is that part of the year which Is de voted to demonstrating the universally held fallacy that any legislature, can finish "all (ho work it has to do in sixty days. FORGIVENESS- By John C. .Whittler My heart was heavy, for its trust had been Abused, its kindness answered .vlth foul wrong; tt9 So, turning glopmlly from my fellowmen, One summer Sabbath day I strolled. among The green nlounds ofthe village burial place;,.. Where, pondering how all human love . and hato '.... rt Find one and level; and hpw, sooner jaldj ' 't Wronged and wrongdoer, each yllfi'.. mekened facp, ji , ', And cold hands folded over, a st'Hl, heart,. .; Pass the green threshold jof bur common, grave. Whither all footsteps tend? whence iione de- . part, '',.: Awed 'for myself, and pitying my racp, ,, ' . Our common sorrow, like a migh'ty'xvajri'ji t.JB 4 oil mm muiI.Ia mmmwt.-m ,- 1 tMAtVl'UllMM . owupw ail my iiriuu awa;, uu ivuiuyu- lU.b.C . ,,.J ' v 7 I , N,