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The Commoner
VOL. ,18, NO. 4
IV
&
Nebraska Will Yet
Ratify '
Tho special session of the Nebraska legisla
ture which was in session for two weeks and
has Just adjourned, failed to ratify tho national
prohibition constitutional amendment. Governor
Neville, in calling tho special session for the
purposo of passing legislation to permit the Ne
braska soldiers to vote, refused to include in tho
call the matter of ratification of the national
prohibition amendment although urged to do so
by tho dry forces of Nebraska.
Tho prosont members of tho Nebraska legis
lature were elected in November, 1916, at tho
timo when the prohibition amendment to tho
stato constitution was submitted, prohibiting the
manufacture and Balo of intoxicating liquors. At
that election tho people of Nebraska adopted
stato prohibition by a majority of about thirty
thousand. Tho dry forces at tho same election
carried the lowor house of tho legislature by a
largo majority, but the democratic candidate for
governor and a majority of tho tate senate were
nominated by tho liquor forces in Nebraska and
wcro elected in tho Wilson landslide in Nebras
ka that year, and as a result, as was recently
brought to light, of an endorsement by tho Ger-man-Amorlcan
allianco in this state, which
broti&ht to their support tho entire German vote
of the state, which heretofore has been largely
republican.
At tho regular sosbIoii of tho Nebraska legis
lature a year ago last January, tho dry forces
succeeded in passing an effective law to enforce
tho , stato prohibition constitutional amend
ment. A majority of tho stato senato and tho
governor were obligated to tho liquor interests
for their oleption, but a few of tho wet senators
had made a pledgo in thoir campaign for elec
tion that if elected they would vote for the bill
that was supported by a majority of the dry
forces In tho legislature. Tho house passed a
vory effective enforcement law, and after tho wet
senators and tho governor held out as long as
they could In an effort to amend tho house bill
bo as to cripplo it, thoy wore unable, to make
tho house yield, and fearing to permit the legis
lature to adjourn without adopting an effective
enforcement law, the few wet senators who had
given a plodgo to vote as tho majority of tho
tlry forcos in tho legislature decided, finally
yloldod as thoy could not hold out any longer
and face their constituents at home. These
fow wet senators had made no pledge, howevor,
to vote for a NATIONAL prohibition constitu
tional amondment, and when called in special
session, stood with tho other wet senators, mak
ing tho wet vote stand eighteen to thirteen, and
dolled tho will of the people on tho liquor ques
tion. Tho governor, in refusing to include the rati
ilcatlon -of tho national constitutional amend
ment in his call for a special session of tho
legislature, said that he know the complexion
of tho sonato and did not think they would pass
St if ho included it, and the wet members of tho
senato refused to consider the national prohibi
tion amendment, giving as their excuse the fact
that tho govornor had not included it in his
tall. Tho sonate also refused to adopt a resolu
tion that was offered in tho senate requesting
tho govornor to send "in a subsequent message
o the legislature asking them to consider the
matter of ratification.
Thoro came to light during the recent ?pocial
session of the Nebraska legislature a documnnt
that was published in German, signed by the
fcrosldent of the German-American alliance
pledging Keith Neville, present govornor of Ne
braska, and tho eighteen wet members of tho
Nebraska legislature- to the Germans of Ne
braska that thoy wero against "prohibition and
bthor natlvlstlc ideas." During the recent 8pe
g Jul session of tho legislature, the people of
Nebraska passed resolutions in churches in
mass meetings, woman's clubs, Christian ' En
leavors etc and signed petitions to the me ra
zors of tho legislature and sent teloKram i !i
letters by the score urging them to Xpt the
prohlb Ion amendment and not only carry out
tho will of the people of Nebraska as expressed
at the polls a year and a half ago, but take such
jet'on as a patriotic war measure, but to
The Commoner publishes on another page thQ
nroceedlngs of the legislature and a few of the
Llegram": resolutions, interviews, and editorials
by the state press, so that the readers of The
Commoner may have an opportunity to see what
the sentiment of Nebraska is- and how
lo people were betrayed by the men who
were elected through tho German-American
alliance and the other liquor interests of
the state. We also publish the translation of
tho endorsement of the governor and eighteen
wet senators by the German-American alliance
at the time of their election, and an appeal
made to the German voters of Nebraska to rally
to their support.
The liquor forces of Nebraska are planning
to make a fight in Nebraska this fall for the
election of a majority of the state senate in the
hope of still further postponing the ratification
of the prohibition national constitutional amend
ment. Their refusal to permit the considera
tion of the question of ratification in the recent
special session had a two-fold purpose. It
would -give the wet reactionary forces in Ne
braska an opportunity to draw a large cam
paign slush fund from the National Brewers'
Association In the hope of controlling the next
legislature and the governor in their interests,
and also for each month that they can delay the
final ratification of the national prohibition
amendment it means a profit .of about a hun
dred million dollars to the brewers of this coun
try, who can well afford to furnish campaign
funds to any stato that has men who are will
ing to defy tho public sentiment and do the
bidding of the brewers.
The men who, in the recent special session of
the Nebraska legislature, refused to carry out
the will of at least three-fourths of the people
of Nebraska, will be repudiated by the voters
of Nebraska should they stand as candidates for
re-election, and The Commoner has no hesitancy
in pledging its readers that Nebraska will ratify
the national prohibition constitutional amend
ment next January, when the new legislature
convenes that will be elected in November.
MASSACHUSETTS RATIFIES
The state of Massachusetts 'is to be congratu
lated on setting the example to the New England
states by the ratification of the prohibition na
tional amendment. The large majority by
which both houses of the Massachusetts legis
lature ratified the prohibition constitutional
amendment reflects the overwhelming sentiment
of the country that the liquor business is a men
ace to the welfare of the nation. No one can
truthfully say a good word in connection with
the liquor business other than that It is nearing
its end. The sooner the other New England
states follow the lead of Massachusetts in giv
ing to the liquor interest its death-blow, the
larger their share in the credit for having rid
the country of its disastrous effect and its de
moralizing influence.
Of the candidates for the Nebraska state sen
ate endorsed by the German-American allianc
eighteen were elected. The same eighteen, and
ONLJthese eighteen, and the governor, prte--0ttteci
the ratification of the national prohibi
tion constitutional amendment, which would
hasten the closing of the breweries and 'save
food grains equal in value to one loaf of bread
each day for each soldier of the American and
allied armies who are now fighting Germany
DELAWARE LEADS
To the govornor of Delaware goes the credit
of calling the first social session of a legis
lature that has ratified the national prohibition
constitutional amendment. The members of the
- Delaware legislature also deserve great credit
for the patriotic impulse which caused Miem to
act so promptly. Each day saved by puttin?in
to effect the national prohibition amS
means the dally saving of food grain equTl ?n
value to about five million loaves of bread hit
is worse than wasted by permitting the brewers
o continue to grind food grains while the Amer
lean people are conserving the fonri ,,wi ,
the interest of the allied armies PPly in
Tho prohibition national ampmi i
effective automatically twewfmoK econes
36th state has ratified. Who wUlhP Vif" the
governor to call a special sector 5 iihe,next
lature to follow the elendld SSpS 2?!"
governor and legislature ot Detawaie? y he
The Brand of the
BeasB
When the liquor traffic burnj3 its', brand into a
man's hide it is hard to get it off. Governor
Neville, of Nebraska, furnishes a recent ilius.
tration. He was selected by the liquor interests
and nominated by their active aid. They made
his campaign for him and secured him the en.
dorsement or the uerman-American Alliance
Ho ran far behind the presidential candidate
receiving ibout 6,753 plurality, when Wilson
received 41,256. He promised to abide, by the
decision if the prohiLition amendment was
adopted, but subsequent events show how worth.
less a promise is when made T.y one whe is un
der obligation to the liquor interests.
The senate, the only branch of the legislature
in which he has any influence, spent three
months trying to nullify tho prohibition amend
ment adopted by of'er 29,000 m'ajority.
Now he calls a special session- of the legisla
ture and not only refuses to mention the pro
hibition amendment in the call but refuses to
lay it before the legislature after it assembles,
and the house by an almost unanimous vote had
formally requested him to do so.
"No man can serve two masters," so the gov.
ernor seems to have decided to serve the beast
that branded him instead of the people who pay
him his salary. But the days of the beast aro
numbered; it will soon be powerless to punish
or reward. Two years from today there will
not be a saloon under the American flag, but
the brand of the beast is the governor willing
to carry it during the remainder of his life?
W. J. BRYAN.
A "HARD-WORKING BURGLAR
A "hard-working burglar" makes the follow
ing inquiry:
"Please answer this letter.. , , .1 am a hard'
working burglar, supporting a large family. Yet
I feel it my patriotic duty to make an honest
income tax report so that the government can
use the money to fight the biggest burglar in
the world the kaiser.
"Now, if I make out a report of my income
and specify the places where I got it, will the
records be turned over to the police? I wish to
be patriotic, but naturally must keep in business
on account of my dependents."
It is a little hard to make him disclose the
source of his income. Why not lump it as a
"professional income" and pay the special rate?
Or he might class it as business and pay on his
net income from, nightly prowls.
The brewer is not compelled to enumerate
the men dragged down to drunkards graves; it
would embarrass him to require a list of those
killed to insure liis income. The hard-working
burglar ought to be treated like the brewer
their occupations are eq'ually criminal.
W: J. -BRYAN.
A strong fight is being made oh the nonpar
tisan league in Nebraska, one of the points of
assault being that this is no time to form any
new combinations that :,re certain to divide the
people and arouse class hatred. The argument
would have more force if the same amount of
energy were devoted to objecting 'to the forma
tion of combinations against the farmer- so that
there would be no incentive on the part of the
farmer to organize.
DEMOCRACY IN NEBRASKA
Democracy means the right of the people to
rule. We are engaged in a war to make dem
ocracy safe throughout the woria why not
practice democracy in Nebraska? A majority of
the Nebraska senators represent districts that
voted for state prohibition in November, 1016,
and these senators finally acknowledged the
rights of their constituents by voting for laws
necessary for the enforcement of the prohibition
amendment. They know .that more favor na
tional prohibition than favor state prohibition,
and yet some of these senators dare to ignore
;?? 5!16 of their "constituents and oppose
rauncation. Do they believe in democracy any
where? Or do they favor the monarchial form
,ol government where the people have no voice?
I I
. W. d. JItlAn.
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