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Lto commerce from the liauor interests
rer a state nrohibits the manufacture and
Salcohpjlc liquors. And the federal gov-
lt now denies the mails to liauor ndver-
Ints whore such advertisements are pro-
by state statute. Prohibition is a suc-
land nowhere is the proof more conclusive
in our own state of Nebraska. Can you
this chance in opinion which has so
ty increased the majority in favor of pro-
n?
th--Wo hav entered the world war since
Received your commission irom me iieuiue,
4fo nation realizes as it never did before
ed of food and of ono hundred per cent
Coneress has already prohibited during
toar ' the conversion of foodstuffs into
y, and the President, though limited in
' in this matter, has reduced by 30 per
;the food grains available for the making of
f But the browories still use at least nrty
in dollars worth of breadstuffs and prob
tmnra than sixtv millions worth. They
Rise something' like oight million tons of
fcnd they use the railroads to carry the coai
i- brewery and to distribute the beer. There
rmvltip nrnfeRt in the United States against
ktingr a single bushel of foodstuffs to be
rted into alcoholic beverages and against
nc anv fuel to be used in the manufacture
ftixlnants. This sentiment is so strong that
iacreasing;ly difficult for a patriot to. justify
that denie.s rood to me soiaier m oruer
it to the beer-maker that robs the
in order to feed the brewery. We must
i?r war. Wr can not afford to be defeated
!iinw nnr allies to be defeated. Can you
(ch a time as this afford to throw your in-
ie on the side of a business that eop
ia the life of the nation in order to make
fit out of a business discredited in peace
iv . ... . n y-t rn .1 !. 1.1
.defensible ,in war; uaa you auoru uu u,m
lemy by protecting a traffic that is as dis
ks it te lawless?
-But even more serious than the waste
idstuffs and fuel is the menace to our sol-
vs Wn hMfU iinon the battle line .men
heads are clear and whose nerves re
j, and congress has put the brand of a
Hal upon any man wno sens mioxiuuuuij
r to a soldier in uniform. Alcohol is an
f; at home scarcely less deadly than the
on the field. Lloyd George did not put
stronelv when he said that of Great
In's three enemies Germany, Austria and
Irlnk seemed to him to. be the worst
le three.
Id it is mockery to make our soldiers face
Ere of battle unless we are prepared to feed
while they fight and furnish them with
ammunition th.t they need. We can,
ifore, no more afford to allow the brewer,
listiller and the saloon to sap the strength
ie men at home than we can allow them to
sg the efficiency of the men in arms. Can
fas legislators of Nebraska, entrusted with
iresponsiDinty oi speaKing ior mis great
i, put your influence on the side of a busi-
which would, for nay, make drunkards of
th a soldiers In our army and leave a nation
Useless before the most militant power
m to history?-
conclusion allow me to address a word to
who. as democrats, constitute a majority
the legislature. The democratic party 'is
r: committed to prohibition, and those who
Sftise it register their dissent from a judgment
MUiy renaereu. in an mu huulu, me auuuiy
iocratic section of the nation, there are only
r -wet states Florida. "Kentucky. Texas and
iisiana. Florida has already submitted a
Ktitutional amendment and will vote dry in
rnmher. Kentucky has already ratified the
Clonal amendment by a vote of more than five
one in both branches of her legislature, and
i, since then, submitted a prohibition amend-
at to the state constitution. Kentucky will
dry by a large majority as soon as the vote
ho taken. Texas, the blEKest state amonc
ise always democratic, has ratified the
iendment by a vote of more than two to one
mth branches of her legislature, and the
islature has just made the state dry by stat
That leaves only one wet state in the
ith T.rmlfxlana and it is nrobable that their
Eslature, which meets in May, will ratify the
iendment. When the national amendment
submitted, three-fourths of the democrats
the senate .voted for it and only one-fourth
against it. When, the house voted on the
amendment, -more' than two-thirds of the demo
crats of the house voted for It and less 'than
one-third against it. (The vote in the repub
lican party was substantially in the same pro
portion.) Will a democratic legislature in Ne
braska repudiate the leadership of tho party in
the senate and house and refuse to ratify an
amendment so overwhelmingly endorsed at
Washington?
The District of Columbia is dry, and tho
measure that made it dry passed a democratic
house and a democratic senate and received the
signature of a democratic president. Will the
democratic legislature of Nebraska stand with
the party in the nation or will it, by becoming
the champion of an outlawed business, defy the
leaders of tho party in the country?
In the ratification of the amendment demo
cratic leadership has been even more pro
nounced. The first eight states to ratify
Mississippi, Virginia, Kentucky, South Carolina,
North Dakota, Maryland, Montana and Texas
every one supported the democratic ticket at
the last presidential election. Will Nebraska
prove an exception among the democratic states?
Delaware, the ninth state to ratify, supported
the republican party in the last presidential
campaign, and the tenth state, South Dakota,
did also, and when the list of thirty-six states
is .complete, it is probable that the two parties
will not be 'ar apart In the number of states
ratifying. I appeal to tho Democratic legisla
ture not to. allow Nebraska's name to bo omitted
from the roll of honor. Our state has, for
twenty years, occupied a foremost place in the
fights for great reforms. She must not fail to
respond now that the lines are forming for the
greatest moral conflict in which the nation has
enlisted during this generation.
If this legislature fails to ratify, there is no
doubt that a legislature will be elected whose
members will be committed in advance to rati
fication, but why compel this conflict when the
sentiment of the state is known in advance?
Why, by delay, save to the liquor trade
more .than an hundred millions a month
that will be available for food, clothing and
shelter as soon as tho saloon is abolished?
Why invite the National Liquor Dealers' Asso
ciation and its ally, the German-American Al
liance, to insolently thrust themselves again
into our politics? An affirmative vote by this
legislature ends the contest for this year and
for all time, and makes it possible for the voters
of tho sttito to devote themselves to the upbuild
ing of our great state and the welfare of its
people.
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN.
Lincoln, Nebraska, March 19, 1918.
Patrick, Sarpy county; M. M. Bruggcr, Colum
bus; Mrs. Patrick McGerr, Falls City; Elmer J.
Burkett, Lincoln; Arthur J. Wray, York.
ASK LEGISLATURE TO VOTE ON PROHIBI
TION From the Nebraska State Journal,. March 20.
Temperance leaders in the city to attend yes
terday's conference are a unit in the belief that
the state legislature is not restricted or. prevent
ed by the failure to include a vote on ratifica
tion of the national prohibitory amendment in
the governor's call, from acting thereon if it so
pleases. The legislature will be asked to do scj.
The only trouble anticipated is in the senate,
where eighteen opponents of prohibition are lo
cated out of a total membership of thirty-three.
It is believed, however, that the success which
prohibition has achieved in the state, the disin
clination of ambitious men in politics to go down
with a dead system and the fact that the patri
otic argument Is unanswerable will swing enough
of the eighteen to secure the necessary majority
in that body.
A legislative committee to present the prop
osition of ratification to the legislature next
week has been named. It will meet at-the Lin
dell hotel at 11 o'clock next Tuesday, March 26,
for organization and to plan for the campaign.
Elmer E. Thomas thinks that while the state
senate might be inclined to .balk, it will eventu
ally pass it. The committee is:
A. C. Epperson, Harry Sackett, W. T. Thomp
son, representing the Nebraska dry federation;
H. F. Carsonf representing Anti-Saloon league;
Mamie Claflin, representing W. C. T. U.; A. G.
Wolfenbarger, representing Speakers' club; J.
Dean Ringer, Omaha, Douglas county dry com
mittee; J. A. Murray, Uni. Place, prohibition
party; L. J. Dunn, Omaha; Charles W. Bryan,
Lincoln; Frank A. Harrison, Lincoln; W. R.
SPECIAL SESSION OF THE NEBRASKA
LEGISLATURE
From the Nebraska State Journal, March 20.
The thirty-fifth legislature of Nebraska will
conveno in special session at high noon today,
old fashioned standard time, and within a few
mpments, if nothiri'g happens to mar the pleas
ure pf tho occasion, both tho senate and house
'will be organized and assembled In joint conven
tion listening to Governor Keith Neville deliver
his message.
If there Is .any delay in the organization It la
iTosslble the governor may not be Invited to ap
pear before the jojnt convention until Wednes
day, but If the busy legislators who have 'ex
pressed themselves have their way, there will bo
. no delay anywhere along the legislative line..
The governor's measago will deal briefly. ,wlth
the following ten subjects on which he hasttsjeed
the legislature to take action:
1. An act to extend the franchise to electors
in the military and naval establishments of the
United States and tho state of Nebraska; an,ap-
proprlation to carry out the provisions- thereof
and such amendments to existing election nnd
primary laws as may bo necessary to harmonize
same. ,.:
2. An act to extend protection to civil 'rights
of Ncbraskans In' the military and' nava'U' estab
lishments of the United States engaged'' in the
present war. ' ' ''
3. An act defining the cr:rae of sedition and
prescribing penalties therefor. A .
4. An act defining the crime of sabotage'and
prescribing penalties therefor. v"-
5. An act to legalize the Home Guards.?
C. An act to repeal tho Mockett law. :
7. An act to submit to tho voters at the next
v regular election an amendment to the state -constitution
affecting declarant voters:'
8. An act conferring upon the "state board of
education lands anfl 'funds authority to execute
mineral leases upon school lands and to validato
leases previously executed.
9. An act to correct error In section 4387, be
ing a part of the session laws of 1917.
10. An act to appropriate salaries for ' tho
state insurance examiners and for the state' bac
teriologist. '"';
Those who are looking for trouble glance at
the senate and then think of the repeal of the
Mockett law, and the efforts of that body to de
fine sedition and sabotage, also to tin attempt
which the "drys" will make to have both houses
ratify the prohibitory amendment to the United
States constitution, also the governor's, recom
mendation that an amendment be passed, to
change the suffrage rights of unnaturalized cit
izens of the state who are now voting by virtue
of their declaration of intention to become cit
izens, but who have apparently no intention of
carrying out their declared intention.
PUSH PROHIBITION TO FRONT IN HOUSE
From the Nebraska State Journal, March 27.
Preliminary, steps to bring the question of
consideration of the national prohibitory amend
ment before the house were taken by that body
Tuesday afternoon when it adopted a resolution
by Norton of, Polk to send to it all communica
tions relative thereto that he (the governor) has
in his possession.
Eight bills were introduced in the house, but
none fell into the senate hopper. Three of the
eight provided for a mail vote by soldiers and
the counting thereof. Two covered appropria
tions the regular session had overlooked. One
repealed the Mockett law relating to the teach
ing of German in grade schools. One legalized
the Home Guards, and the other defined the
crime of sedition and provided penalties therefor.
GAG PROHIBITION AMENDMENT
From the Nebraska State Journal, March 28.
Will the state senate ratify the prohibitory
amendment? It will not, if Senator Henry of
Colfax, democratic caucus leader of the senate,
has his way about it. If his way prevails the
senate will not even permit the question of rat
ification to come up for consideration.
Senator Henry introduced a resolution Thurs
day forenoon having for its object to confine the
;
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