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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1919)
tfT The Commoner VOL. 19, NO. 2 6 r r ' jc WifrFqfflift it fr i i- it I i IK fe Dry Nation Officially Proclaimed 00 AMERICA VOTED DRY A Washington dispatch, dated January 16, says: As was predicted yostorday, the prohibition amendment was ratified be foro nightfall today, the required thirty sixth stato being Nebraska. It was fol lowed by similar actions in the legisla tures of Missouri and Wyoming, malting 38 states in all which havo approved a "dry" America. Nobraska and Missouri, that abode of presumably beer-drinking Dutch, onterod a hot contest for tho honor of being the thirty-sixth state to ratify. Nebraska's victory is poetically just, it may bo ob served when ono remembers what William Jonnings Bryan has done to take, tho alcohol out of our bovorages. ' 0 , A Washington dispatch, dated Jan. 29, says: Ratification of tho prohibition amendment to tho federal constitution was proclaimed formally to day by Frank L. Polk, Acting Secretary of State. Tho proclamation is dated today, but legal au thorities of tho department say ratification was accomplished when tho thirty-sixth state acted favorably on January 16 and that under tho torms of tho amendment itself prohibition bo comes offoctivo ono year from that date. Tho proclamation was signed by Mr. Polk at exactly 11:20 o'clock in tho presence of Senator Shoppard, of Texas, author of tho amendment resolution, former Socrotary Bryan, Representa tive Randall, of Callfornia,Prohibitio?ilst membor of tho House, and officials of tho Anti-saloon League of America, tho Woman's Christian Tem poranco Union and other anti-saloon organiza tions. ' Mr. Polk used sovoral pons in affixing his signature and prosontod thorn to Senator Shop pard, Mr. Bryan, Representative Randall, Miss Anna Gordon, president of W. C. T. U.; Dr. Howard Russoll, founder Anti-saloon League; Wayno B. Wheeler, attorney for Anti-saloon League; E, C. Dinwiddle, legislative representa tive of Anti-saloon Leaguo, and others. Tho proclamation follows: TEXT OP PROCLAMATION ' To All to Whom Those Presents Shall Come, Grooting: Know ye, that tho Congress of tho United Statos at tho socond session, Sixty-fifth Congress, bogun at Washington An tho third day of Decem ber in tho year ono thousand nine hundred and soventoon, passed a resolution in tho words and flguros following, to wit: Joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of tho United Statos: Resolved by the Senate and House of Repre sentatives of tho,-United States of America in Congress Assombled (Two-thirds of Each House Concurring therein), That the following amend ment to tho constitution be, and hereby Is, pro posed to tho States, to becino valid as a part of the Constitution whon ratified by the Legisla tures of the sovoral States as provided by tho Constitution: Section 1, After ono yoar from tho ratification of this article the manufacture, salo or trans- Nportatlon of intoxicating liquors within, tho im- portation thoroof into, or tho exportation thereof from tho Uniod Statos and all territory subject to tho jurisdiction thoroof for beverage purposes Is hereby prohibited. Sec. 2. Tho Congress and tho sovoral States shall havo concurrent power to onforco this article by approprlato legislation, Sec. 3. This article shall bo inoperative un loss it shall havo been ratified as an amondmon to tho Constitution by tho Legislatures of the several Statos, a provided in tho Constitution within sevon years from tho date of tho submis sion hereof to tho States by tho Congress. RATIFIED BY REQUIRED NUMBER And, further, that it appears from official doouments on file in this department that th amendment to tho Constitution of tho United States proposed as aforesaid has boon ratified by tho Legislatures of tho States of Alabama Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Ken tucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachu setts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nobraska, Now Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon South Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washing ton. West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. And, further, that tho Statos whose Legisla tures have so ratified the said proposed amend ment constitute three-fourths of tho whole num ber of States in tho United States. Now, therefore, bo it known that I, Frank L. Polk, Acting Secretary oE Stato of the United States, by virtue and in pursuance of Section 205 of tho Revised Statutes of the United States, do hereby certify that tho amendment aforesaid has become valid to all Intents and purposes as a part of tho Constitution of tho United State's. In tostlmony whereof I have hereunto set my1 hand and caused the seal of the Department of State be affixed. Dono at the city of Washington, this 29th day of January, in the year of our Lord, one thou sand nine hundred and nineteen. FRANK L. POLK, Acting Secretary of State. HELD EFFECTIVE JANUARY 16, 1920 Wayno B. Wheeler, general counsel of the Anti-saloon Leaguo, issued a statement that na tional prohibition does not become effective one yoar from today, but one year from January 16, when tho thirty-sixth State, Nebraska, ratified tho amendment. That has been accopted generally as the case, but some of the liquor people and their lawyers havo contended the contrary in connection with various schemes they, have promulgated to delay or defeat tho actual carrying into effect of pro hibition. The Anti-saloon League, with that merciless severity which has marked its treat ment of tho liquor people at every stage, has no Idea whatsoever of deferring to them even in the small measure of tho 13 days betwed-i January 16 and January 29. After stating that Acting Secretary Polk's proclamation is the official announcement of the fact that the prohibition amendment. is a part of the organic law of the land, Mr. Wheeler con tinues: MR. WHEELER EXPLAINS "This does not mean that the amendment is operative on that date or one year thereafter. The Constitution, Article 5, fixes the date it be comes valid to all intents and purposes when the thirty-sixth State ratifies. "The courts will look to the official announce ment to see when that occurred. It was January 16, 1919. It will become operative one year later, January 16, 1920. If it waited for its validity on tho action of the Secretary of Stato ho could postpone it or determine when the con stitutional amendment would be operative. This is not within the letter or purpose of tho Con stitution. "Tho power of the States to deal with the liquor traffic will continue tho same until the Federal amendment becomes operative, then they are given concurrent power with Congress to en force the provisions of tho Federal amendment Congress in the meantime may enact a Federal 1920 t0 bGCOm0 operativo January 16, "Congress has power under Article 1 SeoHnn 18, to enact all law necessary to carry into execu t on any provision of tho Constitution To make tho power granted effective' when it becomes operative will necessitate action by Congress fore January 16, 1920." congress be- BRYAN KELPS MAKE SIGNING DRY EDICT A GALA OCCASION A From tho New York Herald, Jan. 29. Surrounded by a bevy of prohibitlonidvocates among thorn William Jennings Bryan SISt' Polk Acting Secretary of State, tod'sSned n proclamation certifying that the prStlon eoTsmS.haS bGCOm0 Valid " S'TtSS teme slon. Mr. Po'.lc was obliged to U occa in affixing Ma signature? to meet the "dLT for. souvenir,,. One o "tho ?ens "ent t? Mr! List 000s THE ROLL OF HONOR 1 2 3 4 5 6: 7: 8 9 10- 11: of States That Havo Ratified i, X National Prohibition Constitu. S tiOTinl AlltAnrlmnni Q . . MISSISSIPPI, Jan. 8, 1918. VIRGINIA, Jan. 11, 1918. X KENTUCKY, Jan. 14, 1918. SOUTH CAROLINA, Jan. 25. iniR NORTH DAKOTA, Jan. 25, 1918. MAtxj-.Aisjj, Fed. 13, 1918. k MONTANA, Feb. 19, 1918. TEXAS, March 4, 1918. DELAWARE, March 18, 1918. !a SOUTH DAKOTA, March 20, 1918 fi MASSACHUSETTS, April 2. 101 ' 13 GEORGIA, June 26, 1918. 3,4 -LOUISIANA, August 8, 1918. 15 FLORIDA, Nov. 27, 1918. 16 MICHIGAN, Jan. 2,. 1919. 17 OHIO, Jan. 7, 1919. 18 OKLAHOMA, Jan. 7, 1919. 19 MAINE, Jan. 8, 1919. 20 IDAHO, Jan. 8, 1919. 21 WEST VIRGINIA, Jan. 9, 1919. 22 WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 1919. 23 TENNESSEE, Jan. 13, 1919. 24 CALIFORNIA, Jan. 13, 1919. 25 ILLINOIS, Jan. 14, 1919. 26 INDIANA, Jan. 14, 1919. 27 ARKANSAS, Jan. 14, 1919 28 NORTH CAROLINA, Jan. 14, 1919. 29 ALABAMA, Jan. 14, 1919. 30 KANSAS, Jan. 14, 1919. OREGON, Jan. 15, 1919. IOWA, Jan. 15, 1919. - UTAH, Jan. 15, 1919. COLORADO, Jan. 15, 1919. HEW HAMPSHIRE, Jan. 15,. 1919. 31 32: 33 34 35: 36: 37 38" 39 . 40: 41: 42: 43 44: . NEBRASKA, Jan. 16, 1919. MISSOURI, Jan. 16, 1919. WYOMING, Jan. 16 1919. WISCONSIN, Jan. 17, 1919. MINNESOTA, Jan. 17, y919. NEW MEXICO, Jan. 20,' 1919. NEVADA, Jan, 21, 1919. r VERMONT, Jan. 29, 1919. NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 191-9. u Bryan, ono to Senator Sheppard, of Texas, and another to Representative Randall, of California. The group of prohibition advocates gathered in the reception room adjoining the office of tho secretary of state. Mr. Bryan stood back of Mr. Polk, and was ono of first to congratulate him after the rather laborious signing had been com pleted. Senator Sheppard ,arid others present also shook hands with Mr.' Polk. Among the spectators were. W. C. T. U., Miss Anna Gordon, Evanston, 111., national presi dent; Mrs. Lena L. Yost, legislative representa tive; Mrs. Frances E. Beauchamp, Lexington, Ky., national officer; Mrs. Stephen J. Herben, Anti-saloon League of America Dr. H. H. Rus soll, founder; E. C. Dinwiddie, legislative super' intendent; Ernest H. Cherrington, Westerville, Ohio, general manager league publishing in terests; Edward J. Richardson, assistant man ager; Wayne B. Wheeler, counsellor; the Rev. Dr. Charles Scanlon, general secretary Presby terian Board of Temperance; Frank M. Waring, of the Methodist Episcopal Church Temperance Board, and W. F. Crafts, International Reform Bureau, were also present Eighteen of tho 133 members of the Nebraska legislature, now in session, aro democrats. Two years ago the democrats numbered eighty. The democratic majority, led by representatives of tne special interests refused to ratify the nationa prohibitory amendment. With such an object lesson before them, the democrats ought to learn something. A bill has been introduced .into congress in tended to prevent any further immigration. will be just like Bill Hohenzollern to take this as a personal affront and insist it is special legis lation, s Handling a canteen 'has spoiled many a person d the Y. M. C, A. seems to have been unabie and to get-away from the hoodoo. Sil