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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1920)
1( "va "" - a, ' FW?pwJ!? The Commoner VOI,20, No. 3 It intorforoo with constitutional rights, because tho Constitution itself, provides a way by which it can bo amonded that is, In fact tho most important provision In tho constitution. Tho dead havo no right to bind tho living. A Con stitution mado ono hundred and thirty years ago can hardly bo invoked against the recorded will of. the people recently expressed in an amend ment adopted in accordance with tho terms of tho Constitution itself. If tho PRESENT gen eration now has no right to change the Consti tution, how long will It bo before it will acquire such a right? Or, if not this, gehoration, what generation in tho future will bo able to add by constitutional methods to a Constitution written in 1780? Tho Constitution has alroady boon amended oightoen times and tho nineteenth amendment is nearly ratlflod. When tho Constitution was written, slavery oxistod in many of tho states, an.institution that had come down from tho most ancient times, and yot it was abolished. In no stato in tha Union can a black man bo held in involuntary servitude. Tho Constitution provided for tho election of sonators by stato legislatures, but in 1013 an amendment was adopted which changed tho method of electing senators and provides for election by popular voto Instead of by state leg islatures. Tho Constitution has also boon so changed as to authorlzo tho collection of an Income tax and wo are collecting a graded Income tax, running somotimos as high as GO por cent on the income. All of these amendments were adopted accord ing to tho torms of tho Constitution, by three fourths of tho states, and this is the only amend ment that tho Democratic State convention of New York sees fit to "Unalterably" oppose. And this opposition is In spite of the fact that this amendment has been ratified by forty-five states, Now York Included among tho number. It must not be forgotton, that the question of ratifW tion was an issue beforo the voter's of New York m 1018. The Republican candidate for governor had recommended ratification' and was a candi date for reflection. So the, people had full notlco. Tho Democratic candidate for governor did not run upon a platform doclarintr the party unalterably opposed to tho amendment, but upon, a platform advooating tho submis sion of the amendment to a popular vote. Ho was elected by a small majority land that duo to an unprecedented Democratic Voto in tho city of Now York aeainst an un--procodonted Republican vote in the rato out side, of the city.Why this stronger statement .,?,9tl0J1 f : rBR thG amendment has been ratified by forty-live states than before ratifica t on was completedand when the position of tho state of New York was still undecided? Tho second sentence quoted from the platform would he amusing if it did not deal with a seri- ?ii18 i?."?,1001, Th0RQ Wft0 wrc-to the platform feel' that the prohibition amendment was im posed by an active- minority against tho wishes $f tho groat majority of the American people." Men who FEEL that a plain falsehood is true are not safe advisors. Ono does not need to be well informed to know that prohibition was not imposed by "an active minority against the iE? n0tn th,Q, BrQat. ma1rly tho American people,' On tho contrarv, it was imposed by tho conscience of a considerable majority of tho American people, expressed after long delibera tion, and tho triumph was won over a very "active minority" a minority led by men- with out conscience and with money sufficient to em ploy the ablest lawyers like ox-Secretary Root for instance-and to corrupt politics ak shown in many places, and impudent onoutrh to attempt to terrorize those whom they couldot by?P Thirty-four states havo gone dry bv stato hr t on-hearly all of them by popuTaT vote" TJiosa that went dry by statute, iWstnce elected leg iBlaturos pledged to continue the policy of pro hibition. In the states that ratified, the matoi ity was in many instances overwhelming T th states that have not gone dry by Ihoir 0w?wt there is a Very strong minority favorable pro hibition, as is suown by the popular vote oWt Take Missouri and California? ill instance' where they voted directly on the question 0f prohibition, and Pennsylvania ami New York where tho Republican candidates for governor were known to be for prohibition. Governor Sproul, of Pennsylvania, made his fight forth nomination on a platform declaring in favnr ? ratification and he was elected by about a mmr tor of a million majority over a Democrat n candidate .who ran on a wot platform luulttUG WW shall wo say of Democratic loaders vrh Wp their FEELINGS to overcome their respfct for tho facts of history? No open influence can account for this strango "feeling;" what secret influence is back of it? Why is it that they not only disregard tho facts but mako tho liquor traffic an object of worship? They do not deny that the amendment was ratified in exact ac cord with tho torms of tho Constitution; thoy do not contend that the members of tho legis latures in forty-five states did not know what thoy wore doing or did not mean to do what they did but they seem to deny the right of a legis lature to do on this subject what tho federal Constitution and the cpnstitutions of the states authorize. Why this distrust of stato legislatures? They are permitted to act upon very important mat ters. Tho descent of property is a matter of stato statute; domestic relations and the rights of children aro defined and safeguarded by stato statute; life and property are protectod by state statute, and men are executed by states in ac cordance with statutory provisions. It is only when tho legislature dares to lay its hands upon tho liquor traffic that it forfeits tho respect of , the men who wrote the New Y6rk platform and arouses their unalterable opposition. It would, of course, be a reflection upon tho heads and tho hearts of the men responsible for the New York platform, to sav that their opposition is a matter of PRINCIPLE. There are no such isolated prin ciples. Nothing but FEELING can explain the attitude of the these unalterable opponents of prohibition, and they do well to use the word "feeling." instead of "conscience" or "intellect' If the FEELING is due to thrist, it io a desease that needs a remedy; if it is due to coercion brought to bear noon them by tho representa tives of a revengeful and outlawed Ilouor traffic, it is a dlsfjraco, but whother the feeling that is so feelingly expressed is a desease or a disgrace, it is an insult to tho Democratic party and to the nation. But passing from the "unalterable" objection to tho federal amendment, we comq to some ?1e7,en "ore staring; viz., the sentence in which they declare, not only for the' speedy re peal, although that is .bad enough, but t0 the statement that, "until such time a this repoal' wMb?1ou?ta!,0J;lTt',, "declare the rfnrht of tho state of New York, "in the exerciso of its sovereign power to so construe the concur rent clause of the eighteenth amendment as to be in accord with the liberal and reasonable nlTnf01? I)eop1le' If this is not th doctrine' of nullification, it has no meaning; if it is the doctrine of nullification, it raises an issue hl ?an,any.thenow before tnG country. The right of a stato tonullify the federal Con stitution was settled in the negative nearly sixty years aero, and the case will not be re opened merely o please men with an appetite or men who want to re-enter a crime-credting business. And this in the name of Personal Liberty! The ' statistics show that thoon is the creator of crime, here and everywhere .It increases the number of accidents in industry.' t pauperizes on a largo scale; it disrupts famil lies; it starves children and increases the death rate among infants. It is the direct and active cause behind crimes of every kind. In the cfty ?f,,BJl2nllV?nam' (Ala- the number of murders reo -ff ?i4' m0r0 than "no-half, rfrom 1 24 i 'i.??;1116 two years following the adoption of prohibition as compared with the two vears im mediately preceding. I had occasion to el am no Oie statistics in Cincinnati and Cleveland nSw TV foun(1 that crim aa fallen off in both of those cities during the first w and that, too, in spite of the fact that the LTr?P?SitIon was tryin t0 make the show! ?aVwbad fa Possible in order to help it 7n its fight against prohibition in that state - Is. it possible for the American people f ?v M1 f rie?( f ? Wnal bSrtneS to nnili fy the Federal Constitution and encourage lawl lessness? Is is possible that the Federal S eminent will permit its. law enforcing powir to be scoffed at and thus invite violation of ever? law? If a brewer, distiller or liciuor deaW i? . violate a federal statute bayWtalS tation by congress of tho Federal Oonstitnf? why should any of tho smaller 31 'be' required to obey the law? If a state ca repudi ate a federal constitution and one federal statute by a construction palpably fal J w can it not repudiate all national TuttaS7 The ssue raised by those who Wrote the New iPla"rm ls nothing less n that of na tional supremacy vs. state sovereignty Cnn n larger issue be raised? Can any gSafer ZS to law and order bo imagined If a Lfl en?C0 no right to protect itseffToin ? soon, right has a bank to protect itself from a burr lar? Aro the dollars of the banker more precS than a mother'8 children? . Will the New York Democrats not the Now" York Democracy!! but tho spurious representatives of New York's DemocracyWho insolently attack the homol of the nation will these men say that a broken-down horse is more deserving of nrotoo tion from the horse thiof than the boys and cirk are from the liquor dealer who attempts to snare them and lead them down to ruin for ro many dollars per life? If New York's Demo crats aro witting to endorse the astounding and shameful performance of tho leaders who as sumed to speak for them at Albany lately, they must expect tho contempt of the Democrats of the nation, for the Democraticparty can not de scend to the level of those who wrote that plat form and it can not permit them to sneak for the democracy of the nation. The right to de mand tho return of tho saloon as a means of securing a drink is not an inalienable richt The right to run a saloon is not included in tho right to Hfe-one can live without It or in the right to liberty, for it has nothing to do with liberty - or in the right to the pursuit of happiness, for it does not bring happiness. The saloon brings misery; tt brings vice; it brings crime. It is dead dead beyond the hope of resurrection. The Democratic party has. a nobler mission than to become intoxicated with "feeling" and lie down in the grave with this monstrous evil man's greatest evil, the saloon. "W. J. BUY AN. Old-time Democracy Vice-President-Marshall announces himself as candidate as delegate to the National Demo cratic convention, and expresses a desire for tho nomination of a candidate upon "an old-time Democratic pjatform." The Vice-President in his st.atemenfof his views is not as happy as ho usualy is- Hs . style is as a rule, quite clear and Tiis meaning obvious;: N.oW however, ho deals in generalities instead'-of -."speaking out in meeting." The onlv thins: that he says that in dicates tho trend of his thought is his reforenco to "Unbridled Democracy." Tho Vice-President is on record against initiative and referendum; is this what he refers to by the piirase. "Un bridled Democracy?" If 80, he will find that the bridling of democracy can hotter he left to the RAnubl'cans who. because of the things they stand for,, have reasoh to, fearthe peopje. Our Government rests upon the consent of the gov erned or it. does not. If it does not. it is not a Democracy; if it dofts. we heed nt be afraid to lot the TeorIe 'have their w.a?. Nobodv knows better than the Vice-President,' the frailties of representatives, for he has seen' representatives use for their own advantage the Power intrusted -to them., ,If Mr. Mn,rphall isasldne the ppmo crafg to have't -confidence in fiim. he oueht to take, them'into hfs-confidence and apply his gen-' Gr.ilirieR.to ouestions now before th,'e country, in order that the voters mav Know liist nor far they acree with him and to what extent thov dif fer from him. And. hv the u are prohibition and sutfrar'e sufficiently "old-time" to suit the vice-president? '".'.' EDWARDS BOOM COJtAsPRD . . Governor Edwards' withdrawal of his name from the presidential primaries in Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, and other states, ends the brazen effort of the brewers to wage an open fight against the prohibition amendment. Find ing it impossible to make the United Slates "as wet as the Atlantic ocean," -the representatives of the liquor trafflcwlll now try to elect a wet congress and a wet president on a non-committal platform. The friends of national prohibi tion will insist on a dry plank and a dry candi date for a saloonless nation. WILLIAM 8KTTOMAN JENNINGS In tho death of William Sherman Jennings tho South lost one of its trreatestand best men, He went from Illinois "to Florida when a young man, and by his rise to fame and growth in popularity proved anew the irresistible power of industry when combined with rare ability and high character. As judge, legislator,, speaker and governor, he rendered invalUahle, service and contributed largely to tho development and prog ress of Florida. His career ' was a priceless legacy to his family, hs friends and his state. ' W.. J. BRYAN. 5TJ!l. .?. t 1A , .y.u-i'k,., 3. Wk?v-.