AMERICAN PROHIBITION TANGLE

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 15042, 9 April 1919, Page 3

AMERICAN PROHIBITION TANGLE

The following information in regard to the American Prohibition tangle is [taken from the New York "Journal of Commerce" of February 24th, 1919 :-r Albany, Feb. 23.—Prohibition has again taken its place in the front rank of legislative issues, and promises to remain there until the passage of some j kind of enforcement bill. The situation -is not at all to the liking, of most of the members, as prohibition Is a topic which appears to them to be fraught with danger to their personal political. houes and ambitions. . LIST OF MEASURES. Seven different prohibition or antipro riibition measures are before the 'legislature. They are: The ThompsonMeNabJßill, ajso known as the AntiSaloon League Bill, designed to provide for enforcement within the State of the Federal amendment and delegating enforcement power to the State excise department, which would be called the Departmont of State Welfare; the Walker Search and Seizure Bill, intended to permit the confiscation of all liquors kept fdr private consumption; the Howling-Smith, Bill, which would place proprietary cpmponnds containing more than one-half of one per cent, of alcohol under the provisions of the public health law applicable to habit-forming drugs: the McElligott Bill to rescind the ratification resolution, and three measures introduced by Assemblyman Welsh ,of Albany, two of which, are aimed at .the repeal of the local option laws and ihe third denning "intoxicating liquors" ?s those which contain more than tempor cent.of alcohv.l. ENFORCEMENT PROBLEMS DIFFICULT. •» -• Other phases of tne enforceme • : p«*o-' mom also will.be the s'lbiftt <y prolongeJ

conferences and v>Bo.i-«ion.-. It is admitted by the dry leaders that us-ny amendments, involving concessions by both Houses, will he attached to the Rill before it is ready for action on the floor. The battle over the Enforcement Bill will be fought out first in the Senate. Assembly leaders take the position that it is unfair as well as unnecessary to i place the members of the Lower House j .on record on- the enforcement proposition until after the Senate has taken action. The members of the Senate do not come up for re-election until 1920, the Assemblymen point out, and, therefore, it-is better /EKa/fc the legislators who' have an extra year of grace shall blaze, the trail and thereby make the Assembly action, a matter of concurrence or non-concurrence-rather than one of initiation. Members of the Lower House declare .that fit 'would mean-political suicide for them to pass some prohibition measure which later might be rejectedby the Senate!. ;

New Zealand Electors, do not forget that no popular vote was taken on Prohibition in America. The ratification of the War Prohibition measure was the act of legislatures, not of the people direct Also remember that Friday's cables informed us that in the Chicago Mayoral Election on a popular vote Prohibition was repudiated by a quarter of a million majority.*