Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 142, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 June 1918 — NATION-WIDE PROHIBITION [ARTICLE]

NATION-WIDE PROHIBITION

THE FOLLOWING LETTER GIVES VIEWS OF SENATOR WATSON. United States Senate, June 20, 1918. Hon. Charles G. Spitler, Mayor, Rensselaer, Indiana. My Dear Mayor: 4 You have written me such a sensible letter as compared with some I receive on the same subject that I am personally responding to it, though I permit my secretary to answer practically all the others. I voted for nation-wide prohibition because I wanted to destroy the liquor business as a whole from out the entire United States. While I have always voted to make my town dry, and while I werit down to defeat on the county local option in 1908, yet, except as a mere matter of agitation and for the creation of sentiment, I have never been so much concerned with the enactment of local laws for the regulation of the liquor traffic. I have fought for and yotea for many such local laws, simply because they helped to create a sentiment that is necessary to bring about nation-wide prohibition. I believe in this and I am one of the senators that, made the two-thirds majority necessary for its passage. lam assured by the temperance leaders here that it will raise the necessary two-thirds of the legislatures that will make its ratification possible and that this will be done within eighteen months of this time. I think that it will be done within one year of this time and then the whole thing will be ended. I voted last year to discontinue the manufacture of whiskey. The Senate voted to give the President power, to discontinue ” the manufacture of beer and wines. I did not so vote, but preferred to take the responsibility myself. ' It is now up to the President, who has the power, by the stroke of the pen, to discontinue the further manufacture of both beer and wine, and I know of no reason why the temperance people should not bombard him instead of us because we gave him the power. A majority thought that this was the best thing to do at that time because there wa( very great dissatisfaction in the cities, growing out of the war conditions then existing and it was thought best not. to augment that by absolute prohibition. Therefore, the power was given to the President to examine into the question and to come to his own conclusions respecting it. Within a short time we shall have absolute prohibition and I do not believe that what occurs between now and then will be of such overwhelming consequence. I am very glad to hear from you and shall always be pleased to have any communication on the question in which you are interested. Very truly yours, JAMES E. WATSON. Similar letters have been received from Senator Harry S. New and Representative William R. Wood. Those interested .in this matter should urge the president by telegrams or letters to use his authority already granted.