Smyrna times., 1903-03-18
LOCAL OPTION BILL DEFEATED
Came up For Final Passage in the House Last
Friday Morning and Was Lost by Vote
OF Is to IA, Three Not Caring VOt.

! '''""f "OIhIng ana was Lost by Vote
OF Is to IA, Three Not Caring VOt.
After a spirited fight in which dila-
tory tactics were resorted to by the
opposition, the House, by vote of Is
to H. killed the local option bill. which
provides that the question of the sale
OF liquor should be decided by the
qualified voters of the State, at the
next general election.
President Vaughan S. Collins. Mr..
Walter .. HOtfecker, Mr.. L. NJ. Price
and others went down from Smyrna to
look after the bill. The House lobby
was thronged with visitors, expectant
that there would be a bitter fight when
the measure was called up.
Speaker Anthony Recedes From His Position.
Pending the reading of the bill.
Speaker Anthony, who few DAYS ago
announced that he could declared it
unconstitutional, called for the opin
ion of Attorney General Ward and the
legislative attorneys as to the status
! of the measure. The attorneys sub
mltted a written opinion. in which
they said that they unanimously be-
lieved the bill to be constitutional
Frank S. Davis, Union Republican.
attorney for the Senate, after a long
discussion, was excluded from sub
mittlng an opinion. The opinion of
the three attorneys was ordered re-
corded in the journals, and then At
tOrney Francis NJ. Walker declared
thai only a majority vote was
necessary to pass the bill.
The bill was read by sections. When
the enacting clause was taken up.
Representative Allen moved that the
section be stricken out. Representa-
tive Finn, father of the bill. raised a
point of order and Mr.. Aliens motion
was declared out of order. Represen-
tative Rose then attempted to offer an
amendment to the sane effect. but
was not allowed to do so. Represen-
tative Allen moved that the bill be
recommitted, and Representative
Townsend moved that Mr.. Allen's
motion be tabled, which prevailed bv
a close vote. At this juncture Speaker
Anthony prohibited any further dila-
tory tactics and called for the vote.
which resulted:
How the Members Put Themselves on Record
Nays-Representatives Allen. Con-
nelly, Cook. Gooden, Hart, Rolcomb
Jones, Monaghan, Morrison, Paradee.
Price, Rose, Thompson, Tyre and Mr..
Speaker-15. Yeas - Representatives
Aspril, Bancroft, Derrickson. East
burn, Finn, Frazier, Gehmann,
Hughes, Lawson, Messick, Newton.
Powell, TOwnsen and Warren-I4.
Declined to vote = Representatives
Austin, Bennett and Purnell Absent
Representatives Buckmastsr, Lingo
and Lowe.
Every Democratic member except-
ing Mr.. Hughes voted against the bill.
and Mr.. Hughes was warmly con-
graduated by the temperance folks
Tor refusing to be driven into line by
the Democratic whip. Austin, Pur-
nell and Bennett, Unionists, who had
been counted in favor of the bill. re-
fused to vote. Had they voted in the
affirmative the measure would have
gone through the House. Represen-
tatlves Hart and Paradee, Democrats.
whom the temperance advocates had
declared were favorable to the bill.
voted against it.
After the announcement of the vote
Representative Tyre tried to have the
vote reconsidered, with the intent of
having the bill buried completely, but |
his efforts were defeated by a viva
vOce vote.