Smyrna times., 1905-03-22
HOUSE BY CLOSE MARGIN
PASSES LOCAL OPTION BILL
ONLY ONE VOTE TO SPARE AFTER TWO
THIRDS VOTES WAS FINALLY TAKEN.


Bill Vas Then Passed Over to the Senate For
COMMUNICATIONS Men Put up
Strong Fight and Have Powerful Lobby.
With but one vote to spare, the
House on Wednesday morning with
out debate passed the local option bill
for Kent county that had been intro
duced by Representative Garrison.
Representative Smith said before the
local option measure was passed he
thought the Legislature should enact
law for the distribution of license
moneys SO that any county voting for
no license should not receive any
money from liquor license fees. This
was the only expression preliminary to
the voting.
Representative Sewer moved at IL. 40
o'clock to have the bill made special
order for 2 O'Clock, but this was voted
down, 10 to 10, as follows:
Nays-Representative Abbott, Arm
strong, Baggs, Benson, Denney, East
burn, E. P. Ellis, Garrison, Jester,
Messick, Murray, McGinnis, Pretty
man, Stafford, Wilson-15.
Ayes-Representatives Bennum.
Cooper, d. w. Ellis, Handy, Hart,
Marshall, ]. G. Meredith, w. s. Mere
dith, Miller, Pennington, Sewer,
Smith, Wright-13.
Absent or not voting-Representa
tives Davis, Lingo, Lyons, Mahoney,
Townsend, Vandenburg-6.
Bill Put on its Final Passage.
Then the bill was put on it's final
passage, with everybody expectant.
Hearing that the bill was under con-
sideratiop the senators hastened to the
House, leaving President Parker be-
hind in the chair The bill was passed
19 to IL, as follows: Yeas-Messrs.
Abbott, Armstrong, Baggs, Benson.
Davis, Eastburn, Ellis (E. P.), Garri-
son, Hart, Jester, Meredith q. G. },
Messick, Murray, McGinnis, Pretty
man, Stafford, Townsend, Wilson,
Speaker, Denney-19.
Nays-Messrs. Bennum, Cooper,
Ellis, Cd. W., Lyons, Mahoney,
Marshall, Meredith (W. S., Miller,
Pennington, Sewer, Smith, Vanden-
burg, Wright-13.
Not-voting, Mr.. Lingo.
Absent, Messrs. Stevenson and
Handy.
Speaker Denneg was Immediately
upon his feet and had begun to an
nounce the passage of the bill, when
Representative Sewer and Mahoney
z ere upon their feet clamoring for
recognition to change their votes to
''aye" for purposes of reconsideration.
Speaker Denney did not recognize
them, however, and with bang of his
gavel announced that the bill had
passed the House.
Representative Sewer again called
that he desired to change his vote in
order to reconsider, when the speaker
announced:
''You are out of order, the result O.
the vote having been announced"
To prevent the bill being recon
sidered in the House Representativ,
Benson moved to reconsider, tn,
motion then being voted down by til,
local optionists, by the following vote
Yeas-Bennum, Cooper, Ellis I'd
W., Lyons, Mahoney, Marshall
Miller, Pennington, Sewer, Smith
Vandenburg, Wright-12.
Nays-Messrs. Abbott, Armstrong
Baggs, Benson, DAVIS, Eastburn, Eli
(E. P.), Garrison, Hart, Jester, Mes
sick, Murray, McGinnis, Prettyman
Stafford, Townsend, Wilson, MI
Speaker-18.
Not voting, Lingo, W. S. Meredit
and j. G. Meredith.
Absent, Stevenson and Handy.
Analysis Of the Vote on Local Option.
An analysis shows that IS Republ
cans and A Democrats voted for th
bill, and Democrats and Republ
cans voted against the bill. Repr
sentative Handy, Democrat, wake
from the room before voting begai
and Mr.. Stevenson, Democrat, vi
Absent, while Mr.. Lingo, Union r
publican, declined to vote.
The Republicans who voted for Il
bill were Messrs. Abbott, Armstron
Baggs, Benson, Davis, :.Eastbur
Garrison, Jester, Messick, Murra
McGinnis, Stafford, Townsend, w
son, Speaker Denney-15.
The Democrats who voted for {
bill were Messrs. Hart, j. G. Meredit
E. P. Ellis and Prcttyman-4,
The Democrats who voted agar
the bill were Messrs, Cooper, d. !
Ellis, Mahoney. W. s. Meredit