The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-13
.BERT|E's BILL GOT
REAL MEAN SLAPS
Horrid House Members Make
Fun of Adams's Wife
Beaters Measure. >.
OFFER INSULTING AMENDMENT
One Rude Representative Wanted
to Modify Measure to Apply
to Wife Chasers.
OFFER INSULTING AMENDMENT
az Associated Press.l

WASHINGTON. D. c.. February H.
The House to-day had sport with the bill
to establish a whipping post for wife
beaters in the District OF Columbia, and
then laid it on the table. effectively dis.
posing of 1t, by a vote of 1852 to so.
Among those who voted against laying
the Adams whipping-post bill on the
table We're: Bartlett Georgia., Brant-
ley (Georgia). Bell (Georgia). Gaines
(Tennessee). Houston {Tennessee). How
yirginia), Lee t(Georgla). Livingston
Georgia., Pou North C%arolina). Rixey
(Yirginia), Small North Carolina).
The most impassioned speech for. the
measure was delivered by Mr.. Hepburn
Gowa). who depicted the brutality ofGthe
man who would beat his wife, andsdeclared
that to be whipped was hardly adequate
punishment. Mr.. Adams opened the dis
cussion with a serious speech in favor
OF the bill. All of the opposing speeches
partook of levity, n Mr.. Adams re-
ceived more than one Hing because he is
a bachelor.
Mr.. Sims (Tennessee). opposing the
bill, predicted that 1t would get one vote
only in the House. While the President,
he said, had advocated increased pun
ishrnent for wife-beaterst "a year ago, he
is a year older now, and his last mes
sage said nothing about It. He made a
further point that the report of the local
chief of police Indicated that common
law wives and other females" received
most of the beatings.
Some one has suggested we amend the
bill to apply to w~ife-chasers,' he declared
furthcr; 81 don't know who that would
hit
For five minutes Mr.. Stanley (ken-.
tucky) made fun of the bill. and lncir
d~entally took Mr.. Adams to task Tor
never marrying. 1t was. he said. "a
brutal measuresof brutalizing a brute"
All the arguments in defense Of the tn
of torture buried n hundred
years ago with barbarism. he said. would
apply to this bill.
Mr.. Gaines (Tennessee) asked what the
gentleman would do IL he were to witness
a husband beating his wife.
cowed By Red Heads.
TT would depend.'' replied Mr.. Stanley,
'on the husband and the wife;sif she was
~red-headed, ever my Southern 'chlvalry
would not tempt me to interfere"
~(Laughter.)
Mr.. Bartholdt (Missouri) offered several
amendments. One to put on the rack II
man guilty Of ~non7support9 Of his family;
one that a wife deserter should be pinched
with red-hot tongs: another penalties
every man over twenty-five years of age
who refuses to take a wife, and provides
that he shall stand in the pillory, md
after six months, II he still refuse, he
shall be burned at the stake. These
amendments wero received with hilarity.
The Parker bill, requiring the return of
freight rebates, was, passed; also a meas
ure relating to court procedure. The re-
bate bill provides that when a rebate
has been received with guilty knowledge
1t is a violation OF law. and double the
amount Is to be returned by the recipient,
informant. The hill was Favored by MI
CLAYTON Nlabamap and Mr. Bra1ttlleS
0eorgia), VI ttEss