The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1907-12-11
MIR. OHNSO READY
WITH SOME BILLS
One Will Seek to Regulate Liquor Ii.
censes, and Another for Public
Buildings at Laurens and Union.

Buildings at Laurens and Union.
In a special to the Spartanburg Her
aid, under date Of December s, Mr.. t.
H. Daniel, of Washington, says:
Representative johnson was asked
today by the Herald's correspondent
what he chad up his sleeve" in the
way of proposed legislation during the
present session Of Congress.
well" said Mr.. Johnson, "you see
there is no use to go ahead and intro
duce a number Of bills at this early
day, because nothing can be done with
them. When a bill is introduced in
Congress, before anything a be done
with it., it must be referred to the
proper committee and considered by
that committee, which makes a favor
able report, or no report at all. No
committees have been appointed as
yet, except that on Banking and Cur
rency, which has been appointed out of
consideration of financial conditions,
There is no use to introduce bills until
committees to consider them are APP
pointed.
"But | have had some bills under
consideration long before Congress met,
and shall submit them TO the House at
the proper time. One of the first l
shall introduce will be a bill to prevent
the issuance by the internal revenue
department of a license to any person,
firm or corporation to engage in the
manufacture or sale of Intoxicating liq-
uors until the applicant for such license
shall have furnished to the department
proof that he is permitted by the laws
of the community in which it is pro-
posed to exercise the license to engage
in such business. You understand, at
present a blind tiger can get a license
from the United States government to
sell liquor in ~Spartanburg, and so he
has only to watch out for the laws of
the State. If my idea can be carried
out, he cannot get a license from the
federal government to sell liquor in
any locality where he cannot get a Ii
cense from the State. This will put a
double burden upon the blind tiger, and
will make his business less profitable.
another bill l have in mind is along
the same line. Its object will be to
prohibit common carriers from ship
ping Intoxicating liquors into a State
whose laws prohibit it's manufacture
and sale. Congress has a right to do
this, under the interstate commerce
clause Of the constitution, and l think
it nothing but just and proper that the
national government and the State
government should be harmonious-in
other words, when a state has a law
the nation should not afford a means of
breaking it under the protection of the
national government.
"These two bills may meet with
strong opposition, or with Indifference,
but l believe they are just and should
be enacted into law. l shall, therefore,
use my best efforts to secure their pas
sage.
cat the proper time l shall offer
several bills of a local nature, and of
much Importance to my w constitu-
ents, and these shall have my first and
best attention. They will probably in
clude a bill for government buildings
at Laurens and Union.
"But l am not very much in favor of
talking too much about what | am 60
ing to do. I'll. have to tell you more
about these things later on. Nothing
is ever done of any consequence until
after the holidays, when everybody gets
down to work with more VIM"