The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-15

MARCH IN CAPITOL
One Thousand Strong Want
District Columbia Day
SUPPORT WEBER MEASURE
Men, Women and Children Form Pro-
cesson and Move Through Wash
ington for More Than
Two Hours.

Washington, February 1A.-Iemperdnee
advocates, one thousand strong, marched
tol for more than two hours, while
port OF the bill introduced by Represen-
tative Weber of Ohio to rid the District
Of Columbia of the liquor traffic Men,
women and children, representing a score
Of total abstinence orders and the leading
churches Of the district, formed the pro-
cession. which moved through the capt
toll for more than two hours, while
Representative Weber and other prohibit
ton advocates were speaking before the
House committee on the Dlsetrict of Co
lumbia in an effort to secure a favorable
report on the bill
Only fifty OF the temperance advocates
We're able to get into the small commit
tee room but the army of prohbitionsts
moved constantly past the open doors Of
the room. and lent their support 10 The
arguments against the sale if liquor. Re-
peatedly the crusaders moved about the
rotunda under the great dome of the
capitol.
Surrender" was the watehword of the
reformers, and many of them pointed 10
the great oil painting in tho rotunda rep
resenting the surrender of CORVALLIS and
BurgoYne, and announcing confidently
that right and justice always triumph.
Line of Crusaders.
The white ribbons of the Womans
Christian Temperance union predominated
in the long line of crusaders. Women
made up three-fourths of the army
and practically all of them wore the
white badge.
The Rev. Carl c.. Downey and the Rev.
e. c. Dinwiddy of the Anti-Saloon league
were among the prominent leaders in the
movement Mrs. Clinton Smith, president
of the District Womens Christian Tenn
perance union. headed column COM
posed Of prominent members of the
Good Templars. the Prohibition CRU
saders, the Catholic Total Abstinence
union. the Christian EndeaVor and other
reform organizations,
Representative Weber was in chage Of
the prohibition speakers before the House
committee and Robert Crane led the argu-
ment against the Weber bill. In his
opening speech Mr.. Weber stated that
liquor is responsible for the condition of
30 per cent OF persons in the jail, work.
house and insane hospital of the district,
and after reviewing the income from Ii
quor licenses, explained that it falls more
than 100000 short every year of MAIN
tanning the institutions which he said
liquor makes necessary.
Deride Bishop Potter.
In spite of the declaration that prohi-
htion had been failure wherever It was
tried, Mr.. Crane quoted from statements
of Bishop Potter of the Protestant Epis
copal diocese of New York. The mention
Of Bishop Potter's name called for de-
risive laughter, followed ~ kissing from
the temperance adVocaMs Ing the commit
tee ROOM
Mr.. Crane denounced the action of the
prohibition delegation and stated that
Neal Dow. the main prohibition leader
admitted the week before his death that
he had been on the wrong track all
through his long fight for prohibition.
IT'S not true practically all the white
ribboners in the room exclaimed. jump
ing to their feet and repeating their
denials again ard again. Mr.. Crane said
the south was mistaken in its movement
FOR prohibition and that the laws regu-
lating liquor selling in Tennessee and
Kentucky had been failure
lie stated that the blind tigers Of
Tennessee have caused an increase of
murder and crime in that state This
brought an emphatic denial from Repre-
sentative Sims OF Tennessee. a member
Of the House committee on the District Of
Columbia. who said the speaker had no
knowledge of what he was talking about
and declared that the state of Tennessee
has found It's prohibition legislation all
unqualified success.