Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-05-07
PRESSURE ON CANNON
Speaker Of the House Gets Il
Jolt From Home on Liquor
Issue
soUTHERNERs RENEW HOPES
Speakers Opposition to LittIefield Bill
May Be Overcome When Cannon
Hears From Constituents = Labor
Organizations Pleased With Speak,
er's painful Accident

ORGANIZATIONS Pleased With Speak,
ers "Painful Accident"
Especial Washington Correspondence.
Washington, May 1.-THE prohibi-
tionists from the southern states--and
from others as welfare chuckling over
the painful accident that recently be-
fel Speaker Cannon in connection with
this matter of liquor legislation in con-
gress.
One of the most determined fights
of this session has been made by the
southerners. to secure passage of the
Littlefeld or some similar bill, which
shall give to prohibition states the
fullest police power over liquors
brought inside their borders, in inter-
state commerce. SO long as it Is pos
sible to ship liquors from a wet into
a dry state, and deliver them in the
original package to any conSignee
named or unnamed, prohibition is A
good deal of a farce. The Tennessee
towns handy to Alabama and Georgia
are getting rich off an interstate traf-
fic in liquors which are shipped to
thirsty folks in those states, and which
the state laws cannot interfere with.
Congress Is urged to pass laws which
n - ia
control such shipments. The liquor in
terest is of course opposed to the
measure, and the judiciary committees
of both houses have been unable to
find a constitutional excuse for favor
ing 1t.
Speaker Cannon has been appealed
to in every possible way in the effort
to induce him to use his influence with
his judiciary committee; but he has;
steadfastly held off. and it has been
freely charged that he was responsible
for the failure to report the measure.
However that may be, the speaker is
we'll known not to favor it.
But now comes the story of the
catastrophe to the speaker. The other
day elections were held in Illinois. in
which local option was an issue. The
speakers home district is composed of
six counties; and of these three went
dry"
The "drys" in Washington didn't dis
cover for some days what had hap
.pened; but the fact has at last leaked
out, and they are getting exceedingly
busy. The speaker is to be subjected
to pressure from home without de-
lay. 1t is threatened that if nothing
else will line him up, the cold water
advocates will make a great fight in
his district at the next municipal cleo
ton, and undertake to carry the rest
of the counties. Then they calculate
that the speaker will find it right diff
ficut to stand out longer against home
opinion.
Among the Illinois members the sit
uation in the speakers district is re-
garded as a good deal of joke. Tney
don't mention it when the speaker is
around, but when he isn't they smile
broadly and look exceedingly wise.
They are wondering what he will do
about it, and the southern members
are waiting anxiously for a sign. But
the speaker thus far has given none.
The labor organization people, who
are understood to be getting ready to
make a great fight at the polls INST
the speaker next fall, are especially
pleased with this development. They
opine, that a combination of the labor
vote, the democrats and the "drys" may
be effective to accomplish what was
done in 1890, when the speaker was
squarely defeated at the polls and
dropped out Of congress for two years.
Especial Washington Correspondence
Washington, May 6.-The coming
of governors at the White
House promises to be a great love
feast at which men of the greatest di-
vergence of views on politics and 9TH
err questions will join in mighty cho-
rus in behalf of the conservation of
natural resources. Those who are in
close touch with the conference ar
declare they have never
known another movement which has
been greeted with such quick and en-
thusiastic popular approval.
An indication of public opinion is
by the great mass of corre-
spondence which is pouring into the
White House on this subject. Organ
izations of all sorts express realiZa-
ton of the greatness of the enterprise,
and request that they be given repre-
sentation by delegates. individuals in
great numbers are sending requests
that they be allowed to attend in their
private capacity. These letters are be-
of such volume that the stem
ographers at the White House are
overtime, and Secretary Loeb
fears that he will ultimately be driven
to the necessity of providing circu-
lar letter, which can be mailed to all
plication. Information is constantly
received, too, that tourists from all
parts of the country are planning to
be in Washington at the time of the
in the hope that they may
attend at least a part of the proceed
lngs Because of the limited capacity
of the east room, all such organiZa-
tons and individuals are necessarily
meeting with disappointment None
can be admitted except those provided
for in the invitation list. and the press.
No Politics in 1t.
That conservation of national re-
is nothing about which the
political parties wish to raise an issue
is indicated by the attitude of the dem
Dcratic leaders. Both William Jen-
nings BRYAN and Governor John A.
Johnson leading candidates for the
presidential nomination,