The Washington times., 1908-12-13
Members of Congress Not
Agreed on Giving Suffrage
to tine District.
SMITH AMENDMENT
is A COMPROMISE
Will Put Question Before House
Where Hard Fight Is
Expected.

The Smith amendment TO the Sims
District prohibition bill-which amend
:nent provides that the matter should
be submitted to a vote OF the people
is a committee compromise between a
favorable and an unfavOrable report, it
is asserted. Also this amendment un-
doubtedly will precipitate one OF the
hardest fights ever seen on the floor OF
the House, II Il is reported.
The Smith amendment provides that
there shall be an election neld to as
certain the wishes of the people. The
amendment does not specify the quail
hcations OF the prospective voters. 1t
is this question that will precipitate
the House fight.
From All authoritative source it is
learned as published in the Sunday
evening edition or The Times. that
there was no chance for the SIMS pro-
hibitIon bill to receive a favorable re-
port at the hands OF the committee The
committee OF nineteen. charged with the
conduct g District affairs. apparently
does not ieel called upon to assume
the entire responsibility on the prohi-
bition question for the District OF Co
lunbia A favorable or an UnfavOrable
report would bring down upon the
heads Of this committee OF nineteen
condemnation from either the prOhibi-
ton OF the license element. as the case
may be.
lust Shift Responsibility.
The Smith amendment therefore is re-
Earded as simply a means OF putting
the question Of prohibition I'D 10 the
entire membership Of the House and in
cjdentally to the people Of the District
If the amendment goes TO the House
In its present shape. it merely proNldes
for the holding Of an election under
the direction Of the District ComHis-
Fioners. The amendment does not pro-
vide the election machinery, nor does IL
orfer any suggestion as to who should
be allowed tC vote, other than 1t specl-
fes persons above twenty-one years OF
ace VINO have resided in the District
for six months. On this point the fight
will he and upon this point may we'll
rest. according to good authority. the
hone Of the vets that there will be
no adverse legislation Al this session
II should never agree TO an unlimited
suffrage arrangement on this or any
other matter in the District Of Colum-
b3a" said Representative Sims. author
of the prohihition bill. The District
Of Columbia, with its mixed population.
should never be allowed unrestricted
suffrage. There might be an agreement
on qualified suffrage"
For Limited Suffrage.
II is known that the Southern or
Democratic members Of the House are
particularly adverse to anything eN-
Hr.@rfT
voters of the District. They would
almost unanimously oppose the Smith
ar-enduent or any other bill that left
~ the eolored vote the virtual balance
Of mower in all elections Within the
last few days since the agitation for
District suffrage on the prohibition and
other questions has become more per
sIstent. numbers of these Representa-
tives have spoken plainly and emphat-
tca1lv against any plan that would
recognize any save the most substantial
citizens of the District Of Columbia
II Is said that a chance to submit pro-
hibition to the voters has been about all
tha. the prohibitiOnists have expected
from Congress. It is not believed that
they entertained definite hope that the
District Committee OF nineteen would
assume 10 speak for the entire Congress.
as favorable report on the Sims bill
would in a measure do. The committee,
II Is understood, entertained some
what similar view In that it regarded
the question as being so momentous
that every member Of the House should
be given the opportunity to answer
avea" yr may" without suggestion
from the District Committee as to
whether prohibition should prevail in
.te TD5str-{~+ Of Coltlrlbia