The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1909-02-25

In the State Senate BY a
Vote of Sixteen to
Fourteen.
DEMOCRATS IN LINE
With the Anti-prohibition
Forces After Holding of
a Caucus Last Night:

i y.
/ CHARLESTON, Feb. 2o-At the
opening session today the Senate
voted on the. prohibition submission
amendment.
On the roll call OF senators pres
Tent and voting Messrs. Kidd. McIn-
tire. Silver and Ziliiken. al Dem
ocrats, voted mo. cossin, John
son and Littlepage were not present
in the Senate chamber when the
vote was taken. The vote stood six
teen for, eleven against, and three
absent.
At first the Democrats refused ID
vote SO as to lay the, responsibility
ION the Republicans. Blue demanded
that they must vote and the chair
so ruled.
Blue moved that announcement OF
1.-THE vote be postponed until 8 O'Clock
this afternoon. White raised the
Epoint Of order that on constitu-
ttional amendment it required two
thirds to postpone announcement,
lbut he said he would not insist ON
THE chair ruling on the point until
Ethis afternoon. The vote on the mo-
ton to postpone was eighteen ayes
and eight nays,
Shortly after the motion to post
Epone the announcement of the vote
prevailed, the absentees, Senators
johnson, cossin and Littlepage. APP
peared In. the chamber. Fisher
moved to reconsider the vote by
which the announcement of the vote
twas postponed, and his motion pre-.
vailed. He then moved to call the
roll OF those who had not voted
which carried. ~.
coss.n's name was called first
land without explaining his vote, cas-,
1t against the prohibition resolu.
ton. Johnson explained his vote,
declaring that he would have voted
FLOR submission had Meredith's In.
Identifying amendment prevailed
Yesterday. He concluded his speech
by voting in the negative.
! Littlepage, when his name was
called. made a speech of explana.
ton, He said that when he was
nominated for the Senate, the pend
Ing proposition was not an issue,
and that a year ago he voted for the
submission in answer to petitions OF
thirty thousand people, while this
year there were as many petitions
against submission as for it. He
declared that great financial cues.
ton was important among the many
involved. The Democratic party
owed nothing to the Prohibition
party he said, and the entire respon.
sibility must rest with the Republic
can party. He said the Democratic
senators had held a caucus last night
and had decided to oppose submis-
sion. He therefore voted mo. /.
This completed the vote which re.
suited in 16 for and IA against.
which ends prohibition for this ler.
islatnre, SO far as amendment sub.
mission is concerned.
The ayes were Ashburn, Baker,
Blue. Carroll, coffman, craig. Eng.
land, Fisher, Finn, Grimes, santee.
Shinn, Smith of cabell, Smith Of
Raleigh. Sutherland and Forman.
The noes were, Bailey. cossin.
Gartlan. Hatfield, Hazlett, Johnson.
Kidd. Littlepage. Mc1ntire, Meredith,
Miller. Silver, White and zilliken.
Fisher and Smith Of Raleigh did
not abide by the Democratic caucus
which Littlepage said had been held
last night.
The reason that all the senator's
were not in their seats was that the
resolution came up sooner than was
expected. 1t was first up when the
Senate convened at 10 O'Clock and
the first roll call was over by 1928.