The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-08
EFFORT TO DELAY
FINAL ACTION
The Opponents of Prohibition
Would Defeat Bill Through
Indefinite PoStponement.
ADMIT PASSAGE BY HOUSE
SENATE MAY BLOCK TEMPER
ANcE LEGISLATION.

ing as hard as possible TO have the
Cannon measure held up in the judi
ciary committee Of the house, at least
until the end of the week. During that
time IL is probable that other measures
bearing on the liquor question will be
introduced. and the resulting compli-
cation viii retsrd the passage Of any
prohibltory legislation or laws for the
regulation of the liquor traffic.
Petitions signed by hundreds OF prom
ine1t business men Of the state all of
whom are opposed TO prohibition, will
be presented to the legislature during
the week. and these petitions il is ex-
pected. viii be given enough consid-
Grafton to delay the report Of the COM
mitiee having in charge the Cannon
measure.
The report of the committee which
vas sent into the house on Friday
failed of adoption. and the measure
was returned to the judiciary commit
tee The minority OF the committee
VIII probably DE given another hear
iaE. and the opportunity to discuss the
amendments TO the bill the more in de-
tai viii be afforded.
When the report is again submitted
TO the senate the majority report win
favor the passage Of the bill and the
minority report will oppose. This. I'M
less pcrchance some measure should be
introduced bearn g on the liquor ques-
tion that would meet with so much
favor that the Cannon bill will be dis
cared.
Bill viii Pass House.
The anti-pruhibitionists have con-
eeted the fact that a prohibition bill
will pass the house. Several of the
members who are really opposed to
prohibition will vote for the measure
because they want To put the blame for
defeating the III On the senate. If the
federal bunch is able to delay the pas
sage Of the bill by the house for two or
three weeks its death is certain They
are referring, and with sunni reason. to
an apparent change Of sentiment that
is coming over not only the Legislators
but over the people. An effort is being
made to prove to the legislature thai
what the people want is strict regula-
ton of the liquor traffic and not pro-
hibit'on. If this change of sentim@lt
continues to grow, TIE defeat of the
bill Is certain. The last hope of the
prohibitiOuists is apparently the de-
mand for quick action.
In the senate ihe prohibitionists have
apparently only two staUnch friends.
These are Senator James =. Wilson
and Senator Christopher Burton, jr.
These two men are the only ones 10 be
counted on as regular first, last and
all the time prohibitionists." I'm group
ing the senators, sly have been placed
in the prohibition column
These senators are not prohbitioRists.
but would vote for the measure in
pinch. Their preference is for an ex-
tremely strict regulation law, A law
that would put the brewers out of the
retail business, that would provide q
penalty for treating. that would limit
the sale OF liquor TO a single room. and
make the view from the street to this
room so plain that every one who took
a drink would be seen from the street.
These senators might be termed "radi-
cal reguls tionists"
In this group are Senators Marks
Badger. Horsley, Brinkerhoh. Williams
and Bullen.
For Moderate Regulation.
Less radical in their views on regula-
ton. but at the same time sincere in
their efforts for a correction of the
liquor traffic. Is another group of six
senators. 1t is probable that all of
these senator's are opposed to the bill
drawn at the Cullen hotel and intro
dueed by order of the federal bunch
but they are for other methods of sa
loon regulation that would put the dives
out Of business and reduce the evil Of
the liquor traffic to the minimum. In
this group have been placed Senators
NJ Her. Seely. Sevy. StOokey, Hyde and
John 7. Smith.
-Four senators, the lobbyists on both
sides are absolutely agreed. are un-
qualifedly opposed to any measure for
either prohibition or regulation. The
defense for these is that the present
laws. were they enforced. are amply
adequate to limit the evil produced by
the liquor traffic. The four senators
whom tEe critics have placed in this
sroup ave Senators Gardner. Kuchler
Benner y. Smith and Hulaniski.
Comparative Senatorial influence.
In guessing at the likelihood of the
passage OF any measure either for reg
ulafion or prohibition. the personnel
II these groups and the relative infiu-
cnce OF the senators should be cOnsid-
cred TIE strongest Of these groups is.
by al odds. the last named group. In
il aye included the president of the
senate the chairman and vice chair
man of the committee on judiciary and
the chairman of the committee on man
uFactureS and commerce. To the COM