Evening journal., 1909-02-04
LOCAL OPTION IS
HELD UP AWEEK
Final Action is Postponed in
the House by Vote Of IS
to II

Special to THE EVENING JOURNAL
DOVER. Del February 4-when called
up for final action in the House yesterday
afternoon. the Armstrong local option bill
for rural New Castle county was made a
special order for II o'clock on Wednesday
morning next. Representative Armstrong
called up the bill as amended for third
reading and final action by the House. but
before Reading Clerk McNabb had gotten
very far with the bill Representative Aims
COW moved that action be deferred for one
week. Representative Grubb seconded this
motion. The motion to postpone until
Wednesday morning next prevailed by a
vote of IS 10 Z. as follows:
Yeas-AIessrs. Ainscow, Baylis, Brad
ford. Bryan. Connolly. Donoho, Grubb.
Hudson. Jester, Ledenham. Marsh. Nor
rison, Mcdonald. Pharo, Rawlins Reeves,
Welch, Mr.. Speaker-1S
NAYs-NIessrs. Armstrong. Brockson,
Ellison. CHM. Hall. Hopkins. Janvier,
Lafferty, Minner, lsoper, spruance, Ward
--12.
Representatives Hazel, jackson, Town
send. Truitt and Williamson were absent
when the vote was taken.
Worked For Postponement.
During the morning opponents OF the
local option bill gave 1t out that they did
: not wish vote taken during the day, and
they got busy among some of the men
classed as dry and requested them to
vote to defer action for a few days. Sew
eral Of the men supposed to be for the
bill consented to vote for delay in final
action on the measure. and this was gem
orally known about the House Notwith-
standing this and the fact also that some
Of the men said to be favorable to the
bill were absent, Representative Arm
strong called the bill for third reading
when it was apparent 10 most of the mem-
bers that # would be laid over for several
days. There was no debate over the mo-
tion to have the bin deferred until We'd
nesday next. but Mr.. Brockson demanded
the ayes and nays
Had the motion 10 defer been defeated
Representatives Connolly and Reeves had
a pocketful OF amendments they proposed
to try to tack on the bill some Of which
II adopted might impair its constitution
ality. It is generally known here that the
opponents of local option win put up a
shrewd parliamentary fight to try to
burden down the bill by amendments and
to try to prevent it being put on its final
passage. il is said that some of the Dem
ocrats fighting the bill will vote for it II
the question comes OF passing or rejecting
it, as they feel they are bound TO do so
under the Constitution and the Demo-
cratic platform
Significance of the Vote.
Yesterdays vote on the question to defer
action indicates that I'm the parliamentary
fight to come next week over the resub-
mission bill the lines VIII be tightly
drawn. Several men classed as favorable
to the bill voted TO defer action yesterday.
Three OF em-Representatives Morrison.
Mcdonald and Pharo-have signed the
petition for resubmission in rural New
Castle. Representatives Hudson, Leden-
ham and Jester, who voted TO defer. are
classed as dry" and Representatives
Hazel Townsend and Jackson. who were
absent, are regarded as dry men.
OF the men who voted against deferrine
} action yesterday Mr.. Janvier and Mr.
Spruance are not classed as dry men
but they wished a final vote taken on the
bill as soon as possible.