The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-08-16
|PROHIS ANGRY WITH SPEAKER They Cannot Control
 Congress. COMMITTEE OPPOSES BnIs No Hope to Make Capital City
 "Dry." sUncIe Ice, Named Members .Frsn Big Cities To Handle An Meas
 ures Aimed At District 0s !Colusnbia-
BY ALFRED ,. STOPPER.

BY ALFRED '. sroFER. Washington, Aug. ,-s Many men and women prominently identified with the anti-saloon organ- izations are expressing great dissst- isfaction with the makeup of the House Committee on the District of Columbia.
 They appear to realize right now that it will be . ''cold day" for any prohibition measures that will be re- ferred to 1t during the present Con- gress
 It has long been the hope of the workers against the saloon to have t go out to the world that in the Capital | City of the United States no wines or liquors are on sale. During the last Congress they worked vigorously to force action on the much agitsted question, but were unable to induce the committee to make either an ad- verse or favorable report upon any of the pending measures.
 Opinions differed as ts how fhs House would have voted had any of the bills been brought up in that body. rolling over certain sections of the country it was claimed that a prohi- bition for the District of Columbia | would probably have passed. Indeed, circular that was issued by big brew- cry organization fin the east came to light here in which the friends of | that interest were warned not to let bill come out of committee. for they believed that such was the state of feeling that it would receive the sup- port of more than majority of the members.
 Hope For Sweet Victory. | Enthusiasts among the prohibitions ists have been exceedingly anxious to eliminate the saloons here for the ef- feet they think 1t would have in some of the States of the Union. But whether it would or not it is perfectly well understood by those who have been watching the contest that they consider that this would be the sweet est victory possible for their cause Co have it so out to the world that in this nations capital they had routed the saloons.
 They figured that it would hays, . Itei1ine effect ali over the land. ana give impetus to the gsnersi move gross had provided the necessary iegle- iation to bring about such a result.
 Last winter big delegation of wo. men went up to the capitol to have a talk with Speaker Cannon. They com pinined bitterly to him that the Dis- trict committee would not act on tha prohibition bills and memorials by the bushels that had been laid before it. | They tried to exact a promise from the Speaker that in the event of his reelection as presiding ohlcer of the popular branch of Congress he would promise to appoint men on the District of Coiumbia committee who would hs favorable to prohibition.
 | Well. old Uncle Joe.'" when i1e heard that sort of talk. simply "r'ared's and pitched. And they do say that if his callers had been men instead of women he would have "cussed." Hs l Aaw, .Aa A. vernacular of vermiilion county. fili- nois. and things would have hummed around that room for few minutes at least But Uncle Joe" conquered his inclination to indulge in anything ap- preaching profanity. and said substan- tialiy: Tn my official capacity as Speaker l have often been wrongfui- ly charged with having packed certain committees of the House. but bless mo. this Is the first time I have ever been approached and earnestly asked to pack committee.k Your request is firmly and positivesx. turned down" A glance at the RAEnse of those on Columbia Is sufficient to snow that no prohibition bill can get through this Congress. It is composed of nineteen members as follows: Smith of Michi- gan, chairman; Campbell of Kansas, olcott of New York, Kahn of san | Coudrey of St. Louis. Nye of Minneso- ta. Cary of Milwaukee. Pearre of Maryland. Guernsey of Maine. Wiley of New Jersey. and Fish of New York --Republicans; ShaciteIford of Missou- ri. Aiken of South Carolina, Johnson vania. Boriand of Kansas City, Cox of Ohio. and Gilmore of Louisiana~-Dem- ocrats.
 The big cities which so many of these members represent show what sentiment doubtless is in their dis- tricts. and it Is safe to say they arc | against the prohibition movement.
 Representative Sims. Of Tennessee. who introduced the prohibition bills | by request of the organizations during the last Congress is no longer a mem ber of the District of Columbia com mittee. He was for the past six years the ranking Democratic member ofsfha committee. but was recently appointed by Speaker Cannon to a position on the Interstate and Foreign commerce | Committee.
 According to the gossip Heating around. the prohibitionists are not cer- tain of more than i've champions of their bin next winter. so far as the committee is concerned. and for this reason they may temporarily relax their effrftB.
 At one time the proposition wae ad- vanced 10 have the issue submitted to vote of the people of the District. but even the anti-saloon organizations did not favor that scheme, for they felt sure that the negroes of Washing ton would vote almost soiidiy against it. and were afraid also thst raajori- ! ty of the white people would, too. if the question was put up to them. They wanted then and Insist now that Con- gress shall decide tho matter. inas- much as Congress Is the Legislature for the District of Columbia, and resi- dents do not have the right of sufsA rage. The aim, therefore, has been 10 infiuenoe congressmen {, through the prohibition sentiment that exists in 60 many of the States and districts, and now that Speaker Cannon seems to have. as they claim. "nxed'' the com mittee against them they are much anRered over the situation