The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-19
CANNON BILL IS
DECAPITATED IN
SENATE CAUCUS
Twelve Senators Declared to
Be UnalterabIy Opposed to
State Wide Prohibition.
ENTIRE COMMITTEE is
ARRAYED AGAINST IT
SUBSTITUTE MEASURE PROVID-
ING LOCAL OPTION NOW
BEING DRAWN.

Despite predictions to the contrary,
the day of doom for the Cannon prohi-
bition bill is in sight Before the con-
vention of the Republican prohibition
lists, to be held in the Salt Lake theatre
next Wednesday. the senate viii have
killed the bill beyond hope of resurrec-
ton.
This conclusion was made practically
certain by secret caucus of twelve
members of the senate yesterday after
noon. The caucus was held in the may
Oris office Immediately after the ad-
journment of the senate. The sergeant
alarms guarded one door to the room
in which the caucus was held, and the
assistant sergeant-at-arms guarded the
other. No one save the members of the
senate who had been asked to meet in
this room was permitted to enter.
When the caucus began those present
were President Gardner. Senators
Marks, Seely, Miller, Hulaniski, Kuch-
Ter, Benner Y. Smith, Stookey. Bullen.
Hyde. Sevy, John Y. Smith and Badger.
Shortly after the meeting began Sen
ator Miller was called out by Senator
Wilson, and about half an hour before
its conclusion Senator Kuchler left.
After the meeting adjourned the SEN
ators who were at the meeting were
non-eommunicative. They admitted
that the Cannon bill and the prohibition
question were the subject of discussion.
That final and definite action concern
ing the Cannon bill was taken at the
caucus, and that the death sentence
was pronounced, is the accepted belief
Other Bills Considered.
Other bills concerning the liquor
question were considered, and one of
these, which it is understood had the
greatest support, will be introduced be
fore the end of the week. All of the
twelve who were at the caucus during
nearly all of the time that the meeting
lasted, are opposed TO the Cannon bill.
though it is understood that not all of
them are agreed on the provisions of the
substitute bill to be introduced. The
substitute known as the Cullen hotel
bill, drawn by the federal bunch, has
few advocates.
At a similar caucus held a week ago
/ by the senators, ten members of the
senate pledged themselves to vote
against the Cannon bill. This solid
phalanx of ten has been unbroken.
Two others opposed to the Cannon bill
have been added to the ten, which in
SureS Its death
Included among the opponents of the
Cannon bill are the five members of the
committee on manufactures and COM
merce of the senate, to which this bill
has been referred. These are Senator'S
Rudolph Kuchler, chairman; John Y.
Smith, Herschel BuIlen, jr., Carl A.
Badger and J. A. Hyde Within a few
days this committee will submit a re-
port to the senate recommending that
the Cannon bill be killed. And the re-
port will be adopted, probably without
debate
Strict Regulation Provided.
As substitute bill the measure to be
agreed upon in caucus will be intro
duced, probably by the committee on
manufactures and commerce. This bill
is being drawn by Senators Badger
John Y. Smith and Hyde, all of whom
are members of this committee The
measure, it is said, provides for local
option. the unit not yet decided upon.
Some of the senators favor county local
option, others would make the munich
pality the unit, and still others insist on
local option by precincts.
Strict regulation is provided by the
bill. The number of saloons is limited
and there is some suggestion that brew
ery-Owned saloons are to be limited by
the bill. One phase of the liquor uues-
ton which is said to be under consider
alton by the committee drafting the
measure is proposition TO put the IL
censing of saloons in the hands of a
commission to be appointed by the
mayor, not the governor, as is provided
by the Cullen hotel bill Under the pro-
posed provision the mayor would be
| empowered to appoint commission ot
six, to the discretion of whom would be
left the licensing of saloons and the en-
| fOrcement of saloon regulations one
of this commission would be appointed
| for two years, another for four years
and the third for six years. BiennialIy
thereafter a member of the commission
would be appointed for six years by the
mayor.
The fate of such a bill is uncertain
The amount of opposition which ii
would meet with in the senate will de-
pend on the unit provided for by the
Continued on Page 8.