Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-16
Consideration of the Measure
Begun in the Senate.
FRIENDS THRONG CAPITOL
Delegates to Anti-Liquor Conferences
Present in Force.
SANDERS BEGINS THE DEBATE
Would Prohibit the Shipment Of In
toxicants Into Pro-
hibition States.

| The corridors Of the Capitol and the
Hobbies Of the office buildings Of both the
| Senate and House today had the appear
ance Of the headquarters Of an equal
suffrage convention. Women adorned
| with white ribbons were out in force fill
| ed with business and dashing from office
| to office and from committee room to
committee room. They were members OF
the national conference Of the anti-liquor
interests in session here to urge Passage
Of the Kenyon-Sheppard bin prohibiting
| the shipment Of intoxicating drink into
dry" states.
Long before the Senate met, at II
o'clock, the galleries were crowded. The
Senate had planned to begin consideration
or the measure today. Before the meet
ing hour the individual deleg ties had
conferred with both senators and repre-
sentatives in efforts to impress upon each
the views Of the people bacl- home"
Senator Kenyon hopes to get action on
the legislation before Congress adjOurns
for the Christmas recess.
An avalanche of petitions and me,-
MORALS both for and against the bill.
were received by the Senate. Senators
Smith and Townsend of Michigan. Sand
ers of Tennessee, Bris.ow of Kansas and
Gronna of North Dakota, presented petit
tons sent them from their respective
states. Senator Bristow said that one
of the petitions he received was signed
by several thousand citizens of his state.
Sanders Opens the Debate.
When the Sheppard-Kenyon bill was
taken up in the Senate today Senator
Sanders Of Tennessee who presented
similar bill, declared that Congress did
not plan to interfere with states in the
exercise Of their own rights over the
liquor traffic.
This bill. if it should become law.
would not interfere with what are COM
monty known as wet states. " said Sem
ator Sanders. 1T would only prohibit
the shipment Of liquor into states where
tn police laws now prohibit it's SALE
He declared that mail order and express
order concerns are shipping liquor into
dry states practically without inter-
ference. making 1t almost impossible for
state officials to enforce prohibition laws
He asserted that although Tennessee is
prohibition state, travelling men and
agents of big mail order liquor houses
are constantly soliciting business in that
state from ''boot-leggers" and soft drink
Dealers" shipping in their produce across
the state line, SO that local authorities
cannot stop 1t.
Mail Order Liquor Business.
1.-The spread of prohibition has built up
the mail order liquor business to an
enormous total said Senator Sanders.
Nearly $2O.O0OOOO of this business is
now done annually"
Senator McCumber Of North Dakota,
another prohibition state. also spoke in
favor of the proposed law
1T will help the state officials to en-
force the laws against blind piggism' and
'boot-leggers.." he declared. THE state
laws are ineffective so long as there is no
means Of getting at the source of supply
outside the state"
He said attempts to give state off,
GERS power to seize liquor as soon as
1t came into the state would probably
be held unconstitutional by the Su-
preme Court of the United States
There is no doubt, however, Of the
power of Congress to prohibit inter-
state shipments, as proposed in this
BILL" he said.