The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1914-05-26
MUST SHOW COLORs
coNcREssMEN WILL BE CALLED
ON SOON TO VOTE ON FRO
HiBITIoN AMENDMENT.
SUFFRAGE ALSO UP TO THEM
judiciary Committee Has Refused
Longer to Take the Blame for In
action on These Two Much
Argued Matters.
BY GEORGE CLINTON:


Washington.-Proh and WON
an suffrage are today squarely before
the house of representatives as ques-
tions to be voted upon. For years
the friends Of both causes have been
attempting to secure record votes on
the questions in house and senate and
for years they have failed. Now it
seems likely that the prohibition
amendment will be voted on In the
house before the adjournment of the
present session. Suffrage possibly
may have to wait
The two subjects are before the
house In the form of proposed amend
ments 10 the constitution of the
United States. They both have been
in the keeping of the Judiciary COM
mittee for some time, and If things
we're as they used to be In congress
1t is probable the committee never
would have reported them to the
house. The members of the commit
tee, however, were moved by the
constant charges made by the friends
Of both suffrage and prohibition that
they did not dare report the amend
ments and that they were holding
them back Also because the represent
atives did not care to be put on rec
ord for or against either amendment.
For long time suffragists and ad-
vocates of prohibition have been urg-
ing members of the house to see to
it that both amendments were brought
to vote. The answers which the
ceived were alike In virtually every
instance. The proponents of the
amendments were told that the tu-
dietary committee had not acted and
that nothing could be done unless
| that body made a report
Put Up to the House.
So it was that the members of the
| Judiciary committee were made the
| targets and they resented what they
said was the throwing on their shout
| ders by the other representatives of the
blame for inaction. The committee
/ resolved to let the house fight the
matter out for itself, and it has re-
ported both amendments, although NO
recommendation was made for pas
sage or for non-passage of the two
proposals.
There is some humor In the situa
ton in which the house finds itself
today. There are plenty of members
of congress who think that prohibition
may be a good thing and yet who
fear that If they vote for the amend
ment all the forces of the liquor in
terests In the United States will be
used to compass their defeat On the
other hand they are afraid that if they
vote against the amendment all the
forces of prohibition and of the tenn
perance cause generally will be uset
against them at the polls.
On the proposed suffrage amend
ment to the constitution the position
Of the representatives is much like
that in which they find themselve
on the question of prohibition. WON
en- vote in a good many states al
I ready, and woman has a tremendou!
influence in whatever state she lives
Representatives do not like the ide,
of having the suffrage influence
against them and they do not like tn
idea of having the anti-suffrage in
fuence against them. They are in I
peculiar position and 1t seems +
some observers in Washington tina
they wiz do what all representative
. ought to do, vote as they believe AM
'let the consequences be what the,
may"