The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-02-07
HOUSE WILL VOTE
ON AMENDMENTS
TO ENABLING ACT
Declines to Leave Final
Draft to Conference
Committee.
BILL IS SPECIAL
ORDER FOR TODAY.
Delegates to Consider Amend
ments on Their Merits, Agree
ing to Those That Are Ac-
ceptable and Rejecting 9th
ers-Oliver and Williams
Join in Lively Tilt.

The House of Delegates yesterday
declined to leave to a conference COM
mittee of the two houses the final
drafting OF the terms and conditions
OF which the question of State wide pro-
hibltion shall he submitted to the peo-
PIE. Instead 1t voted to take up and
consider tho Senate amendments seria-
tim, with view of agreeing to such
as may meet the views of the majority
and of rejecting others
rms decision was reached after near
ly two hours OF vigorous debate, after
the chair had ruled that report OF
conference committee was not diyis-
ible, but must be adopted or rejected
as whole After some sparring for
position. the House ordered the Senate
amendments printed, and made their
consideration n special and continuing
order for 1890 o'clock to-day.
Houses United on Issue.
as the situation stands, both houses
nave voted by decisive majorities to
refer to the people the question of
whether the State shall adopt State
wide prohibition. or continue under the
present policy of local option. Since
the bill was passed by the House. a
large number OF amendments have been
placed upon IL, some which may meet
little opposition. and others which will
n.
The action yesterday was taken to
Indicate the desire of the House to
shape the bill on the floor with the full
knowledge of the members as to what
1t contains. and the provisions under
which the referendum Is to be had.
rather than, as one member expressed
1t, to swallow whole n report drawn by
conference committee of the two
branches by the process of swapping
amendments.
| After the usual preliniinaries tho
clerk reported the Williams enabling
| act as returned by the Senate with
amendments. Judge Martin Williams,
patron of the bill. moved that tho
House do not concur In the amend
! ments. lie indicated that IL was his
expectation when that action was com
muncated to the Senate, that the Sem
ate would ask for a conference. when
the differences between the houses
could be straiGhtened out
Willis Opposes Rejection.
Mr. Willis. of Roanoke, protested
| against this procedure Some OF tho
amendments, he said. were excellent
and az one who voted for the bill, he
was sure they would be concurred in.
while others would meet objection He
favored going ahead and getting the
sense of the House on the amendments,
so that conference committee would
know what the House desired.
"A conference report has to be
adopted or rejected in toto" said Mr.
| Oliver. This is the only opportunity
this House will have to pass on these
amendments"
Judge Williams said he did not
think this was the case, and that the
whole bill would be endangered unless
conference committee were allowed
| to put 1t in proper form,
is IL YOUR ppsifion that Won Seel< to
avoid exposing the individual position
OF members on these various amend
lfments?" asked AIR. Brrell.
Absolutely not" retortcd Judge Will
liams. Il resent the insinuation. Any
man who will dodge going on record
| is not worthy of seat in this House"
Myers Offers Substitute.
| Mr.. Myers, of Richmond, moved as
n substitute that the House take up
the amendments seriatim. He en-
plalncd that IL some of the amendments
were corcurred In, 1t would avoid tho
necessity OF conference as to those
items, and In the event of conference,
would let the conferees know the views
| of the House
1--WE have no reason to anticipate
conference" said Major Stubbs, the
parliamentarian OF the House. "We
cannot ask for one. II we reject the
amendments. the Senate may or 1t may
not, the matter is dead. The House
may concur here in certain amend
| mcnts. the Senate may recede from
! other amendments. and the matter be
settled Certainly. any member has
the absolute right to ask that the
amendments be separated"
Not ii he Isl receiving orders to
| vote against all OF them," remarked
Mr. oliver.
Williams Takes Umbrayc
| Judge Williams jumped to his feet
| on II question OF personal privilege,
cutting short Major Stubbs's further
| explanation OF the method OF pro-
| cedure
"As patron of this bill object to
such language" said Judge Williams.
THE gentleman from Fairfax has said
some thing about receiving orders on
this bill. l would uke to know IL hc
refers to me?"
| IF the gentleman doesn't feel that
the cap fits him. why does he rise so
promptly TO question of personal
| privilege" responded Mr.. Oliver.
Il would like To say TO the gentle
tleman from Fairfax" said Judge VIII
| liams." that In every debate on this
matter you have been insinuatinG that
somebody is getting orders-an. in
sinuation 1 resent rs absolutely un-
true"
This bin belongs to tho General As
| sembly of Virginia" said Major Stubbs.
| II don't believe any orders have been
| given. have received none"
| Stubbs Subdues storm.
| Major Stubbs proceeded to pour oil
1 on tho troubled waters by his refer
ence to Judge Williams as my SON.
and to Mr.. Oliver. of Fairfax. as "tha
| gentleman from Halifax which,
brought DR. Kent to his feet In pro-
test, and produced general laugh
that eascd a rather stormy situation.
II desire to address myself to tho