The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-02-14

Given under our hands this 18th
day of February, 1914.
G.. WALTER MAPP,
EDWARD ECHOLS.
Senate Conferees.
MARTIN WILLIAMS.
f. V. BARLEY,
House Conferees.
Had Minority Report.
When Clerk Hanger concluded the
reading Senator Holt asked that the
report of the minority be read. Mr..
J. Mapp objected to this, stating that
there could be no minority report from
a conference committee.
Senator Holt declared that in his
long service in the senate he had never
heard of a divided conference report,
but that certainly the senate should
allow the views of the minority to be
known.
Mr.. Mapp showed by Reeds Par
,iameutiary Rules there could be no
minority report. Mr.. Holt then re
eeded from his position and asked that
he clerk return his report.
II move" he declared. that the
senate reject the report of the con
ference committee.
Mr.. Mapp. as a substitute moved
that the report he adopted.
Senator Hart asked if the matter
was debatable. and on learning that it
was. he began.
Mr. President, ] am amazed at the
! action of this committee"
| Before he could tell in what way he
was amazed he was interrupted by
the president. who told him that he
could only discuss the question of form
In which the vote should be taken.
Snator Gravatt declared he didn't
know what the status of the bill was,
Senator Holt withdrew his motion In
order that the report might be eX-
planned
Mr.. Mapp Explains.
Mr.. Mapp then took the floor in ex-
PLANTATION of the report. He stated
that the first ainendment was changed
because it failed to set a definite date
for the special State wide election.
The report fixes the date definitely.
The wine amendment, he showed,
was changed so that brandy be barred.
/ Wine might be made and shipped out
Of the State into wet territory in
packages of not less than two and one
half gallons or one dozen bottles.
In regard to the time at which
Statewide prohibition shall go into
effect, If it carries in the election, he
said the committees decided to meet
the directors half way and make the
time November /. 1915. The original
bill fixed May !, 1916. and the senate
amendment made the time May l..
1917
I'm short. we agreed to the wine
amendment with notifications. the
beer amendment with notifications,
and the cider amendment without
modification. We met the opponents
of the bin half way as to time
Vote On Straight Issue
Il l.,
lot. l am myself very much in doubt
as 10 whether the ballot question was
made clear in the original enabling act
and whether the amendments cleared
the matter. The country districts of
Virginia are not now operating under
local option, but under the Mann and
Byrd laws, which practically give
statutory prohibition.
IF the ballot is marked For state
wide and For Local option "a man in
territory now dry won't understand
what is meant. He may he persuaded
that he is voting against local option
I Il hepetes for wide prohibition,
Let the mater be plainly pu for
or against State wide prohibition. To
that end we object to the quibbling
form of ballot provided in the senate
amendments"
Reflects Wishes of People.
Senator Lesner asked if the senator
/ thought he was expressing the wishes
of the senate when the senate had
voted for the amendment.
Senator Mapp declared that he was
impeiled by his convictions in regard
to the amendment and believed that
the report of the committee was what
the great mass of temperance people
OF Virginia wanted.
Senator Montague asked Mr.. Mapp
II he had gotten in touch with the
great masses since the conference COM
mittee was appointed or had conferred
with leaders who had been in Rich
mond for a month.
IF the senator means to imply that
/ received orders from any one In
this regard--No." answered Mr. Mapp
There is no man on this floor who has
to take fewer orders than myself, and
have certainly take mono except from
my constituency
Mr.. Montague denied the insinuation
as to taking orders
The Sting Taken Out.
Mr.. Mapp explained that the wine
amendment was SO changed as to take
the sting out of it."
Il understand that the by-product
brandy, of which / know little. is
"a very bad thing and so we decided
to eliminate its manufacture. The
cider amendment was Objectionable to
the personally. but there are many men
interested in IL In the State. and we
let ii pass. Besides, to be perfectly
frank, we had 10 accept some things
we did not want In order TO get the
bill through at all.
THE beer amendment we SO amend
ed Mr.. Mapp continued, that il can
only be shipped into wet territory,
and the dry territory Of Southern States
will not be flooded with beer from Vir-
ginia-"
The bill is not in all of its pro-
visions what l wanted, but it is the
best bin that could be gotten through
this Senate, and l hope the senate will
adopt the report and give the people
the privilege OF voting on this ques-
ton"
Could Not Concede More.
Senator Holt followed MIR. Mapp.
stating that the minority in the COM
mittee conceded all that was possible,
but there were two questions upon
which they could not agree.
THE form OF ballot adopted by the