Evening star., 1915-01-13
Opponents Hope to Make Par
Iiamentary Obstruction in
Senate Effective.
INSIST ON TWO-THIRDS
VOTE TO SUSPEND RULES
Senator Sheppard Prepared to Offer
His Amendment and Claims
Majority of Senate.

Prohibition for the District of Column
Ola was hanging In the balance wneh
the Senate met today. Senator motifs
Sbeppard of Texas had promised to
call up as soon as the morning business
closed his motion to suspend the rules
"a that an amendment to the District
bill providing prohibition might be sub
n1itted.
+. Consideration of a resolution onered
by Senator Cummins of Iowa calling
upon the President to inform the sen.
ate what disposition was being mace
of the customs collected by the united
States at Vera Cruz delayed Senator
Sheppard's motion.
Demand Two-Thirds Vote.
The anti-prohibitionists in the Sen
ate will make a point of order to the
effect that it requires two-thlrds ma
3ority vote to suspend the rules OF the
Senate, as provided in the Sheppard
motion. They base their contention on
the fact that the rules of the senate
are not explicit as to whether 1t re-
Quires a two-thirds vote or a majority
vote; that the rules of every other leg
islative body that is known require
two-thirds majority vote for the sus.
pension of the rules-some OF tnem, "
Is said, even require enfee-iourths
vote.
In the House of Representatives the
rules specifically state that two.
thirds majority is required to suspend
the rules of the House.
This question. 1t is understood, the
Vice President has promised to sub
nit to the Senate
The opponents of prohibition in the
District believe that Senator Sheppard
will be unable to get a two-thirds ma
1ority to suspend the rules so as TO
offer his prohibition amendment to the
District bill.
Termed Dangerous Precedent.
On the proposition that It requires a
two-thirds vote to suspend the rules of
the Senate, senators will contend that
should the Senate permit its rules to be
suspendsd merely on a majority vote
arise, making 1t possible for any sem
ator who wished to push any measure
which he believed majority OF the
Senate favored to move to suspend the
fules and attach that measure to any
Of the appropriation bills. It is be-
6sved by opponents Of the Sheppard
motion that this argument VIII have
strong effect upon the Senate.
However. senator's on the rules COM
snittse who voted to report the shep-
pard amendment favorably yesterday
e0ntend that the Senate will not at
tempt to make such q ruling, and that
the Sheppard motion and later the
Sheppard amendment for prohibition
will be passed.
For Vote In District.
The Senate also will be called upon
TO pass upon the question whether the
citizens Of the District shall vote the
District dry or wet. Senator Hard
wick of Georgia. it was learned. stands
ready to offer an amendment to the
Sheppard amendment providing for
submission of the question to a refer
endum vote on the part Of the citizens
of the District.
Senator Hardwicks amendment is very
brief. 1t provides that all male resi-
dents of the District twenty-one years
of age or over shall be entitled to vote.
1t leaves to the District Commissioners
vote. ~ ''' " @'' '''>' -'''
Become National Issue.
The question of prohibition for the Dis
trist has assumed large proportions, and
for the time is almost national ISSUE
The fate OF the District. SO far as pro-
hibition Is concerned, 1t is believed, will
have an important bearing upon the
national prohibition fight.
Senators today consulted one another
eagerly as to the probabilities of the
defeat or passage of the Sheppard
amendment. 1t was admitted that the
vote was likely to be close, and with
leaders. no one would predict the issue.
The supporters of the amendment for
prohibition insisted that on a straight
out vote they would win. However,
they fear that some parliamentary step
may be taken by their opponents which
will sidetrack the Sheppard amend
ment.
Anti-Saloon Forces Jubilant.
Prohibition forces were 1ubilant to-
day over the parliamentary situation
which they have forced in the Senate
and were confidently predicting that
che Sheppard prohibition amendment
60 the District bill would be enacted
. majority of the Senate would sup
port the amendment. and it was ru-
mored that they had fifty votes for 1t.
Once the amendment has been
Rev. E. G: Dinwiddie. legislative agent
81 the National Anti Saloon League.
cit will undoubtedly become a law.
More than a majority Of the entire
tion recently. Every prohibition meas
are which has come before the House
In the last fifteen years has carried a
ma jority"
The opponents of the bill in the SEN
ate have by no means given up the
fight. and ii is expected that the Shep-
pard amendment will be debated at
considerable length and considered
from every angle before it is allowed
10 come to a vote.
May Propose Referendum.
Senator Blair Lee of Maryland said
today that he was considering ofrer-
ing an amendment to the Sheppard
amendment providing for a referendum
vote by the citizens of the District of
Columbia.
THAT is the way we do IL in Mary-
iand," said Senator Lee, land il occurs
to me that the people of the District
should be given the same right in this
matter. which affects them greatly. AS
far as the negro population in the Dis
trict is concerned, there is no reason
in my mind why that should prevent a
referendum vote here. The last county
10 go dry In Maryland was Charles
county. and there the negro population
exceeds the white"
Senator Lee indicated that a number
n other senators were considering the
breparation of amendments to the Shep-
bard amendment
EXPECTED TO WIN IN HOUSE.
Direct Vote Planned if Senate Passes
DRY" Amendment.
Well informed members of the House