Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-02-08
LEGISLATURE WILL NOT REPEAL
PRESENT TEMPERANCE
STATUTE.
AMENDMENT
WILL BE ENDORSED
Several Other Bills to Strengthen Pres
sent Laws Certain Of Enactment
Action Of Temperance Committees to
Cut Little Figure in Actual RESULT
Legislative News.
Special to Times Republican

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. Feb. S.-When the rec
ord is made up it will be found that
the Thirty sixth general assembly has
done this with regard to temperance
legislation:
Endorsed prohibitory amendment to
the constitution and passed it UP to the
voters.
Passed some of the many bills to
strengthen the present nrohibitory
law, such as to stop bootlesgers carry
ing on trains or the bin % increase
percentage necessary for saloon con-
sent, possibly shorter saloon hours.
The mulct law will not he repealed.
That might as well be regarded as
settled. A great many Of the very
ardent temperance men do not favor
its repeal. Their are more totes in the
legislature for the prohlbitory amend
ment than for repeal. When the
amendment has been sent on its way
to a referendum of me people the
argument will be presented that II is
unwise to do any great amount Of unk-
ering with the mulct law when we are
just on the point of making il all void
When the drys return to their consti-
tuents they viii say, and rightly that
they have done very well III the pas
sage OF several of the twenty five or
thirty different temperance mea sures.
In the light of this analysis of the
temperance situation the program in
the state senate for this week is more
easily understood. The senate has set
a special order for Tuesday forenoon
to pass the resolution offered by
Francis 10 direct the committee on
constitutional amendments to return
the joint resolution proposing the pro-
hibitory amendment. A majority vote
will get the bill to the desk of the sec
rotary where 1t can be voted on. If all
are present it can be adopted at once
This is the program Of the drys 1t is
simple and direct.
But Garrison, who wants the mulct
law repealed, has pending resolution
10 recall from the committee on sup
preston Of incompetence the Dill for
repeal of the mulct law. 1t can come
up in advance of the special order for
To- 30 Tuesday. 1t can be brought up
any time Clarkson will undoubtedly
seek TO force the senate to make It's
record on the mulct law repeal before
II does on the amendment.
A number of the dry senators on
Saturday signed up demand fer call
Of the senate, which means to compel
attendance at all. 1t could be at that
time nothing more than a notice to all
members that if they are not present
Tuesday forenoon call will be de-
manded and be secured under the
rules. This would not apply, however
to Chase and Darrar, both on the dry
side, who are on record as excused in
definitely.
A good deal Of effort has been made
TO cause II to appear that something
important has been done or is being
done in committees on these measures.
Every one has recognized right from
! the start that II matters little what
any committee may do, since the SEN
ate is in control of its own bills and
resolutions and has not, by any rule
yielded to any committee any OF It's
actual power No committee ever
'smothers" any bill save with the ac-
tuaI acquieseuce Of the senate major
ity.
1t is understood that both the vets
and the drys are preparing for orator.
cal fireworks during the week. Nothing
that will be said will change a vote. i
would be just as easy 20 call a vote
without word being said, end the re-
suit would be just the same.
There are about twenty eight Il
thirty drys in the senate. The house
is Overwhelmingly dry. There is small
occasion for a fight" Of any kind o!
for an ortarical display.
An Illustration Of the way not to Sc
cure legislation was given in the hou 81
Saturday. A bill to authorize an add
tional custodial farm was called III
!, and put on its passage with no ade
quate explanation and practically
without any canvass Of members as Il
where they stood and no real knowl
edge of the attitude of the member
iowa d the bill. The fart is the autho
of the bill came here with bill al
ready but which he would have intro
: dunced without even an enacting
clause, bat for advice offered him. An.
: experienced legislator would hav
= known, also, that to force vote on
bill involving expenditures. on a Sat
} urday when many were absent, woul
have meant defeat. SO the bill faile
to have sufficient number of votes
Reconsideration will be had and an
other vote be had later.