The Palatka news and advertiser., 1915-06-25
LIQUOR
LAW IS CLAIMED
TO Be INVALID

III D[ IMVALID
The Jacksonville State, a weekly
journal issued by A. X. Taylor and
w. B. Mack, comes out this week with
the startling statement that the Davis
liquor law, passed at the recent ses-
sicn Of the legislature, is invalid be-
cause regular procedure was not OBJ
served in its passage. The States
story follows:
The Davis liquor package bill is a
harmless piece of legislation.
The prohibition people have been
whipped by their own men, or men
who pretended to be for prohibition.
One question that will be in the
minds of the people when they find
out that the Davis bill is inopera-
tive is-w&s Davis sincere when he
voted against the constitutional
amendment and then balled up the
bill that bears his name?
Unless Governor Trammell calls a
special session of the legislature the
work of the prohibition people will
go for naught for the senate did not
observe the provisions of the consti-
tuition in passing the Davis bill.
1t is an outrage that the people
have been thus treated, and if any
one was responsible for the trickery
he ought to be run out of the state,
and if it is matter Of ignorance,
may the Lord in His infinite mercy
pity us and forgive US for sending
men to the legislature who cannot
properly pass a law that the people
want.
Prohibition forces have been fight
ing for years and years to free this
state from the damnable influence of
the liquor traffic and somehow the
liquor crowd always manages to win.
They defeated the constitutional
amendment which would have given
the people the right to decide the
matter for themselves, by most dis
graceful means. So apparent was
the disgrace that the conduct of one
senator whose actions were suspic-
ious that the senate body did not
dare investigate.
The liquor lobby with much argu-
ment in the form of wine, women
and money was taken to Tallahassee,
all of which failed in so far as it per-
tanned to the Davis law, for it was
Davis himself who is responsible for
the law being as worthless as the
buns the saloon people make.
Are the people going to tolerate
the butchery of the Davis bill? Are
they going to allow the damnable
traffic to continue on account of the
technical error in its passage?
1t is possible that the rules were
waived by the senate by the two
thirds consent and by tricksters and
other methods kept out of the SEN
ate journal, but this will be looked
into later. The question now is,
what are the people going to do
about it?
Do they propose to allow this tech
nical error to keep in existence the
saloon with all it's evil influence?
We think we know the Florida people
better than that.
They are supreme rulers in gov
ernmental affairs and they have TAX
en- enough in the way Of crooked leg
islation.
The facts in the case are merely
these:
Section seventeen of Article three
of the state constitution as amended
in 1896 says:
every bill shall be read on three
several days, unless two-thirds of The
members present when such bill may
be pending shall deem it expedient to
dispense with this rule"
The record of the senate of April
rs shows that the bill was passed on
second and third readings on the same
day, and fails, however, to show thai
the rules were waived.
1t NAV he possible that the rules
were waived but the senate iournal
fails to so record it and it is prob
able that Mr.. Davis got stage fright
or something worse when the bill was
being passed and forgot the proce-
durc to follow.
On page 35 of the senate Journal
for April % the record shows the
process of passage was as follows:
"a bill to be entitled An Act to
regulate the sale or furnishing of
Intoxicating liquors, wines or beer,
and prescribing a penalty for the vio-
llation Of certain of its provisions, and
repeating laws in conflict herewith.
"Was taken up and read second
time in full"
At this point Senator Hines offer
ed an amendment which excepted GER
tain clubs, but his amendment was
voted down.
Various senator's offered amend
ments and the only one being adopted
was the one by Senator Hines
changing the closing hour from 7 to 6.
On page 40 of the same journal
the official record says.
"Mr. Davis moved that Senate Bill
No 222 be made a special order for
consideration at o'clock p. m. today,
at which time it shall be read the
third time and put upon its passage.
(Which was agreed to-"
1t appears that here is where Mr.
Davis spilled the beans, for the con-
stitution plainly says. every bill
shall be read on three several days,
unless two-thirds of the members
present when such bill may be pend
ing shall deem it expedient to dis
pense with this rule"
The record does not show that the
TllleS were diSnensed with hy consent