Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-11-06
Liquor Men May Question
Legality of Adoption of
Enabling Law.
NEXT WINTERS ISSUE
Prohibitionists N the General Assem-
bly, Have, il is Said, Prepared for
Contest.

|
Richmond. Nov. G.-That the liquoI
/ ncn of the State arc laying plans tt
| BLOCK the enabling ~cI and the sub
mission of the liquor question to thu
voters following he adjournment o.
i the next session IF the Legislature i:
/ the report which IS gaining currenc,
| IN this city.
.iz istant Attorney General Gar
! nett emitted that he had heard tho
| .epolt ard from his manner and con
versa-ion he evidently believes thai
hero is foundation for it.
The rlans, so FAR as ..hey nav'
ucan disclosed, were to bide the timt
till the next Legislature enacts law
for putting prohibition into ciFec'
and closes its SESSION. Then the
courts we're to !p invoked on the
grourd that the vote VIII reby the Ell.
abIin. act, which was passed by the
Sena!a two years ago. was not sutl!-
cient and therefore voil. serving tc
nuI!ifv the submission II the cues
::ion to the people
Thn. Grabbing act was passed two
years arc by decisive majority. but
there were differences on the amend
nents. The Senate and the House
each srncintcd y committee OH con
feTc,.e. They reported back. the
rcoo1t favoring tn contcntion of the
Ious.yzA .-s .s=:#'.s. .--...-l .,@-, ,--' 70
When the matter OF passing on the
report Of the conference committee
came 1cforc the Senate there were
thirty-ri@ht senator's on hand. One
dry and one wet member had beer
calle.! away. They paired, so that
the result on II vatc was a tie. Had
they been present the result wou!c
iavc been uncharg ed.
This passed the question right up
to Lieutenant Governor EllySon. and
he voted to adop. ;hc report of the
conferecs on tn" measure. That
made the record .otc stand 20 to 10 .
The liquor men arc, according to
the report in circulation. to make an
attack on the final adoption Of the
measure by vote Of 20 to 10. The
contention is to he that twenty-onc
votes were necessary to pass the
measure, which WAS in effect law. =.
On the other hand. lawyers of rec
ognized ability held that such was
not the case; that the vote was on
the adoption of Il report of a commit
tee on disagrecing vote, the mea-
sure in fact having been adopted by
large mapority.
The scheme was to permit the Leg
islature to proceed with the work of
enacting prohibition laws, to have the
Legislature adjourn sine die and then
to GO to the courts and seek relief
by raising the question of Efficiency
of the vote which had, as was claim
ed. passed the enabling act.
The facts have been communicat-
ed 60 the ears of the prohibition lead
ers of the State, and whatever defect
may have followed the passage of the
bill will, it is said, be cured when
the next Legislature convenes.
The prohibitionists, it is said, will
see to it that new bill is enacted
the purpose of which will be to rem
edy any possible weakness that may
be raised, though there is no ques-
tion in the minds of the prohibition
lists that they have the ace safeguard
ed. It is wholly competent for the
Legislature to enact, a law declar-
ing prohibition effective, and this will
be the course of the supporters of the
movement, it is declared.