The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-01
Keen Interest in Bill Max ing the District of
 Columbia Dry
TACTICS SIMILAR TO
 THOSE IN ALABAMA
Antis Were Taken by Surprise When Measure Came Up in Committee. Legations of Foreign Coun-
 tries Are Exempt
By HUGH W. ROBERTS

Washington, January 31.-(Special) There is promiscuous beating Of the prohi- bition tom-toms in Washington at the present time, and judging from appear ances, Congress is more interested in whether or not the District of Columbia any other of the vital problems with which the nation is concerned.
 The Senate committee on the District of Columbia reported the prohibition bill without recommendation, and it is on the calendar. Senator Sheppard declares he will call it up for passage at the first opportunity. It is said to be probable that the bill will pass the Senate, possible that it will pass the House and possible, again, that it will receive the approval of the President
 Should the bill be enacted as originally drawn, the district would be "dry'' Mo- vember 1, the present year.
 THE USUAL SCREENING
 Tn securing action on the part of the Senate committee on the district, the prohibitionists. according to their GUS tom and invarlable plan of battle, mixed with their morality some rather re- markably shrewd politics.
 For instance, the committee had had no previous meeting. All of sudden a call was issued. Among the incc---- l members, it was known that d matter regarded as vital would be considered Among the uninformed, the idea prevailed that the session would be routine and entirely perfunctory. It is unnecessary to state that the informed members were the prohibition members, and the unin- formed the anti-prohibition members. If any one of the latter when notified of the meeting, gave prohibition a thought, he dismissed the subject In taking cog. nizance of Ithe reported lhHation of the committee tb grant hearing to the busi- ness men of ofaWashngton.
 When the meeting was called to order, the anti-prohibitionists were, in the main, absent. The steam-roler was put in oper- ation. and the majority, scorning the sug- gestion that the people be taken into con sideration, voted to report the bill.
 LEGATIONS ARE PROTECTED
 While the foregoing will sound nat ural' in Alabama, where 1t has been the custom in recent years to hand pick the men on whom the state depended to make it's laws and shape it's destiny, the provisions of the bill ring so true to form that one wonders if Senator Shep- rard went to the state of his father for his groundwork.
 The same restricted views expressed in the Alabama statute are expressed in the Sheppard bill There are of course, cer- tain variations to suit local conditions For instance, it is provided that the terms of the bill shall be applicable to every body and everything save foreign lega- tion or embassy It would appear that the prohibitionists, hardy enough to with. stand American ridcule, are not quite ready to make themselves the object of international laughter
 And so 1t will happen that a Frenchman or an Englishman or German or Japanese. attached to a legation or em- bassy, may in the future drink, sell, buy or barter ad libitum whereas an ordi- rary American, without having been given the right of expression, must per- force eschew the liquor in which his Flu re pean neighbor delights.
 ONE LITTLE JOKER
 Another interesting provision of the pro- posed law is that railroads and other common carriers are required not to bring liquor into Washington or the district with knowledge that it is shipped for gale. As to whether or not the joker "knowledge" was intentionally inserted is unknown.
 The anti -prohibitionists are prepar- ing to make a fight for submission of the proposition to the people of the district. The prohibitionists, contend ing that that maneuyer is one inspired by the "liquor interests" and that the people of the district are no more to be trusted to retain their political in- tegrity than were the people of Ala bama, will oppose.
 In the district there is great deal of interest in the proposed legislation and while the local optionists are omin- ously quiet. the prohibitionists, accord ing to their custom, are riotously beat ing the tom-tom and driving the faith ful" to arms.