The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-19
Continued Progress. Made In
Prohibition Work In Con-
gress Due Leaders Activity
NATIONAL AMENDMENT
IN SENATE COMMITTEE
Thursday Set for Discussion Of
Resolution in Judiciary Com
mittee With Prospects For
Favorable Report

Especial to The Richmond virginian.)
Washington, d. c., Dec. 1s-Anti-
Saloon League workers continued to
press their cause at national capitol
today Immediately upon his return
from Virginia, DR.. Cannon chairman
of the national legislative committee,
conferred with Senators Chiffon and
Smith. of the Senate Committee on
the Judiciary, and requested that the
committee set a. special day for con-
sideration of the national constitu-
tional prohibition amendment. assur-
ing them that good majority of the
members Of the committee had agreed
TO vote for such action If those in
charge OF the resolution would ask
for 1t.
When the committee met. Senator
Chiffon made the motion that Thurs
day morning be set as the time for
the consideration of the resolution,
and after objection from one or two
mem hers, the committee voted by a
large majority to consider the resolu-
ton on Thursday morning next
Look For Favorable Report
The Anti-Saloon League legislative
committee is satisfied that large
majority of the committee favor the
tics are resorted to, a favorable re-
port is expected on Thursday. This
will bring the resolution out Of COM
mittee and put 1t on the calendar In
both the Senate and House.
Vote Down Smnot Substitute.
Shortly after noon the Senate re-
sumed consideration Ct the District
prohibition bill.
The Senate voted down, by an over
whelming vote. the Smoot substitute
for the Sheppard bill, the vote stand
ing s yeas" to 81 nays" The only
Senators voting for the Smoot SUBJ
stitute were Ashurst. Brady, Curtis.
Gronna, Reed, Smoot. Thompson and
Works
Those voting In the negative were
Sena tors Bankhead. Beckham, Borah
Brandegee. Bryan. Chamberlin. Chill
ton, Clark, Colt, Culberson, Cummins
Fernald. Fletcher Gore Harding.
Hardwicke. Hitchcock. Fl o lis.
Hughes. Husting. James, Johnson. Of
Maine; Johnson. of South Dakota.
Jones. Kenyon, Kern, Kirby, La
Toilette. Lee, of Maryland; Lodge.
McCumber, Martin. MARITIME, Nelson,
Norris. Oliver. Overman. Owen, Page,
Phelan. Pittman, Poindexter. Pom-
creme. Salisbury. Sheppard. Shields.
Smith, of Arizona; Smith, of Georgia:
Smith. OF Michigan; Sterling, Stone.
Sutherland. Swanson. Thomas, Town
send, Underwood Vardaman. Wads-
worth, Walsh and Watson. This vote
was not, however. a test on the Shep-
pard bill. The Smoot substitute was
an exceedingly drastic measure and
with very few exceptions. friends OF
the Sheppard bill were agreed that
the Smoot substitute could not be
adoption at this stage would have de-
feated all legislation at the present
session.
Underwood Makes long Speech.
Following the vote on the Smoot
substitute, Senator Underwood call
ed up his referendum amendment to
the Sheppard BILL and spoke on II
for nearly three hours. Senator Reed.
of Missouri. offered an amendment to
strike out the provision permitting
the manufacture of grain alcohol In
the District for report to be used for
non beverage purposes Senator Reed
claimed that it was illogical to per-
NIT the manufacture of alcohol by
distillery unless the breweries were
also allowed TO operate. He utterly
ignored the fact that the law permits
the purchase of grain alcohol for me-
chanical scientific and pharmaceuti-
cal purposes. and that there could be
objection to permitting the manu-
facture of grain alcohol for these pur-
poses The amendment was with
drawn temporarily to be rewritten.
Senator Underwood, in explaining his
referendum amendment, said it was
based on the old option law of Ala B
bama, which, he declared, he had
favored in the past, and which he still
favored as better than Statewide pro-
hibition The amendment provides
for an election whenever one-fourths
of the taxpayers in the District sign
the petition for an election. He stated
that there were about Atty thousand
taxpayers In the District, or rather
more than one-third of the male
population over twenty-one years.
which latter he estimated to number
one hundred and thirty thousand. H
declared he had been criticized IN
Anti-Saloon League leaders because
he had not eliminated the colored
people from participating In tho
referendum.
Real Crux Of Criticism.
This statement of Senator UndeK~
wood IL not correct. He has not booaG
criticised for not eliminating tlDess
negro, but he has been criticized FOR
placing no restrictions upon this 60
ercise Of the franchise In the d.
trict OF Columbia whom In his 60
State no favorS educational and -