The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-19

u 0l0o ~ bAV1 AsASsS WV 49,
linquent negro taxpayers in the DIS
trict Of Columbia, but when asked
20 state how many negro voters there
..ould be who were not taxpayers, ne
SvAs unexpectedly ignorant. although
~ he admitted. a. there are not more
than Ave thousand negro taxpayers IN
the District, there must be several
times ave thousand negroes who pay
no taxes who would be permitted TO
vote under the provisions of his bill
senator Underwood, In the course
Of his remarks, said the Senator from
Texas represented the Ane-Saloon
League. to which Senator sheppard
replied that he did not represent the
league alone, but all those who be-
lieyed In prohibition for the District
He stated. however, that he had great
respect for the league and that ne had
consulted the members OF the league
in the prepa rs ton of the bill, and no
said that his bill was the bill which
the Anti-Saloon League was support
ing at this time
Senator Underwood quoted from
statements of league workers and
fron, the snti-Saloon League year
book OF 1903 showing that the league
q, that time favored local option. ne
failed to state. however. that the
l,auor traffic, whose views he ts re-
sactiug in the Senate. were bitterly
hostile to local option at that time ana
tina, the AntiSslcon League has oe
clared In recent years for state ana
nation wide prohibition. II HAVING oeen
proven that local aption will not pro
tect the people from the travelling null
sance OF the liquor traffic.
says Has Right to snhnah
AT length the right OF Congress to SUB
NIT the question TO the people OF 'He
district and brought forward prece-
dents in support OF his proposition
senator John SHARP Williams inter
,uptec to tell the Senate that Abraham
lincoln when a member OF Congress
in Js&s introduced bill providing for
a referendum Of the white people OIL
The district on the question OF the
abolition OF slavery. Continuing SEN
ator Underwood criticized prohibition
workers and the effect of prohibition
He admitted that il had done good
in some places. but that he knew OF
rIace< where il had resulted in num-
bars of wideawake blind tigers, run
ming DAY and night. sundays and cleo
ton days. and selling 20 men. women
and children Underwood admitted
that some Of the proh;bitiontsts were
thoroughly honest and that their in
tenttcns were good. hut that their
rrfnc,rles were exactly the same az
those Of the people OF the dark ages
when the church tortured and filed
men for the sake Of their souls
Williams supports Referendum
Senator John sharpe williams made
"A very interesting speech In when
he declared that In all matters 'Fntcn
were not distinctly moral or consi-
tutional. ne considered himself 10 be
the representative of the state o. Mis-
sissippi, and considered himself obj
gated to vote as the people OF Mis-
.issippi desired. Mississippi had de-
c,ared for prohibition. and as Sem
ator from mississippi he intended to
vote for prohibition. but he said that
prohibition WAS simply matter o,
meth od---that at present we had geo
era phicaI prohibition. duantitative pro-
htbttfon and the other side the bar
prohibition; that the law declared IL
- he a crime to manufacture or sell
iiquor in Mississippi. but did MOI pro-
hibit the purchase of liquor from out
side the State of Mississippi. That fur
thermore the law prohibited the pur-
chase OF more than one quart every
two weeks and furthermore the law
punished the man who sold the liquor,
but did not punish the man who bought
the liquor.
would Like TEN Years Trial,
He declared that he would like te
see absolute prohibition of alcohol 70.
The white race all over the world fol-
ten wears. that We might see just wha'
would he the effect upon the race. He
did not enjoy the nibb!ing process. He
wanted TO know just how FAR our pro-
hibition friends expected to 20 Hf
would aufrer great p"rsonal inconve-
nienee from strict prohibitory law
but he was willing to vote for " ant
xive 1t trial. He then stated thai
he would vote for the referendum Il
the people OF the district as he though
the people OF Mississippi would no
X want other people to settle thu
question OF prohibition for them. HI
proposed two amendments, one givins
Z tn the women of the district the rieh
10 vote on the question, stating tina
while he did not favor female suf
frage in general Yet he did think tina
women should be given the right q
vote on certain questions such as san
station, schools and the whiskey ques
4 ton, as these questions largely con
c-rned the nome. His second amend
nent provided that no one should h
allowed TO vote who could not raa'
and write and who had not paid tn
taxes which had been assessed asa'ns
him
n. He emphasized strongly that ever!
3 one over twenty-one years OF age v ~
could not learn to read and write ii
six months was too stupid to exercis'
the right of citizenship, and he sai'
that no tax dodEer should he ALLOWED
Il to vote The speech was "A unique pr 0
q duction and was listened to with Erea
q interest by all present,
At one time during the debate Zen
ator Vardaman inquired OF Senate
! Underwood why he insisted that tn
people OF the district should vote Oh
this question when he had not insisted
i that they vote on other questions. Il
which Senator Underwood repl G
that he favored giving the people o
the district the right to vote on al
important questions. bat when Senate
yardaman pressed the inquiry as t
H Why the Alabama Senator had not duf
x ing HIS long service in Congress in
dicated his anxiety TO have them vot
on some other questions. the only re
NV that Senator Underwood couls
. make was that he had been very bus!
and hard worked and had not had tim
II 10 take up those matters. This point
however, was clearly made tina. 10
some special reason Senator Under