The Washington herald., 1916-02-16
SENATE IS GIVEN
REFERENDuMIDEA
Underwood Amendment Re-
garding Prohibition Vote
Here Is Introduced.
PREDICTED BY HERALD
Enactment of Sheppard Bill Would Be
Contingent on Peoples Approval.
Other Congress News.
BY JOSEPH r. AMIN.

As exclusively outlined by The Wash
ington Herald Tuesday morning the
Underwood referendum amendment yes
terday was introduced in the Senate. 1t
is so framed as to carry the Sheppard
bill with II in one measure, but the en-
forcement of the Sheppard bill, enacted
with the referendum provision, is made
contingent upon a referendum favor
able to prohibition.
The bill provides tsht when twenty
five per cent Of those qualified to vote
on referendum desire to test the senti-
ment of the people on the prohibition
question, the Commissioners shall call for
the elections, the call to be issued with
in thirty days of the presentation of the
petition and the election to be held with
in forty days after the issuing of the
election call. Residence for one year in
the voting precinct is the principal
qualification for a vote.
The House yesterday refused to GO
back of its conferees in knocking out
the Newlands central heating plant
amendment to the urgent deficiency bill,
and at the same time ordered the con-
ferees to accept the Senate amendment
extending the limit of cost for the
Lincoln Memorial from 100000 to 81
$4,000 A record vote was taken on the
last proposal, following a spirited de-
bate led by Uncle Joe" Cannon for the
amendment, and Representatives Fitz-
gerald and Gillette against the amend
ment
In the Senate a resolution offered Mon
day by Senator Phelan, of California,
was passed, requesting the Secretary OF
the Treasury to conform the building
for the central heating plant as nearly
as possible to the park commissions plan
for the improvement OF the commercial
water front of Washington.
A intimation that President Wilson was
not particularly comfortable when at
tackled for reappointing Robert G. Smith
to the District excise board is contained
in a letter which Senator Sheppard in
troduced at the hearings held by the
Phelan subcommittee yesterday. Sena-
tor Sheppard had written the President
protesting against the appointment of
Smith. The Presidents letter in reply
contained this paragraph:
Your memorandum about the excise
board l note with concern, because l
have had the impression that the mem
bers Of the board were confronted by
very difficult and almost impossible
task. have not read the report OF
the investigating committee. but l have
seen a summary of 1t, and I am very
much concerned what to do in the
matter"
An attempt to hook the Secretary to
the President up with local liquor inter-
ests, using Smith as the necessary link,
consumed most OF the testimony Of Rev.
Dr. John McMurray, pastor OF the Union
Methodist Episcopal Church. at the
hearing. DR.. McMurray was reasonably
certain that the President had appointed
Smith at the solicitation Of Secretary Tu-
multy. and he remarked that Mr.. Tu-
multy in private life had appeared as
attorney for liquor people in Jersey City.
Hooking these ten-tale bits OF history
together, he decided that in administer
ing the excise law. Gen. Smith had been
guided in what he believed to be Tumul-
tvs views. Patient efforts to get some
thing tangible in this connection were
of no avail, and members of the commit
tee finally abandoned their attempts.