Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-03-28
VOTE CLOSES
BITTER FIGHT
FOR PROHIBS
Referendum Is Lost by
Count Of so to 81 After
Heated Debating.

Springfield. H.. March 2s.-The
state wide prohibition referendum
bill was defeated in the house Of
representatives today. The vote
was 50 to 67 against passage.
The fight on the bill began immedi-
ately after the house convened. Repre-
sentative Garesche Of Madison, q wet.
was the first speaker. THE proponents
Of this bill have appealed for votes on
the ground that il IFS a referendum to
permit the entire state TO vote upon the
prohibition question" he said, rs II
fair 90 let the % local option counties
vote out the saloons in the remaining
countless Does not this violate every
principle Of home ruler
Representative Lyons Of Springfield.
chairman of the temperance commits
tee. opened the night for the drys.
There is only one question in
yolved." he said. Shall we let the peo-
pie decide this issue? This question
has blocked organization Of the house
many times. Let us get it out OF the
way by sending it back to the people"
Dry Given Demonstration.
Drys in the galleries gave Mr.. Ly-
ous a tw0-minute demonstration.
Representative Dietrich Of Boards
town. said he had been bombarded
with letters and kilograms during the
last two days.
Among them. he said. "was one
from the Methodist church of Free
mont. ILL., threatening me with defeat
for Office in the future If I voted
against the referendum.
Z never sought the endorsement OF
either drys OF vets. 7 agreed, when a
candidate. not to vote for repeal Of the
present local option law nor for the
extension of any other dry legislation
Therefore j cant vote for this bill But
even if this we're not true, / could not
support IT,
u cannot vote for personal liberty
that is a license to fill our hospitals
with imbeciles. Neither can ] adopt
the Hobsonian theory. that all alcohol
is poison.
ct is the abuse not the use of aIco-
hOl that has brought about the agita-
tion for this measure"
Galleries Overflow.
The gallery crowds overlooked into
the house aisles as the speech making
continued. The speaker ordered the
aisIes cleared
Representative Sidney Lyon of Chi
cage said most of the sovereign peo-
pie who were urging the question be
submitted TO q referendum were those
agitators who had been working for
many years to make Illinois a prohibi-
ton state He asserted they wanted
the people TO rule, because they felt
sure the people would favor the prop
OEftlOn at issue
Representative Church Of Chicago
interrupted Ar- Lyon to ask If he had
any relations in the liquor business.
The narrowness OF these people
who impugu the motives of man who
sincerely stands against prohibition is
worse than the liquor problem" Mr.
Lyon answered.
How They Voted.
The roll call on the bill follows.
For the passage Abbey, Baker,
Bancroft. Benson. Bentley, Bippus
Boyd, Brewer, Burlington Cannon
Carpenter, Carter, Cawezel, Church
Cooper, Dahlberg, Davis. Deyouug,
Drake. Ellis, Etherton, Felts. Flagg
Carl Green. Walter Green. Gregory
Guernsey, Havilt, HamIin, Hicks. Hill,
Holiday, Howard. Irwin Kasserman
Kirby, Lacey, Lyle. Thomas +. Lyon,
McCabe. McDavid McMackin. Meents
Meyers. Miller, Cdum, Pace, Perkins
Beaugh Robbins. william Rowe,
Strubinger, Thomson Thompson,
Thon, Turner, van Duser. Vice, Wal
ters, Watson, Wells. West, Wilson.
Against passage - Bower, Breen
Brinkman, Browne, Bruce, Burns,
Gutenberg. Conlon, Curran, Curren,
Desmond, Deyereaux, Deviue. Dieter
ich b0nahue Dudge0n. Epstein Fahy.
fostering, Fieldstack, Franz. Frider-
ichs. Frisch, Gallagher, Garesche,
German, Graham, Griffin Henuebry
Holton, Hrubv. Igoe, Jackson, Jacob
sen, Jones, kiIus. Lager, Lucas, Lynch,
Sidney Lyon, Maher, Marcy. Marshall
Maucker. McCaTty, McGloon. Milroy
Miller, Muleahy, Peter Murphy, T. d.
Murphy, &eef. O'Brien, O'COnuell.
Overland PetIak, PIacek. Prendergaat.
RentchleT, Retmeier, Roderick. Arthur
Roe, Frank Ryan, J. w. Ryan. Seaman
Sehuberth. Schultz, Self. Shepherd.
Smejkal. Smith, Trandel Tyers. Wick
ers, Eolz, Wagner. Walsh, WaIz. Web
err Young
Not voting Cameron Cole, Morrasy.
futile, Mr. Speaker
Representatives Cameron and futile
were absent because Of illness.
The house recessed until 3 D. M TO
take up other dry bills.