Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-01-09
D|STR|CTDRYB BILL:
PASSEDBY SENATE;
REFERENDUML0S7
Citizens of Capital Denied
Voice on Prohibition by
Tie Vote of 43 to 43.
SHEPPARD MEASURE is
ADOPTED BY SIS TO 80
Now Goes to the House, Where
Leaders Predict It Will Be
Passed This Session.

4dSSCV AA1S 0CSSAVA.
The Senate this afternoon
passed the District prohibition
bill. The vote was S. to 32..
The bill now goes to the House
for action.
The Underwood amendment to
the Sheppard prohibition bill for
the District of Columbia, referring
the liquor question to the people
of the District, was defeated in
the Senate this afternoon by tie
vote. Affirmative action was nee
essary to adopt the amendment.
The vote was 43 to 43.
This is the second time that the
Underwood amendment has been
defeated by tie vote of the SEN
ate. Before the Christmas holi-
DAYS, in committee of the whole,
the vote was 3S to 3S on the
amendment, and it failed of adop-
ton.
Permits Personal Use of Liquor.
The Sheppard bill is in the main an
anti-saloon measure. permitting the
personal use of liquor in the District
There Is no provision in the bill to
prohibit the importation of liquor for
personal use. Senator Sheppard said
today that the decision of the Supreme
Court upholding the Webb-Kenyon law
prohibiting the Interstate shipment of
liquor from wet" to dry" territory
would not shut of the importation of
liquor into the District under his bill
The Wsbb-Kenyop law. he said. would
merely prohibit the importation of
liquor into the District for use in viola
tion Of the District prohibition law, il
IL had one.
The Sheppard bill will be sent to the
house as soon as possible. Its sup
porters will seek vote on the measure
IN the house at an early date. Demo-
cratic leaders have been quoted as say
ing it will undoubtedly come to a vote
in that body at the present session. II
II comes to a vote, it's passage is as
sureos lt9 lrfendS say.
Cnder unanimous consent agreement
tne Dill came up automatically at 1
O'Clock FOR consideration. After 2
o'clock speeches were limited to five
ana three minutes. and vote must
be had before the close Of the day.
The stage was set early for the final
contest over the measure In the Senate
Before IL O'Clock the galleries began
10 MI with residents of the District
interested in the outcome of the vote.
and by the time the Senate assembled
every seat was taken.
Petition for Referendum.
huge petition. signed by $4,000 resi-
dents of the District, protesting against
the enactment of a prohibition law for
the District, and urging that the mat
ter be left for the people of the Dis
trict to decide. was laid before the Sem
ate by Senator Underwood of Alabama.
The list of names signed to the Pc
tition included hundreds of leaders in
the business. social and professional
circles of the capital
The petition was wound round and
round a garden hose truck, which was
wheeled into the Senate chamber by
one OF the employees of the sergeant
the vets claimed that the vehicle
used was good omen for their side of
the question The drys said, See the
water wagon. and the vets contended
that nothing could be wetter than a
nose, and consequently a hose reel
should bring luck.
Question Regarding Signatures.
When Senator Underwood presented
the huge petition protesting against
the enactment of a prohibition law by
congress and requesting that the mat
ter be referred to the people of the Dis
trict. Senator Gallinger of New Hamn-
shire came to the clerks desk and ex-
amined the petition.
Il wish to call the attention of the
senator from Alabama to the fact that
the names on the page of this petition
before me are all written In the same
hand, said Senator Gallinger, as he
turned back to his seat.
The crowds in the galleries applaud
ca vigorously his statement, and Sena-
Tor Saulsoury. who was in the chair
raped Tor order and warned the gal
Ierles tnat the Senate rules forbid DEM
onstrations of any kind.
Immediately senator's crowded abou,
ire petuon. and II was evident that
they dio not agree with Senator Gal
statement and that they told
MIN 30. A moment later the New
Hampshire senator rose and said that
NUMBER OF other senators had exam
lneo the names and had given IL as
their opinion that the names were in
different handwriting "
1t may be that they are correc,
though ! still hold TO my original view
as 70 many OF the names" said Senator
Gallinger.
Mr.. Underwood Defends Petition.
The petition is a bona fde pe,i,ior j..
replied Senator Underwood "It 4.
signed by citizens of the Distric, r
have been Informed on good authorize
Even II some of the names were wr;,
ten In the same hand. that would NO,
fnvalidate the petition"
Senator Underwood then had read m
the Senate the resolutions adopted n
mass meeting in Polls Theater Iasr
Sunday urging that the liquor ouestion
be referred by Congress TO the peonI.
OF the District to settle.
Mr. Underwood said that in exauin
ing the petition challenged by Senator
Gsllinger he had found at least halr
the names TO be those Of men he knew
lcontinued ON Second Page.)