Evening star., 1917-03-01
DISTRICT SWINGS
into DRY COLUMN
Sheppard Prohibition Bill
Passes House by Vote of
273 to 1877.
NOW GOES TO PRESIDENT

washin gton will swing into the ever
increasing "dry" column November ].
after which time it will be a felony to
sell alcoholic liquor in the District of
Columbia unless a presidential veto In
tervenes The action of the House last
night determined this, for after an in
tenscIy interesting filibuster by the
vets" the Sheppard bill was passed by
21G TO 137, without the referendum
amendment The motion TO send the
bill back to the District committee with
instructions to bring it out again with
a section permitting 4 referendum was
beaten c32 to ia. After the referen-
dunn was beaten over forty members
who had favored prohibition If the Dis
trict of Columbia voted for 1t went
over to the dry" side and in the last
ballot of long day helped prohibition
win a decided victory by 4 two-to-one
vote
Later another victory for prohibition
was gained when the senate and House
conferees on the postal appropriation
bill announced an agreement under
which the Reed "bouc-drt' amendment
seems virtually assured Of enactment.
VOW Inat tne SDtnpdru OIL jidhS pttH
passed without change of comma or
letter the biggest question seems to be
whether or not the 'bone-dry' provi-
sion touches the District OF Columbia
When the post Office appropriation bill
was being debated in the House an at
tempt was made to amend the bone
dry rider by placing into 1t the words
''and the District of Columbia" but this
was defeated. House cloakroom opin-
tons given freely today are divided on
the subject, but the detected "wets"
believe that only time will bring about
a. day when the District OF Columbia
will be high and dry and as free from
alcoholic drinks as bleached bone in
the desert
1t has been long time since the
House fought through flibuster 50
stubborn as that which embroiled the
House until o'clock last night. During
the day ten roll calls were forced eight
of them plainly designed to delay the
moment when the Sheppard bill would
be passed. These roll calls occupied
nearly six hours of the day, which be-
gan at IL o'clock and ended with the
House wearied and frazzled within
touching distance of midnight.
"Wetv Fortress Battered Down.
The strategy was apparent. The
"wets'' built a fortress of deliberate
parliamentary moves and the "drys"
sharpened an ak which cut it down.
The first chop of the AK knocked down
the 'judgeship' bill, which seemed to
stand in the way of vote on the dry
measure. The rules committee had
brought in special rule to take up the
bill to retire federal judges at an ad-
vanced age, but the House. after two
roll calls, rejected that rule. and Rep
resentative Harrison of Mississippi
waved in his hands the iron clad rule
destined to bring in the prohibition
measure.
'-The greatest day for prohibition
since Frances Willard first threw the
power of her influence on it's side more
than a generation ago. is the way
Representative Harrison opened his
speech.
The wording of the rule is attributed
to Representative Lenroot of Wiscon-
sin, once a leader in the fight against
the gag rules of the Cannon regime
and Mr.. Lenroot evidently took leaf
from the book of his ancient adver
sary. for as a gag the Lenroot rule was
about the stiffest thing the wet forces
have ever encountered. The District
COMMITTEES. it will be remembered. re-
ported the Sheppard bill to the House
with a string of amendments, some of
them substantial. but most Of them
verbal changes, possibly designed to
kill time and permit roll call on each
OF about forty possible motions.
However. the keen Mr.. Lenroot draft |
ed rule whereby a whole bag full |
Of amendments in the bill would have |
fectively killing any chance of flibus- |
tering on a series of motions to change |
or insert solitary words in the bill. No |
wonder the House laughed when Rep
resentative Harrison said in u sugary
voice: This is a liberal rule"
Representative Henry, chairman of
the rules committee. who voted against
the drastic gag, criticised Representa-
tive Lenroot. He said it was the first
time to his knowledge that any rule
had been framed to vote on a series
of amendments zen bloc" Representa-
tive Coady of Maryland also expressed
Indignation and surprise that the Wis
consin anti-gag member had thus sur
passed all previous efforts at binding
the House to SO stiff a rule.
Servant of House, Not Master.
81 expected to be criticised" said
Representative Lenroot but during
the six years 1 have been a member of
the rules committee 1 have considered
1t the servant of the House and not the
master" He explained that inasmuch
as two-thirds of the House wanted to
pass the Sheppard bill he believed the
rules committee acted properly in ar
ranging Il quick passage of the hill