The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1917-03-23
Bone Dry Bill Ready
For Hous, and Senate

Atldnta, VA, Mdrcn ZZ.-IOmn1Ittee
work on Governor Harris bone dry
prohibition bill was finished late yes
terday afternoon by the temperance
committee of the senate and by the
special committee of thirty-hve men,
bers to which the bill was referred
in the house. The completion of work
on the bill by the committees means
that the bill is ready for third reading
in both the house and senate today.
The bill went through both commit
tees with remarkably few changes. and
these only of detail rather than of SUBJ
stance
The changes made in the bill by the
senate temperance committee are as
follows:
The section creating a prohibition
commissioner was stricken out en-
tirely; the section making a second
and all subsequent violations of the
prohibition laws felony, punishable
by imprisonment from one to five
years, was stricken out; the section
providing that all vessels and vehicles
used in transportation prohibited liq-
uors should be confiscated was strick-
en- out; the section making the exis-
tence Of distillery prima facie evil
dence of guilty knowledge on the part
of the land owner was stricken out.
Changes made by the house COM
mittee were practically the same as
the changes made by the senate COM
mittee and are as follows:
The prohibition commissioner was
retained, but provision for the en-
ployment of clerk and assistant was
stricken out; fees of ordinariessfor is
suing applications for the shipment OF
alcohol and sacramental wine, as per-
mitted by the bill, were reduced from
81 to so cents per application; a sec
ton was inserted making the trans
portation of liquor prirna facie evil
dence of guilt by the carrier; the sec
ton making second and subsequent
violations felony was stricken, the
section making existence of distil-
lery prima facie evidence of guilty
knowledge on the part of the land
owner was amended so as to make it
evidence of guilty knowledge on the
part of the tenant or owner in pos
session; the section making it speci-
fically the duty of police officers, sher-
ifs and deputy sheriffs to enforce the
prohibition laws was stricken, on the
theory that already t:iey are charged
with enforcing all laws; the section
providing for con6scation of vessels
and vehicles used in transporting liq-
quor was referred to a subcommittee
That the house will not stand for a
hlibuster was demonstrated yesterday
by the steam rolling administered to
Representative r. B. Blackburn. of
Fulton county. He is the man who led
the flibuster that defeated the pass
| SlSS VI IhS PlSSNAl Id w .
during the extra session OF 1915, and
thereby necessitated the extra session
held in the fall of that year. Yester-
day he launched filibuster to pre-
vent the second reading of the govern
or's bill in the house, but it was not
long before he reached the end of his
parliamentary rope and the house
Overwhelmingly voted him down.
Present indications are that the
governors bill may possibly be passed
this week, although this would be
somewhat speedier than even it's sup
porters expect. They give themselves
till the middle of next week to pass
it, which allows for the short delays
that Representative Blackburn will
be able to put in the pathway of the
bill in the house. No flibuster will
even be attempted in the senate.