The daily Alaskan., 1917-01-22
By ARTHUR ". DUNN.

1 Washington, Dec 29.-[SpeciaLl- Very earnest canvassing has been go- ing on among such senators as can be reached in regard to their votes on the prohibition bill for the District of Co., lumbia. That the bill will pass by very substantial majority if 1t ever reaches a direct vote there has been no question. The crucial test comes on the question whether the people of the District of Columbia shall be sl- lowed to vote on the proposition before It becomes effective.
 Interest Is added to this question be- cause it would be the first time since 1878 that the people of the District have voted upon anything. The peo- pie had to be disfranchised in order to give congress complete control of tho affairs of the national capital. While there have been desultory demands from time to time for restoration of the franchise, there is no evidence that the people really want the privilege Of voting restored.
 Interest In Liquor Question.
 Interest in the liquor question was aroused during the debate, and 1t was freely predicted that the time is not very far distant when not only the na- tional capital, but the whole country, will go dry. It is often asserted that within ten years there will be no liquor question in this country, because there will be nation wide prohibition. The question whether the national capital will go dry or wet hangs on slender thread. If the referendum car ries 1t Is likely that dry capital will be postponed for a few years,
 The saIaried Man.
 In fighting for an increase of the clerks pay in the government service Minority Leader Mann said everybody was making more money or getting more pay than the salaried man. His pay had not been increased unless, per haps, he was working for some of the money making corporations which have made general increases of pay to all employees. But he asserted that the average man drawing a salary was suffering on account of the high cost of living and getting no extra pay out of the prosperity which the balance of the country was enjoying.
 1 Vardaman's Amende.
 When the District of Columbia pro | hibition bill was being considered in the senate there was one of those out breaks. that often occur when Senator Maritime of New Jersey gets into ac- ton. Vardaman of Mississippi had been rather severe with Maritime, caus- Ing the New Jersey man to assert that his own habits were well known and had been known and that he was not going to change them. Finally, when 1t appeared that Maritime felt rather hurt by what had been said, Varda- man made this apology:
 "Why, I do not believe there is a man in the chamber who is as utterly devoid of malice and meanness and those things that make men unlovely as Is the senator from New Jersey. l think he is the loveliest, dearest old soul in all Israel"
 Country Going Dry.
 Congressman Rainey of Illinois told the house of representatives that 1t was only a question of time when the country would go dry and the govern. ment would lose the $237,OO0,O0O that Is now annually paid in by the liquor interests in licenses and fees. He was pleading for economy and opposing the increased pay of clerks. But the mem bers of congress were not in the least alarmed and voted the increase just 1 the same.
 A Limit Reached.
 Speaking of methods of raising rev. enue, Congressman Rainey, one of the | leading members of the ways and means committee, said that 1t was very difficult to say whence would come the money for tue government He said a limit had been reached in tax ing large incomes and that not much more revenue could be raised by duty at the custom houses.
 There are other sources left which will make the average person feel that he is paying a part of the waste and extravaganza in national expenditures. That is a renewal of stamp taxes, a duty on tea and coffee and lowering the exemption on income taxes. Progressive New England.
 Former Governor D. I. Walsh of Massachusetts told people in Wash ington that the late election showed that New England was progressive and that old line Republicanism was going out of style. Perhaps he has not an- alyzed the returns very closely, for the vote showed that, while Wilson ran well and kept Republican majort- ! t{aq down fo lOv fp1lres old line Re-