Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-03-22
COMMITTEES ON
BONE Dry LAW
REPORT BILL OUT

ATLANTA, Ga, March 22.-Commit-
tee work on Governor Harris bone
dry prohibition bill was finished late
Wednesday afternoon by the temper
ance committee of the senate and by
the special committee of thirty-fve
members 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 read
ing in both the house and senate to-
day.
| The bill went through both commit
| tees with remarkably few changes, ami
these only of detail rather than of sub
stance
The changes made in the bill by the
senate temperance committee are as
follows:
The section creating prohibition
commissioner was stricken out en-
tirely: the section making q 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 vehi-
cles used in transporting prohibited Ii
quors should be confiscated, was
stricken out; the section making the
existence of a distillery prima facie
evidence of guilty knowledge on the
part of the land owner was stricken
out.
Changes made by the house commit
tee were practically the same as the
changes made by the senate committee,
and are as follows;
The prohibition commissioner was
retained, but provision for the em-
ployment of a clerk and assistants was
/ stricken out; fees of ordinaries for is
suing applications for the shipment Of
alcohol and sacramental wine, as per-
mitted by the bill, were reduced from
$10O to so cents per application; a
section was inserted making the
transportation of liquor prima facie
evidence of guilt by the carrier; the
section making second and subsequent
violations a felony was stricken; the
section making existence of distillery
Prima facie evidence of guilty know
ledge on the part of the land owner
was amended so as to make it evil
dence of guilty knowledge on the part
of the tenant or owner in possession;
! tile section making it specifically the
duty of police officers, sheriffs and dep
city sheriffs to enforce the prohibition
laws was stricken, on the theory that
already they are charged with enforc-
ing ali laws; the section providing for
confiscation of vessels and vehicles
used in transporting liquor was re-
ferred to a subcommittee.
That the house will not stand for
filibuster 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 pas
sage of the present prohibition laws
during the extra session of 1915, and
thereby necessitated the extra session
held in the fall of that year. Yester-
day he launched a filibuster to pre-
vent the second reading of the go"-
eInors bill, but it was not long be-
fore he reached the end of his parlia-
mentary rope, and the house over
whelmingly voted him down.
Present indications are that the
governors bill may possibly be passed
this week, although this would be
somewhat speedier than even its SUP
porters expect. They give themselves
till the middle of next week to pass
it. which allows for the short delays
representative Blackburn will be able
TO put in the pathway of the bill in the
house. No flibuster will even be at
tempted in the senate.