Evening star., 1917-02-26
CHANGE Of TACTICS
ON LOCAL DRY BILL
House District Committee De-
cides to Report Sheppard
Measure, With Changes.
REGARDED FIGHT FOR TIME

REGARDED FIGHT FOR TIME
The House District committee re-
scinded its action of Saturday with re-
spect to the dry bill when it met this
morning. Now. in place of the so
called Gould bill providing for a refer
endum on the liquor question including
the bone dry provision, the commit
tee has decided to report to the House
tomorrow at noon r. readaptation OF the
Sheppard bill. Several changes have
been made, SO that every man in the
House will have the opportunity to vote
on the referendum and the bone dry"
section separately.
There are upon the committee group
of wet" members. who. subsequent to
the executive session of the committee
this morning, at which this final action
was taken. expressed the belief that
those opposed to District prohibition
had made a mistake in falling to report
out the Gould bill. providing for
referendum on tho question involved.
Might Have Been Better, They Say.
It was their opinion that, had the
committee reported out the Gould bill
as . House measure, their cause would
have a better chance than under the
present circumstances.
Had this been done they say that,
even II the Gould bill should fail in the
House and the Sheppard bill be substi
tuted in its place. the latter document
would become a House bill'' and would
have to be referred back to the Senate.
There they believe it would die.
But the committee acted otherwise
and reported out the Sheppard bill with.
imately forty amendments" purposed
to perfect that document" The adop-
minor nature, would satisfy those of a
minor nature, would satisfy those op-
that IL the measure is sent back to the
Senate 1t must fail to pass at this ses-
sion.
The insertion of "forty amendments"
is generally believed to be in pur-
| suance Of the efforts of those opposed
to the bill to fight for time. Each of
these amendments will have to be sep
arately considered and voted upon by
the House. All this will take time. and
time is what the "wets" are seeking.
But prohibition members of the COM
mittee express the belief that each
amendment will be voted down in short
order, and that the original Sheppard
bill. unchanged in any manner what
ever, will be passed by a large vote.
Then it will be up to the President"
they say.
Mr.. Gompers Protests.
A protest from Samuel Gompers,
president of the American Federation
of Labor. against what he calls SUM
mary action" on the dry District of CO.
lumbfa legislation was sent today to
Chairman johnson of the District COM
mittee. Mr.. Gompers alleged that he
had asked for an opportunity either for
himself or Joseph Dehan. an official of
the Cigar Makers International Union.
to be heard: that Mr.. Dehan had been
present at the committee hearings, but
that he had been given no opportunity.
"I am authorized and do protest"
says the letter. against the disposal
of this important question in this sum-
mary and unjust manner"
Mr.. Gompers said he had been unable
to attend the hearings because of his
presence with the advisory commission
Of the Council Of National Defense, but
that Mr.. Dehan had important facts in
his possession and had been present.
He said that, while drink is an admit
ted evil. he had found that prohibition
by law is based on an erroneous princi-
pie"