The Washington times., 1917-03-01
ONLY VETO CAN SAVE
>DISTRICT TO "WETS"
House Speeds Sheppard Prohi-
bition Measure to
Enactment.
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and the President would be JUSTIFIED
is disapproving such a practice in the
interest of expedieAcy and simply to
obtain the passage\of an imperfect
bill.
Congress concluded its considera.
ton of the measure last night, when
the lower body, by a vote of 273 to
1871, accepted the Senate bill. A fill
buster as determined as the House
has seen in recent years delayed, but
did not prevent, the vote.
The Senate bill was not amended.
Not so much as a punctuation mark
has been changed. It goes to the
President with the erroneous late in
the last section and with the right
date in the first section. The House
prohibition advocates were taking no
chances on sending the bill back to
the Senate. They preferred to de-
pend upon the courts to construe
''the intent OF Congress-" and to de-
clare that the bill is effective Novem-
ber /. 1917, instead Of November /,
1916.
"GaE RaIes Applied.
In the House the bill was passed un-
der a drastic gag rule" When the
"wets" had their fIibuster in full swing.
even under a fairly drastic rule. the
"dys" Of the Rules Committee brought
in a substitute for their original special
rule This substitute cut of the all de-
bate and all opportunity for amendment.
1t provided simply that the House should
vote on the Senate bill, just as 1t passed
the Senate, with no intervening motion
except one motion to recommit
Charged Randall Used Terror.
On the motion to recommit there
by Congressman James A. Gsllivan.
of Boston, who pleaded for a District
on the bill. This seven
able under the rule, but as a conces-
sion Mr. Gallivan was given this
length Of time.
Except for the Gallivan speech,
wherein the Massachusetts member
that Congressman Randall.
Prohibitionist, of California had
the majority Of the House
and forced a vote on prohibition,
there was no discussion Of the merits
or demerits of the Sheppard meas
ure. Mr.. Randall is one of the five
members of the next
House of Representatives who Will
WELD the "balance of power" in the
of a body evenly divided
between Republicans and Democrats.
The Gallivan motion to recomnIit
the bill and authorize a District ref
erendum was defeated, 232 to ia
There were ten roll calls during the
day, but the highest vote recorded
by the opponents of the bill was "n'
the motion to recommit. Most of the
time the "wets" were able to muster
from fifty to one hundred votes, just
sufficient to demand a roll call on
motions.
Henry Twits Lenroot.
Chairman Henry, of the Rules Com
mittee, who opposed the special rule
on the bill, expressed mock surprise
that Congressman Lenroot OF Wis
consin, one of the original Insurgents
against "Cannonism" and gag
rules" had aided in framing the dras-
tic rule calling up the bill.
1T does grieve me to see the dis
progressive gentleman
from Wisconsin, Mr.. Lenroot, come
mere ana use SUCH ldnBu udBc as nc
has used in this rule" said Mr.. Henry.
He assailed the efforts TO force a
vote on the bill while great appro-
priation bifis and measures relating
to the international crisis awaited.
Declaring the rule reported over
his protest by the Rules Committee
to be the harshest ever presented,
Chairman Henry declared that "in a
little while you will be bringing in
rules that will make il necessary and
highly appropriate that we all apollo
gize 10 the gentleman from Illinois,
Mr.. Cannon. for any slight criticism
we have ever made OF him"
Subsequently the "drys" on the
Rules Committee presented a rule
more far-resching than any ever re-
ported under the Cannon regime in
that II provided for taking up a Sem
ate bill and voting on 1t without de-
bate or amendment.
In the filibuster which was not
checked until late in the afternoon