Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-03-23
DEBATE ON BONE-DRY
PROHIBITION IS BEGUN
IN HOUSE AND SENATE
Test Vote in Upper Assembly
Shows Big Majority in Fa-
vor of Most Drastic Law
Possible

Debate began in both houses of the
general assembly Thursday morning on
Governor Harris bill designed 10 make
Georgia as bone-dry as the Sahara
desert.
The bill was read for the third time
in the senate after it's final revision by
the temperance committee and then WAS
taken up section by section. A test
vote taken shortly after debate began
showed that the senate is overwhel Ginning
ly in favor of a drastic law.
In the house the bill was reported
by the temperance committee of thirty
five shortly after IL o'clock. With the
bill was filed a minority report, signed
by six members of the committee, de-
nouncing the bill as an outrage and an
unconstitutional invasion of personal
rights.
The house began its discussion with
a lengthy argument as to whether the
amendments to the bill should be print
ed separately or with the bill as a per-
fected document.
TEST IN SENATE.
The test vote in the senate, on a mo-
ton which would allow bona-fide cit
izen of the state to personally transport
one quart of liquor each month into
the state for his own personal use, was
voted down by the majority of 2S to Ii,
clearly indicating the sentimtnt of the
senate as favoring the adoption of a
drastic bone-dry law. as drawn up in
the governors bone-dry bill.
Senator Turner, himself a strong pro-
hibitionist, believing he said. that The
will of the people was not in favor of
a too-drastic law, proposed the amend
ment which was voted down so over
whelmingly.
When the senate convened Thursday
morning at 10 o'clock to read for a third
time the bone-dry bill after its final
revision by the temperance committee,
Senator Turner offered an amendment
to the first section of the bill.
His amendment was the signal for
verbal fireworks to begin. He proposed
that every bona-fide citizen of the state
should be allowed to bring INTO the state,
once each month, by his own hand, one
quart of any kind of firewater for his
own family's personal use. 10 be kept
in the family cupboard or behind the
clock.
Senator Turner said that he wished to
make this Amendments effective because
he believed that the people of the state
did not wish such a drastic law as the
one proposed Ito be enacted by passing
the governors bone-dry bill. He said
that while he had always been staunch
prohibitionist, he believed that a citizen
should be allowed this privilege.
When the senator touched upon the
theory so often advanced that a too
drastic law might bring on a reaction
which would result i'm the eventual re-
pudiation of the bill and a return to the
legalized sale of whisky, he was imme-
miatey challenged by a large group of
his colleagues who championed the cause
OF an absolutely alright, Theoretically
sealed bone-dry bill.
Several senators said that Mr.. Turner's
resolution would provide loophole for
the wary, and that in effect it would
break the effect of bone-dry law which,
they declared, the Legislature had been
convened expressly to enact.
The senate Is taking the governors
bone-dry bill up section by section, and
discussing and shaping IL as they pro-
coed.
PROHI COMMISSIONER.
Following the defeat of Senator Tur.
ner's motion, Senator Boykin renewed his
efforts TO have the office of prohibition
commissioner, which had been stricken
by the senate temperance committee af-
ter a hot fight led by Senator Roykin
again included in the bone-dry bill.
senator bOyhn introduced an amend
ment providing for the office of prohi-
billion commissioner TO be created, with
the restriction that the commissioner
was to employ no assistants and was to
he merely a keeper of records and re-
ports from sheriffs. etc. and this amend
ment provoked a hot debate.
Among the senators opposing the crea-
ton of such An office was Senator Nc
Laughlin. He based his opposition on
the grounds that to have such a state
house officer would be an unwarranted
reflection upon judges, solicitors and
sheriffs throughout the state.
Again, the senator said i'm speaking
sgainst such an office. the present oc-
cupant of the gubernatorial seat called
special session of the legislature in
1915 and had enacted what he judged
TO be a drastic prohibition law. When
he next went to the polls nc was de-
feated, Senator Mclaughlin said, as well
as other officers who were extremists in
their views on prohibition. This, he
said. was a clears indication that the
people did not wish a drastic bone-dry
law.
II such an office was created, he said.
even with the prohibition commissioner
shorn of all power. the position would
eventually be separate from that of the
commissioner of commerce and labor
(who was to be ex-officiocommissione of
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