The Washington herald., 1917-07-08
settle PROHIBITION
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adopted this by a vote of Is to L..
Later. after a hard fight against this
Smoot amendment. the Senate refused,
by vote of 81 to Is, to change its
views.
The last part Of the section was Of
fered by Senator James of Kentucky.
This is the provision that the dis
tillers shall not be taxed for the
whisky now in bond
The Smoot amendment came as a
direct consequence of the fight made
on the Cummins proposition to prevent
the withdrawal, Senators urged yes
terday it would be unfair to the dis
tillers to shut their products OFF
without compensation. Senator Reed
had a modifying amendment pending.
allowing the President discretion over
this withdrawal. The fight opened on
this.
There are eos,OOo,Ooo gallons of
distilled spirits now bonded" said
Senator Penrose. Liquor in bond is
held as collateral to the amount of
$50 10000 to $l00.OOO,O0o. Many bonding
houses will fail, IL you prevent the
withdrawal of any liquor"
Senator Reed and Senator James
both agreed that banks would be
wrecked, and Senator Harding said
the scheme would mean IAN insoI-
vency of a $3.50, 10000 business, at a
time when Congress wishes to see
business stabilized" Senators Borah
and Smoot spoke for the Cummins
plan, but Smith OF Georgia, and Sim
mons OF North Carolina both de-
plored it. The Reed amendment was
defeated by As to IS, and then Senator
Smoot offered his amendment.
'It will cost the Government 500.
0Oe, 900 to buy distilled liquor and We
will lose si40.O 900 in taxes" argued
Senator Simmons.
But Senator smoot replied: 1T Is a
splendid investment even IL 1t costs
SEQ, 10000. 1t will save the nation
81, 500, 900 In an annual bill for some-
thing that causes nothing but ruin
and destruction"
Senator Simmons was sorry that 50
much of the prohibition question had
been injected into the food bill.
81 am in favor of prohibiting food
stuffs in distilled spirits" he said
But I have been through many pro.
| hibition fights, and I know nothing
could stir up dissession so much while
we are at war. The President evi,
IDENTIFY feels that. You have the sound
| judgement of the Commander In Chief
of the Army and the Navy that this
is unwise. Why therefore do you in
sist on injecting this issue. The Presi,
dent has said that II prohibition
amendments are attached to the bill
II will seriously delay the measure.
go further. and say 1t may and prob
ably will drag 1t to defeat"
Attacks Reverse Vote.
The change of the Senate on The
Cummins plan to prevent the with
drawal of distilled spirits during the
war, lead Senator Sherman, of ILL
nois, to charge that liquor interests
had exerted influence on Senator:
overnight.
"I hope that some day pitiless pub
licity will be applied to what went or
here after the Senate recessed last
night" he cried. II hope that somt
day the American people will learr
the war of an invisible government
that can reach out overnight ant
make the United States Senate re-
verse its actions as if it were a play
house on a mimic stage instead Of 9
great legislative pody.
Senator's who changed their vote,
| from AYE" Thursday to may" yes
terday, were McCumber. Ransdell
Smith, of Georgia, and Tillman
Shields, and King who did not vote
Thursday voted yesterday against the
amendment
On the final passage Of the new pro
hibition section, the vote was:
Aye-Bankhead, Brandegee, Brous
sard, Colt, Culberson. France, Ere
linghuysen, Gerry, Harding, Hitch
cock, Hollis, Husting, James, John
son. Of California; Jones, Of New Mex.
leo; Knox. La Toilette, Lewis, Lodge
Mclean, McNary, Martin, New, New
lands, Overman, Penrose. Phelan, Pitt
man. Pomerene, Ransdell, Reed, Rob
inson, Sheppard, Simmons, Smith, o.
Arizona; Smith, Of Georgia; Smith, Of
Maryland; Stone, Swanson, Tillman
Underwood, wadsworth, Warren
Watson, Williams-45.
Nay-Ashurst, Beckham, Borah
Brady, Chamberlain, Cummins, Cur.
tis, Dillingham;, Fernald, Fletcher
Gore, Gronna, Hale, johnson, of South
Dakota; Jones. of Washington; Kel'
logg, Kendrick, Kenyon, King, Nc
Kellar, Myers. Nelson, Norris, Owen
Page, Poindexter, Shafroth, Sherman
Shields, Smith, of Michigan; Thomp.
son, Townsend, Trammell, Vardaman
Walsh, Wolcott-37.