The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-03-20
Indefinite Postponement
Engineered by Drys. Who
Feared to Set Precedent.
QUESTION UP TO SENATE
Temperance Forces COncen-
trate on Ratification Bill
in Upper House
SpeciaI Despotch to Tpg srN.

ALBANY. MarCn W. ne Assembly,
although deemed BY tho drys as hope
leSsly committed to tho referendum on
the Federal prohibition ratification.
passed the buck to-day 10 the Senate.
And strange as It may seem the move
was. engineered by the temperance
forces. They realized that with the
stage set as 1t was at the beginning Of
to-days- session the best they could
get this year was a referendum. They
preferred nothing at all.
The result was that when the refer
endum bill. which was q special order
for to-day. was reached on tho calendar
a motion was made by Assemblynan
McNab OF Schenectady. one OF the dry
leaders. to postpone action for week
This threw the whole works into con-
fusion. Tho vets at first balkcd ap-
parentlr not knowing just whs. was
coming.
McNsb Offers Substitute.
There followed a long debate on the
floor. conferences IN Speaker sweets
room and hurried consultations between
Assenblymsn and wet and dry hackers
1ho were In tho Chamber. Assembly,
man McNah finally substituted a motion
70 postpone action OIL tho bill indeN-
nitely. which was carried By a vote Of
1903 to IS.
The adoption OF this motion puts the
burden OF ratification right up to the
Senate. Speaker Sweet said when T..
was introduced that tt It were acted
favorabiy upon the question could not
hrO,lpN. GA T. no
at this session unless it came in the
form oc message from the Senate.
Senator William II. Hin. who intro
duced the original ratification resolu-
ton and who has been one OF the prn-
c'pal champions Of the temperance
cause. said afterward he was delighted
with the outcome.
THIS move was suggested by us
he said. "tor We would rather get along
with nothing than to have a referendum
forced upon us. A referendum has no
binding. Gov Whitman Is with us IN
this night. His message OF last night
shows that. u shows that he would
do the righ. thing = :he referendum bill,
were passed. bu: wr would prefer not
to put that responsibility M 20 him
The Assembly had the votes to pass
the referendum bill md tho Senate
would probably have been delighted To
have concurred in that action. Ru, row
we still have n chance OF having the
original Federal ratification resolution
acted on.
81 am confident that II tho measure
gets out Of the Emerson committee on
to the floor il viii he passed hv. the
Senate and then there would he nothing
else for the Assemh', - do bu, 10 vote
on IT,"
Feared to set Precedent.
Senator H;ll said that ore or tie rea
sons that the dry forces objected To n
referendum was that /; would set a
precedent Tor other States whose Iesis-
latures are about to vote on Federal
ratification. Mrs Ella G. Boole Of the
Women's Christian Temperance Union
who was In the Assembly chamber to-
day. declared that The Legislature does
not need to wait until next fall FOR n
referendum OF the prohibition question
The ratification wave il growing
she said. "and the legislature will ind
that out II 1t waits until after the city
local option election next month. Thirty
eight cities in tho State are going 70
vote on local option and the petitions In
many of these cities bear the names OF
2J per cent. OF the men and 30 per cent
OF the women. With this showing on the
petitions there is 10 doubt how the cleo
tion will go"
Roth Mrs, Boole auh Asserlbiyman
McNab took the position that II action
on the ratification resolution is nut of
! until after the April city local option
elections the Legislature will he sure to
pass the measure. They asserted these
elections will show n wave of sentiment
toward prohibition that should make any
! further referendum unnecessary
! The vets were divided ON the post.
ponement action taken by the Assembly
4 few OF them. including the ten Social.
lists and some of the Republicans, in.
sisted vote on the referendum bill
should have been forced so long as they
| had the votes To pass II,
killed for THIS Session.
The majority OF them. including prar.
, tcally all OF the Democrats. however
voted for the motion. Led by Minority
! Leader Donohue. they argued that the,
were opposed 10 all prohibition lesisla
/ tion and that the motion to postpone in.
definitely was right IN line with thei,
position. They are now confident thai
Federal prohibition is dead so far as thi.
session OF the Legislature is concerned.
/ When Assembiyman McNab made hi,
motion to postpone action on the ref
erendum bill for week this morning h,
was at first greeted with a chorus OF oh
jections from the Democrats. Assem-
blyman McCue. Democrat. OF New York
! said that there was no good reason fo
further delay and that'the matter shoulC
be disposed OF permanently now.
Assemblyman Pratt. Republican. o
Washington, replied that because of th
constitutional questions involved he di,
not believe the Federal rathcatlo,
proposition was thoroughly understoo,
and that a delay " warranted.
This Legislature should be better In
formed" he said. "before passing an,
fool legislation such as this referendum,
When Congress declared war last yea
what would you have thought Of Il ha,
It first submitted the question TO ref
erendum" They had power conferre,
upon them and acted OF 1t. We ais,
have power and should have manhoo,
enough to stand by II. Don't dodge th
issue"
! McCue came back with an attack o,
the Anti-Saloon League, which he de
clared had been branded from one en-,
| Of the country to the other as "dishon
| est, treacherous and as seeking TO Gov
and intimidate legislators"
"Mr. Ant-Saloon League" he said. -"
| Continued on Sirth PAGE.