The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-07-11
Overrules Decision of
Presiding Officer on
Food Measure.
VETS ARE ANXIOUS
Seek to Delay Final Ac-
ton Until Recess.
Prohibitionists
Are Alert.

Washington. p. C. July l0.-After
four hours debate the senate decided
by n vote of 36 10 80, with several
pairs announced. that the prohibit
ton amendment to the agricultural
bill was in order. and "A straight vote
on the question of nationwide war
time prohibition will doubtless be had
within 81 short time unless the vets
resort to filihust ering tactics In order
to retard the program of legislation
to such an extent as TO endanger all
other legislation.
This was the policy they adopted
year ago. and Penrose, Reed and
others declared that the TODD bill
should not pass until the prohibition
of beer and wine was stricken from
the bill.
Owing to the demand for the pass
age of food legislation, the Anti
Saloon league workers agreed to do
nothing to ohstruct the passage of the
food administration bill and the mat
ter was left In the hands of the presi-
dent, Now. however. the president
has stated that If there is to be war
time prohibition II should be the re-
suit Of direct legislation by congress.
and this legislation is proposed IN the
so-ealled Norris amendment, which
prohibits manufacture of beer and
wine after November / and prohibits
the sale Of all tntoxicants after De-
cember /.
The vote In the senate today was
not on the merits OF prohibition itself.
but on the question Of an appeal from
the ruling of the chair Mr.. Sauls~
bury. who sustained the point OF
order raised by Penrose, of Pennsyl
yania, that the amendment was legis-
lation on A general appropriation bill.
Senators Jones, of Washington. Shep-
pard. Walsh. Poindexter. Lenroot.
Ptttman and others spoke against the
ruling of the chair. while Smith. of
Georgia, Pomerene, Smoot. Phelan,
Reed. Gore. Smith. Of Arizona, and
others spoke TO sustain the ruling.
The action of the senate when a
vote is taken directly on the adop-
ton OF the amendment viii be largely
in favor of the adoption. as there were
twelve or fifteen senators who voted
10 sustain the chair who. now that
it's parliamentary situation has been
cleaned up, win vote for nationw wide
prohibition.
Among this number are Wolcott,
Martin. Swanson. Gore, Smoot, prob
ably Smith. Of Georgia, Ransdell New,
Watson and kellogg.
The senate lineup today against
the ruling or the chair was as follows:
Democrats; Ashurst. Bankhead,
Beckham. Benet. Chamberlain. Hen
derson, Fletcher. kendrtck. Mcclellan,
| Myers, Nugent. Overman. Pittman,
South Carolina. Thomson, Trammell.
Nardaman. Walsh--21.
Republicans; Borah. Colt. Curtis.
Fernald. Hale. Jones of Washington.
Kenyon, Lenroot, Nelson. Norris. Poin-
dexter. sherman. Smith of Michigan.
Sterling. Sutherland--15.
Total---36.
| For sustaining the chair:
Democrats: Gerry. Gore, Hitchcock.
Jones of New Mexico. King. Lewis.
! Martin, Phelan, Pomerene, Ransdell.
| Reed. simmons. Smith of Arizona,
Smith OF Georgia. Smith of Maryland.
Swanson, Underwood, wolcott-ls.
| Republicans; Baird. Brandegee.
Calder. France, Frelinghuysen, Hard
ing, johnson of California. Kellogg.
Knox. New. Penrose, Smoot, Wads-
worth. Warren, Watson-lb.
| Total-33.
| Vets. fearful of the result of the
| prohibition campaign. began to organ
| ize their defenses tonight One of
| their plans, they said, Is to try to
force the bill for government control
of telegraphs and telephones TO the
floor This would sidetrack prohibit
ton for the time being and the vets
| hope that when the wire control
bill has been disposed of a recess may
be taken.
| The wire control bill was not
taken up today Senator Penrose, of
Pennsylvania. objected to its consid-
| Grafton, and it went over until tomor-
| row, when Senator Smith, Of South
| Carolina, chairman OF the Interstate
Commerce committee, will endeavor
t to have II discussed.
/ The prohibition amendment now
pending prescribes stopping the man
ufacture of beer and wine after No
vember /, 1918. and the sale OF beer.
wine or whiskey after December 81,
] 1918. This is the perfected" Norris
amendment recently authorized by
the agricultural committee,
| Immediately after the vote was
taken today Senator Phelan, OF Cali
fornia, moved TO strike wine from the
drastic amendment. He read state
ment from the California Viticultural
comm ission. saying II the sale OF wine
was limited TO January l California
grape growers alone would lose $l4,-
| 900, 900, and that no wine manufac-
turer would buy grapes or make wine
| for the present season.
| There was A long, technical debate
| today on the parliamentary situation
| which finally resulted in the vote 1t
was on motion OF Senator Penrose yes
terday that Senator Salisbury. the
| presiding officer. today decided that
| the prohibition amendments consti-
tuted general legislation imposed
upon n general appropriation bill
which In against the sonata rules.