The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1918-07-02
PICKETT WANTED
The PEOPLE TO VOTE
LEGISLATURE RATIFIED MA
TIONAL PROHIBITION AMEND
MENT AT FIRST SESSION..

The Georgia senate and the house
Of representatives at their first 1918
session ratified the federal prohibi-
ton amendment, the senate bill, of
fered by Senator H. W. Hopkins be-
inc adopted in both houses In the
senate the bill was adopted in four
and a half minutes. In the house it
was adopted after an argument ex-
tending over three and half hours,
and not until an amendment provid-
ING that the question be submitted to
the people had been defeated and a
motion to table lost. The final vote
in the house was 129 to "a, and in
the senate "a to 2.
Immediately following the intro
duction of a resolution in the house
similar to the senate resolution the
secretary of the senate appeared and
announced to the house that the up
per house had ratified the amend
ment Speaker Holder then an
nounced that the senate bill, identi-
cal with the house bill, would be
voted on.
Speaking against it were Repre-
sentatives Pickett, of Terrell; Hall,
of Bibb, and Atkinson, of Fulton,
who contended the adoption of the
amendment would be the surrender
of the sovereign rights of the state.
Speaking for the amendment were
Representatives Burwell, of Hancock,
and Wright, of Floyd.
Representative Pickett, of Terrell,
introduced an amendment to the SEN
ate resolution, providing that the ac-
ton of the legislature not become eff
fective until approved by a vote of
the people. The ayes and nays were
called for and the call was sustained.
The amendment of Mr. Pickett was
then voted down 141 to 48. The roll
call on the resolution then began and
it was adopted.
Entering Wedge, Declares Hall.
Mr.. Hall, of Bib, declared that he
did not expect to influence a single
vote, but as the sovereignty of Geor-
gia was at stake he could not feel
that he had done his duty until he
had warned the house of the conse-
quences of the step it was taking.
He reviewed the history of the battle
for state sovereignty and called at
tention to the significant fact that
Massachusetts, which had for fifty
years voted against state prohibition,
had ratified this amendment. It was
an entering Wedge, he declared, for
further changes that would take
away from the states the right to
control their ballot and elections. He
felt that the people should certainly
be consulted before their sovereign
ty was surrendered, and that the
whole question should go over to the
next legislature.
Mr.. Atkinson, of Fulton, declared
that the issue was not the extinction
Of demon rum" That had already
been extinguished in Georgia in so
far as it was possible to extinguish
anything by legal enactment. The is
sue, he said, was the right of one
state to force its views on the people
of another state. Georgia had no
right to say to New York and Califor-
nia what their solution of the liquor
problem in their border should be.
Speaking against the resolution
Representative Pickett said: "The
men who vote against this resolution
Will go down in history as the men
VINO loved their country above politi-
cal aspirations and were willing to
sacrifice their political futures to pre-
serve the sovereignty of their state.
Those who voted against the reso-
luton were Arnold, of Lumpkin, At
knSon, Bagwell, Bale, Brown, of
Siarke, Carroll, Clarke, Clements,
clifton, Collins, Cravey, Davenport,
bernard, Fowler, of Bib, Foy, Gil
more, Harden, of Banks, Haynes,
Lasseter, Lawrence, Owens. Pickett,
Roberts, Stone.
The two senators who voted in the
negative were Denny and Townsend.
Other Legislative Matters.
On Thursday morning after a 80
minute session both houses adopted
a, JOINT resolution to adjourn until
monday morning. During this ses-
SION OF less than an hour bills for the
creation of the office of lieutenant
EoFernor the increasing of salaries
81 all state officers fixed by law, for
yne limiting of sessions of the legis-
azure to 80 instead of SO days, pro-
aaoItlng the sale or possession Of RI
ne and pistol cartridges, authorizing
oIehnlaI sessions of the legislature
ano providing for the sale of the
''GGe prison farm were introduced.
Inc resolution to sell the prison
1 p,l was offered by Representative
nouACon, of Burke, and seeks to pro- |
tuIe more fertile farm, and one
o oiat will be self-sustaining. The res
luton luton asks that a committee be ap-
+bUinVed, three from the house and
TWO from the senate, to investigate