The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-28
Whole Prohibition Enforcement Question Transferred To House Without Promise Or Assurance Of Speedy Consideration
Forces in House Plan to Put Up Des- perate Fight for Whole sale Modification of Se-
 we're Sections of Dry Bill
By A.secis,sd prs,s

Washington, June 27.-The whole question of prohibition enforcement was transferred ,, today from the judiciary com mittee to the House, without promise or assurance of speedy consideration.
 4 general enforcement measure, em- bracing both wartime and constitutional prohibition, put together in such way as to let one stand independently of the other. was reported out by vote of E l to 2l, after the committee had refused | to split it into two separate and distinct parts. But this vote did not accurate ly represent the sentiment of the com mittee, some members of N hich will send | in a minority report and insist upon the elimination of some of the drastic pro- visions.
 1 Backed up by representatives from dis tricts outwardly hostile to wartime pro- hibition, the minority will attempt fly | ing wedge fight in the hope of so amend- | ing the wartime enforcement bill as to permit the manufacture and sale of "A per cent beer. While the prohibition lead CTS claim to have sufficient votes to pus | the bill through without substantial. l change, they conferred informally tonighl to decide upon plan of action, believ, 1 ing that there was no indication that the
 President, before July 1, would issue proclamation declaring demobilization and wartime prohibition ended.
 ANTIS PLAN FIGHT
 Anti-prohibition forces in the House counted heads today and agreed to pur i up desperate battle for wholesale modi- I fications of severe sections. There was wide difference of opinion among mem 1 bers tonight as to how soon the fight might begin. After the bill was formally reported out late today Chairman Voi- stead announced that he would ask for a rule giving it the right of way. bur strong objection developed. The general view was that the bill would not pc called up in the House until July 2 a 1.-the earliest, and how long the fignt
 would last no one would venture pre- diction There was httie disagreemens. howey er over the bills ultimate passage. for the House is counted dry by . Dis margin
 Prohibition members pointed out that there will be no great division except on the definition of intoxicating liquor. ana while they expected strong effort to
 raise the percentage from one haif ol one per cent, they expressed every conri- dence that in this respect the bill would he passed as drawn by the committees and as endorsed by all of the anti-iiduor
 organizations
 Refusal of the House majority lead
 CTS to give the bill special rule TOT
 Immediate consideration was due, they
 explained. to failure of the committee | to send in a war time prohibition eE-
 forcement bill by itself
 They said 1t could have been passed in a day, but they declared unwillins-
 ness to rush through the joint meas
 ure without giving ample opportunity
 for debate on it's far-reaching sec
 tions
 MAY TRY SEPARATION
 It is not at all unlikely that an ef- fort will be made to separate pouiiy
 the wartime and constitutional meas-
 ures described by some members as "the Siamese twins of prohibition les | isla tion'' and endeavor to pass the
 former measure for which there IS
 pressing demand. and let the other
 wait Even as the joint measure stands, it contains one part or tlsis , which would take effect after approvs. , and two that would not become efteo- tive until January l. 1920.
 , There will be ample time for Con- , gress to work out their plan of at tack and defense, for the House plans to adjourn early next week after dis i, posing or the last SupPty VI Dt'-o ~>--fS next week, until July ',
 Chairman Volstead will send his re-
 mort on the enforcement bill to tne
 House tomorrow, but the minority te-
 pors may not get in quite so carry The latter will be signed by Repie-
 sentatiyes Card of-nhio, isoe. MiS souri, and Steel Pennsylvania, al
 democrats Dyer. republican. MISSOURI. and possibly others. While voting with the majority. Mir. Gard announced that he would prepare minority repof~. attacking principally the provis'on that a citizen shall not possess
 liuuor and other features. 3 But there has been no attempt to | discuss the fact that members of the House are very undecided as to 'He
 whole prohibition situation. There arc :, ! 80 many angles to it that they trankly . admit their confusion, much ot which has been due they declare. to relter- : ated reports that the President would lift the war time ban before the law : fakes effect Monday night. chairlnAsn Volstead and members of the judieiary = committee were kept busy all day ex I : blaming to persons here and eisewhefa e that the failure of Congress to enac1 I additional wartime enforcement les :
 islatson immediately did not mean that [, the government was without authors c ity to deal with persons who sell liqunr $ after Monday Some of the commis I ' .eemen expressed genuine saiisiase is Q when informed that the liquor fishk
 twould be deferred until week aftex next. r. Both advocates and opponents of :, drastic prohibition laws said sentiment p in the House would be swayed to V p "considerable extent by the attitude A of the public, and particularly huuur e dealers in the period beginning next . Tuesday.
 l. Reports that saloons in some of tue |. larger cities would remain open for Il the sale of 2% per cent beer brought l. renewed warning of the penalties nov $ existing without additional legislatlss d and caused some members to predict
 that wholesale violations might result " in President Wilson delaying his d.> II mobilization proclamation until 2l- o most the time when constitutional pro- # hibition is to begin. e DISCUSS WILSON'S POWER
 By Associated frtas Washington. June H-The question ol whether the President would have thf