Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1919-07-23
HOUSE DRYS BEAT
ALL WET EFFORTS
Attempts to Amend the Liquor
Bill Voted Down.
READY WITH KNOCKOUT Blow
Much Confusion on Floor When the
Constitutional Prohibition Part of
Measure Is Reached-Wets in
Saddle for Minute.

washington, July 1S.-Prohibition
FORCES voted down in the house every
attempt to eliminate drastic provisions.
OF the general enforcement bill, and
while in full and absolute control shut
OH debate at the word of their leader
despite the violent protest of the mi
nority.
When they had raced through the
wartime enforcement portion of the
three-part bill and got into the consti-
tutional prohibition measure proper,
there were only 68 members on the
noOr and so much confusion that a
speaker could not make himself heard.
1t was seven o'clock at night when
the long roll call to obtain a quorum
was started, and members then had
gone home, after declaring there was
no good reason for trying to force
through bill to take care of a situa-
ton that would not arise until Janu-
airy.
Drys Win All Battles.
Before the house got into a snarl,
however, the prohibition faction had
fought off every attack on their bill.
An amendment to strike out the mini
mum fine for those convicted of vio-
latintg the wartime act, was fought
over and defeated, 6S to 81. This was
offered by Representative Reavis, Re-
publican, Nebraska prohibition mem
Der of the judiciary committee.
Chairman VOlstead of the judiciary
committee and patron of the bill, pre-
sented an amendment which was
adopted without debate and which
made the measure a bit more drastic
in that it added the word "manufac-
ture" to the many things a man may
not do with liquor in his office or
home.
Vets in Saddle, but
For a brief moment late in the day
the minority-described by the prohi-
bitionists as the wets-swung into
power, only to be thrown out by de-
mand for tellers, which meant an ac-
curate count on a vote to amend the
bill so that person charged with vio'
lating liquor selling injunction might
demand and obtain a trial by jury.
This motion, offered by Representa-
tive Gard, Democrat, Ohio, and warm
ly supported by former Speaker Clark,
had provoked an hours debate which
was bitter at times, when the house
put on the lid and started to vote.
There was a noisy shout from the ayes,
who appeared to have won. Instantly
there was a demand for division and
after members had been counted the
result was annOunced-ayes, 70; nays,
&c.
S. o. S. Brings Back Drys.
The victory was not expected, even
by the vets, and they realized they
could not have won except for the
large number of absentees on the
other side. While the house was
marching through the center aisle to
be counted after demand for tellers
had been made, distress calls were sent
out for prohibition members, who
came piling in in sufficient numbers TO
beat the jury trial amendment by two
votes-78 to rs.
After rounding up a quorum the
house took up the constitutional pro-
hibition enforcement bill set down as
part 2 of the measure, and defeated,
II to So, an amendment by Representa-
tive Igoe, Democrat, Missouri, eliml-
Mating the definition of intoxicants-
This was precisely what was done the
other day in the wartime act, and was
in accord with expectations.