Smyrna times., 1919-03-19
STATE PROHIBITION BILL
PASSES THE STATE SENATE
BECOMES A LAW WITH THE SIG
NATURE OF THE GOVERNOR
Active Scene at Dover When the
Bill Starts On Its Final Passage
Amendments to Bill.

Advocates OF the Statewide prOhi-
bition bill won notable victory in the
Senate Thursday afternoon, when the
bill was passed by a vote of II yeas to
nays, without the addition of single
amendment. The bill was not passed
without strenuous fight for amend
ments, however, and it was probably
the fear that the bill might be lost if
sent back to the House with amend
ments that prevented their adoption.
The vote on the final passage was as
follows: Yeas, Senators Alice, Brown,
Handy, Long, Palmer, Pool, Price,
Robertson, Walker and Short.-11;
Nays, Senators Bennett, Gormley,
HOllett, Murphy, Richards and Web
ster-6
The bill as passed contained the
thirteen amendments that had been
tackled thereto by the House, the most
important Of which were the ones
making it legal to possess and give
away Intoxicating liquors, and ex-
cluding proprietary medicines and
similar compounds form the one-half
Of one per cent limit. After the bill
had been given final reading, Senator
Long, chairman of the Temperance
Committee, declared that it had been
examined and the committee believed
it to be in the proper form to be
passed. He pointed out that it did
not need extensive remarks on its
merits as the bill had been on the cal
endar for several weeks and had been
discussed from one end of the State to
the other. He explained that the pur-
pose of the measure was to make the
Eighteenth Amendment to the Fed
eral Constitution effective as applied
to the State of Delaware. eve can
not afford to let that amendment be-
come ineffective through the failure of
this bill to become a law" he ex-
claimed in conclusion.
Senator Bennett then offered an
amendment to the bill, which changed
the penalty clause by substituting the
word cor" for "and" where it ap-
peared between the designated fine
and prison sentence. In it's original
form this section makes it mandatory
upon the courts to impose a prison
sentence as well as fine for all viola
tiOns, and Senator Benefits amend
ment gave the court discretion to i'm
pose Imprisonment. In presenting
the amendment, Senator Bennett
pointed out that unless amended the
bill would make jailbirds of all vic
tins of the drink habit.
In reply to Senator Benefits re-
marks, Senator Long declared that the
law was not intended to get after the
weak-minded, but was framed to get
the bOot-leggers. He pointed out that
if the boot-leggers were permitted to
get away with fines they could make
so much money at their trade that
. they could afford to pay the fines. He
declared that the bilf was intended to
help not to impose upon the weak
minded. "They are the ones we want
to protect" he declared, and urged
that the amendment be killed.
Senator Gormley, in reply to Sena-
tor Longs remarks, pointed out that
the amendment would not interfere
with the proper punishment of boot
logging, as it did not remove the i'm
prisonment penalty, but merely gave
the court discretion in imposing such
a sentence.
Senator Palmer declared that fol
the past twenty years the people OF
the State had the opinion that the
Legislature should pass some "dry'
legislation, and that personally he die
not see any use in loading up the
statute books with such stuff as the
bill under consideration, but if the
people (of the State wanted it he was
willing to support it, and he did mo-
see the need of attaching an amend
ment and sending it back to the Hous,
to be killed.
The amendment was then lost b!
vote of 10 nays to 7 yeas, the vot,
being the same as on the original bill
with the exception that Senator ALE,
voted for the amendment.
Senator Gormley then offered al
amendment that would permit tn
manufacture of denatured alchol an,
plain alcohol, as well as it's possession
and sale, and explained that denatur
ed alcohol, which is permitted by tn
bill, cannot be made unless there i
first plain alcohol to make it from
After some discussion this amendmen
was killed by the same vote tina
passed the bill, II nays to 6 yeas, tn
vote on the original, which was the
taken, being II yeas to 6 nays.