Bisbee daily review., 1919-07-15
.DRYS WIN
 FIRST ROUND
 IN CONGRESS

WASHINGTON. July 1l-Prohibition forces took control in the house today refused to permit vote on a straight out motion to repeal the war time act, de- | feated overwhelmingly an amendment | providing for the sale of two and three quarters per cent beer. and stood solidly against all attacks on the general en- ! forcement measure.
 Just as fast as one Liberal" amend ment was offered by opponents of pro- hibition. it was voted down without cere- mony, always by a triple vote, for the minority. fighting every inch of ground demanded division after ayes and nays were called. and then asked for tellers. Before the house got through with the first section of the first part of the three part bill there was more disorder on the floor than at any time this session. The disturbance arose first during an attempt by Representative Blanton. Dem ocrat Texas, to speak a second time against an amendment which would have given jury the right to define intoxi- cants, and was increased during an ad dress by Representative Gallivan. Demo- crat. Massachusetts. who declared mem bers voting dry should print in the Con- gressional Record exactly how much
  offices.
 The real battle of the day. however. was over the amendment to define a non- intoxicant as a beverage containing two and three-quarters per cent alcohol in- stead of one-half of one per cent, as written in the bill Representative Dyer. Republican. Missouri. author of the amendment, did not ask for this defini ton in the constitutional prohibition ] amendment. but simply in the war time law In pleading for its adoption Mir. Dyer declared it was what President Wilson had recommended to congress. and would permit. during the remaining period of war time prohibition. the sale of light wines and beer. and might de- lay issuance of a proclamation by the president which would restore the sale of hard liquors.
 There was a round of speech making on this motion, an hour of It. with the "drys" assailing 1t as an entering wedge. and the "wets% asserting that it merely would permit the very thing the presi- dent as in-chief of the army, has said best for the country for the next six months.
 After two and three quarters per cent beer had been bowled over by a record vote of 151 to 90. and this was about the relative division on all amendments- the prohibitionists went after another amendment by. Representative lgoe. Democrat, Missouri. which would have stricken out all definition of tntoxicants, killing proposal 12S to S3.
 There was the utmost confusion at times. despite vigorous whacks with c gavcl. and some of the prohibition lead CTS applauded every movement in their favor. The galleries. filled largely with women and officers of anti-hquor organ izations, broke into applause when the house roared its disapproval of two and ee-quarters per cent beer.
 There were many references to President Wilso snduring the debate, President Wilson during the debate, tion of his message recommending repeal of the war time law so far as 1t related to the manufacture and sale of light wines and beer.
 Tn lifting his voice for two and three-quarters per cent beer Repre- | sentative Rainey, Democrat of Illi- ncis, declared these were uncertain times, that the people were in pecu- liar frame of mind, and that poverty was causing more misery than alco- hol He brought a volley of applause from the "wets" when he expressed ! the hope that the president would veto the bill because of its drastic i provision.
 Emphatic appeals for modification of the bills drastic provisions were made by Representatives Dyer, Igoe, l and Gard, Democrats of Ohio, all members of the judiciary committee. | MT. Igoe declared the situation was the most unusual ever presented to | the house. All other war time legis- | lation, he said, had been repealed or 1 had expired without attempt to ex- tend it, yet congress was attempting l to assert that the war still existed i cerned. A similar argument was ad-
 vanced by MT. Gard.
 The chair was unable at times dur
 ing the speech of MT. Gallivan to pre-
 serve a semblance of order, and the
 galleries joined in the uproar. Stand ing in the center aisle, the Massa-
 chusetts member waived his arms like a baseball pitcher warming up
 for a game and shouted:
 There are membersN who are not
 as dry as their statements on this floor might indicate and in their
 homes is liquor enough to last them
 twenty years"
 Instantly the house set up a cry,
 name them, name them"
 'If they wern't such good fellows
 surely would" Mir Gallivan replied
 There was so much confusion al
 this point that the house adjourned
 just after reaching section two Oi
 mart one Of fha fhraa mart bill