The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1921-05-20
DRY LAW ENFORCEMENT :
PUT UP TO R. |. SOLONS
New Measure Is Tempered to
Moist Proclivities of Little
Rhody Voters
COUP SPRUNG ON DRYS
Republican State Leaders Join
in the Effort for Dry Law
Enforcement

The Rhode Island legislature meets
annually. 1t is elected biennially and
the legislature which held session this
year will meet again in January, 1922.
Early in this years session Hon Sam
uel H. Davis, an attorney at one time
superintendent of the Mass. Anti
Saloon League, who is not now under
salary of the League anywhere, pre-
scented in the House of Representa-
tves an enforcement bill. This had
been carefully drawn to meet Rhode
Island conditions where the passage
of a drastic measure was deemed i'm
possible, so that it was the least dras-
tic, probably, of any enforcement bill
introduced in a legislature in the
country. 1t was referred to the Com
mittee on Special Legislation under
the regular rules. This committee
consisting of nine members, unan-
mously reported the bill for favorable
action after public hearing which
was addressed by local representatives
of the League, Mrs. Deborah Knox
Livingston of the Women's Christian
Temperance Union, and DIR. Wayne
B. Wheeler. The hearing was in
every way satisfactory.
Fletcher w. Lawton, chairman of
the Judiciary Committee, secured the
floor when the bill was reported from
Committee on Special Legislation and
quietly asked that it be referred to
the Judiciary Committee. This was
an almost unprecedented move, and
its possibility had been overlooked.
The probabilities are that if the mat
ter had been put to a vote on roll
airy Committee on the ground that
there was no lawyer on the Commit
tee on Special Legislation and the
Judiciary Committee should examine
the bill to see that it was technically
correct. Fletcher LAYTON, and the
member of the committee who sec
onded the motion for referring the
bill to the Judiciary Committee, at
that time denied any intention of
killing the bill in committee.
The bill was held until so near the
end of the session that pressure was
brought to bear to get the committee
to report it. Finally in bringing this
pressure the leading men of the Re-
publican party organization in this
state for the first time joined with
Prohibition but an enforcement law.
In spite of political pressure and per-
sonal pressure the Judiciary Commit
tee on the last day of the session,
late in the afternoon, by vote of six
to three, refused to report the bill.
With the probable vote in the House
very close and therefore the POSSIBLE
ity of defeat of any movement which
might be started to take the bill from
committee it was decided by the po-
litical and Prohibition leaders that
the wise thing was to leave the matter
over until the next session of the leg
slature, which occurs next year.
The actual responsibility for the
fact that Rhode Island has no disable
law for the enforcement of any re-
strictions on the liquor business rests
with Fletcher w. Lawton and the five
members of the committee who voted
with him to refuse the report of the
bill.
The strategic political position of
the friends of Prohibition is better
than before for a generation owing to
the outbreak Of Indignation against
the legislative trick which prevented
the open vote on the question of
Rhode Islands supporting the Con-
stitution of the United States by the
passing of Prohibition enforcement
law
The Women's Christian Temper
ance Union and the Anti Saloon
League are working in perfect har-
mony in the preparation which will
eliminate just before the next session
of the legislature to secure the pas
sage at that time of much more
drastic act for the enforcement ofli
Prohibition than the Davis bill which
was presented this year.