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Show PROHIBITION IS : MB GAINS ATWASHINGTON Senate Agrees to Drastic Amendments to Postal Bill j Which Will Make Dry j States "Bone Dry." I HOUSE COMMITTEE j GOES UPON RECORD National Prohibition Constitutional Consti-tutional Amendment Re-ported Re-ported Favorably; Early Passage Predicted. WASHINGTON, Feb. 15. Prohibition Prohibi-tion took a step forward today in the branches of congress. In the senate drastic amendments to the postal bill were agreed to that make criminal the importation of liquor into j states which prohibit its manufacture! and sale for beverage purposes, and! vhuh exclude liquor advertisements . from the mails in states which legislate against such advertising. On the house side the national prohi-! . bition constitutional amendment was reported re-ported favorably from the judiciary committee, with a prediction by Chairman Chair-man Webb that it would pass within a week. Champions of prohibition greeted greet-ed this announcement with enthusiasm, despite their realization that there is no thought of action by the senate before be-fore March 4, when the Sixty-fourth congress dies. The amendment to the postoffice appropriation ap-propriation bill to make it a crime to ship liquor into prohibition states was added by Senator Reed of Missouri to the Jones amendment barring newspapers newspa-pers or other publications or letters and postal cards containing liquor advertisements advertise-ments from the mails in states which jJiave laws against such advertising. It r was adopted, 45 to 11. xfcReed Amendment. ar;e Reed amendment, adopted in committee of the whole, andwhich awaits a final vote in the senate proper, follows: " Whoever shall order, purchase or cause intoxicating liquors to be transported trans-ported into interstate commerce except for scientific, sacramental, medicinal or mechanical purposes into any state or territory, the laws of which state or territory ter-ritory prohibit the manufacture or sale therein of intoxicating liquors for beverage bev-erage purposes, shall be punished by a fine ot not more than $1000 or imprisoned impris-oned not more than six months, or both, and for any subsequent offense shall be imprisoned not more than one year." This provision, if finally accepted by the 6euate and agreed to by the house, would make all prohibition states "bone dry," and it would operate against provisions pro-visions in various states permitting importation im-portation of limited amounts of liquor-for liquor-for individual consumDtion. Barred from Mails, The original Jones amendment to bar newspapers and other liquor advertisements advertise-ments from the mails in states having anti-liquor advertising laws, attaches the same penalties as provided in the Reed amendment. Under this provision no newspaper, pamphlet, letter, postal card, circular or publication of any kind i containing liquor advertisements could be mailed into the dry states. To prevent pre-vent prosecution of innocent persons, the measure explicitly states that "if the publisher of any newspaper or other publication, or the ageut of such publication, publi-cation, or if any dealer in such liquors or his agents shall knowingly'' cause liquor advertisements to be mailed in : violation of the proposed law, he shall be guilty of violating the law. i Representative Randall of California k announced the passage off the Jones bill wjn the house late today, and gave no-iTiTNthat no-iTiTNthat he would ask the house to concur in the amendment when the bill is returned from the senate. The Webb resolution proposing a national na-tional prohibition constitutional amendment amend-ment was reported to the house today with n majority committee report in its favor and a minority report opposing it. Democratic Leader Kitchin said it would be taken up in the house within a week. He predicted it would pass the house by the necessary two-thirds, but probably would not be acted upon in the senate before adjournment of congress con-gress March' 4. The majority report declared that inasmuch in-asmuch as more than 60 per cent of the population of theUnited States lives in dry territory it is incumbent upon conjrress to submit the question of national na-tional prohibition to the states. "Leaving out of consideration the merits of the prohibition policy of dealing deal-ing with the alcoholic liquor traffic," sav' the report, "when more than half of" the states in the Union have declared in favor of prohibition; when 8o per cent of the territory of the United States has outlawed the saloon and more than 60 per cent of the population live in such territory, and when approximately ap-proximately ten million of our people residing in all sections of the Union have petitioned directly for the passage pass-age ot this resolution, your committee is of the opinion and feels that it is incumbent in-cumbent on the congress to submit the issue to the states in the manner requested re-quested as prescribed by the terms of the constitution itself. Right to Vote. "If it is not desired, thirteen states of the Union can prevent its adoption; but, if, on the other hand, thirty-six states desire such change, they should have the right to make it, and it would appear to your committee that the question is now one of sufficient importance im-portance to be submitted to them so that they may pass upon it." The minority Teport set forth their objections to the resolution. They were that "It does not provide for a date of submission to all states; it would not prohibit personal consumption of liquor; it would interfere with the police power of the states; it would permit the confiscation con-fiscation of property without compensation; compen-sation; the general governmental effect ef-fect of national prohibition would be bad; it would raise a serious revenue question. "Coercion alone will not prohibit; neither will it inculcate temperance," the minority report continued, "for temperauce and, indeed, prohibition, depend de-pend on changes for the better in inhabitants in-habitants and couditionSj which are only brought about by a realization of benefits bene-fits obtained, bv moral and obligation-al obligation-al appreciation. ' Signers of the minority report were Representatives Igoe and Dyer of Missouri, Mis-souri, Graham of Pennsylvania,' Steele of Pennsylvania, Danforth and Sale of New York and Gard of Ohio. The Webb amendment would prohibit the manufacturing, transportation, import im-port and sale of alcoholic liquor for beverage bev-erage purposes. The majority report was signed only by Representative Carlin, but he represented repre-sented Representatives Webb of North Carolina, Thomas of Kentucky, Taggart of Kansas, William Elza Williams of Illinois, Il-linois, Whaler of South Carolina, Caraway Cara-way of Arkansas, Nee.lv of West Virginia. Vir-ginia. Walker of Georgia, Volstead of Minnesota. Nelson of Wisconsin, Morgan Mor-gan of Oklahoma, Chandler of New York and Walsh of Massachusetts. Four Democrats and three Republicans Republi-cans signed the minority report; nine Democrats and five Republicans' names were on the majority report. |