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Show UNCHANGED DRY BILL SIGNED BY GOVERNOR 1 Lower House Overwhelmingly Votes Down the ?1 Proposed Amendment to Prohibition Bill (H as Suggested by Chief Executive Brewery j Interests Arc Charged With Trying to In- H fluence Legislation Governor Attaches Of- H ficial Seal In Presence of Private Secretary. H SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. U. Hy a vote of thirty-nine to six M the house of i eprcsentatives of the Utah legislature went on record H yoaterday afternoon as refusing to make any change whatever in the provisions or language of the Young statewide prohibition jH bill and returned it to the governor. Just fifty minutes later Gov. SH Simon Hamburger, in the presence of only his private secretary, H Francis V. Fitz Gerald, affixed his signnture to the bill. Notice of iH flte governor's action was received by the chief clerk of the house tjl just after that body had adjourned nnd will be read before the liiH house today. H The governor declined to have any photographs taken of him- H self in the act of signing the measure and performed the action ;H without any formality of ceremony. Ho mixed the pen with which ;H he signed the bill with a number of others on his desk to shut off iH the clamor of token seekers. Later the pen was identified nnd presented to Mnthonihnh Thomas, chairman of the democratic pp slate committee. HH The governor hnd nothing to say in regard to the action of H the house in declining to make thu amendment suggested by him H oxcept thnt he thought the change would nut have impaired the H bill in any way nnd might iw well have been mnde, but as the house H had not seen fit to agree to it, lie was perfectly willing to sign the H measure as it stood. H House Decided to Take No Chances. jH At the closo of u spirited debate in which insinuation was cast thnt the brewery interests were behind the proposed amendment, H that an attempt was being made to insert a "joker" in the bill and H thnt if it were opened up for any change nnd went to the senate H harm might befall it, the house overwhelmingly voted to dcclino to make the amendment to Section 12 suggested by Governor Bam berger to remove thu bun of prohibition from malt und brewed drinks containing not to exceed one-half of 1 per cent of alcohol. JM The house followed this by emphatically rejecting a proposal for u slight changu in langungu offered by Representative R. W. Young, Jr., father of thu bill, designed to mnkc more certain of its H nccord with the WcbbKcnyon federal act. Tho effective nrgu- H ment against amendment wns that opening up the bill to change H would invite' further reconstruction with danger of "jokers" and H liquor, influences, to which the majority of thu house did not pro H poso to submit the measure. H The result was that it was returned to tho governor as first 9H passed by both houses, with a polite communication announcing M thnt the house hud declined to amend it. Consideration of the M amendment suggested by the governor und submitted in written M form by the attorney general's office was brought about Imme- H diatcly after the house convened by a motion by Hoyden that the fl change be mado us suggested by the governor. M Representative Young immediately took the floor in opposition to the amendment and contended thnt under the interpretation of M tho WebbKcnyon net by himself nnd others, the importation into fl the state of any such drinks would be no discrimination against IH local manufacturers. He read an opinion from the attorney gen- H i nil in support of his contention. M Some of thu members of thu house had understood that the attorney general had advised the governor thnt the state 'act H should be amended because the interpretation of the Webb-Kcnyon H act would permit the importation of malt and brewed drinks, but jH it was explained by Representative Young that the attorney gen H end had not given such an opinion or any advice until he gave the H ritten opinion which Young rend to the house. H It was further explained that thu governor had simply asked iH the attorney general to prepare the language of an amendment to HI the Young bill thnt would exempt malt and brewed drinks con H tninlng not in excess of one-half of 1 per cent of alcohol, and that H the attorney general had prepared this language of the amend H ment us requested. Attention wns called to thu fact that the' at H torney general's letter accompanying the letter of the governor to H the house had merely contained this langungu und no opinion on H the effect of the Webb-Kcnyon act. H Young suggested thnt the change would let down the bars to H mnlt drinks nnd he feared that the limit might be overrenched to H mi extent that would make the law ineffective. H Representative Fisher of Wasatch favored the amendment and M objected to the insinuation that the brewery interests hnd any- H thing to do with it. Representative Paxmun declared he would H rather have his "right hand wither and his voice stilled in death" H than loosen up th prohibition bill. H Rcptcscntative McKay of Weber declared that if the house H made a change the bill would go to the senate and the brewery in H tcrqsts would go ncrpss the hall and might persuade the upper H chamber thnt some more amendments should be made. He snw jH the possibility of tho bill being made u football to be kicked back M and fortlrbetween the houses for the whole session. On roll call H the house votnl thirty-nino to six not to open up the bill. M . gMI |
