MQMlt no. 4
8
The Commoner
B
nonato In its deliberations and enactments to tho
purposes set forth In the governor's call for a
upcclal session, and to consider no "proposed act
or law, Joint or concurrent resolution" foreign
to tho governor's call.
Tho sonato waited half an hour for the ar
rival of three Omaha senators before the reso
lution was offered. Trouble was evidently
feared by frlonds of the resolution, and they did
not propose to take chances. Immediately after
tho roll call Hager of Adams moved a recess of
half an hour. Senators Strehlow, Bennett and
Morlarlty of Douglas .were absent when the roll
was called. Hager of Adams, who has been
charged by other democrats with being a mes
senger for Senator Mattes, and his supporters
In tho sonato, promptly moved a recess. It was
understood tho throe Douglas senators were on
a train bound for Lincoln and would not arrive
for some time Upon their nrrlval the senate
was called to order and Senator Henry offered
the following resolution:
Whoroas, The legislature of Nebraska Is now
In extraordinary session, convened by the gov
ernor through tho oxerclse of his constitutional
powers and limited In Its scope of action by the
constitutional restrictions which give tho only
legal force and offect to the acts of this extraor
dinary session, to-wlt:
" 'Tho governor may, on extraordinary occa
elons, convene tho legislature by proclamation,
stating therein tho purpose for which they are
convened, and tho legislature shall" enter upon
no business excopt that for which they were
called together."
"Therefore, on tho part of tho sonato of Ne
braska, convonod In extraordinary session, be It
"Resolved, That the senate confine Us deliber
ations and onactmonts to the purposes definitely
sot forth In tho official call of tho governor au
thorizing this extraordinary session, and that the
senate hereby makes of record its purpose to
consider no proposed act for a law, joint or con
current resolution, outside of and foreign to tho
specific purposes declared by tho governor in his
official call authorizing tho extraordinary ses
sion In which tho legislature is now convened."
I3oal of Custer, domocrat, and a candidate for
congress in the Sixth district, asked that the res
olution lie over one day. Lieutenant Governor
Howard decided that no request was necessary
as tho rules of tho senate provide that resolu
tions shall go over ono day unless otherwise dis
posed of.
Tho vote on tho adoption or rejection of the
Henry resolution will bo taken as a test vote on
tho ratification of the national prohibition
amendment. Tho "drys" allogo that the amend
ment being a subject in no way related to state
legislation and that tho legislature at a special
session has power to act upon it. Tho
frlonds of tho amendment hopo to win, but it is
admitted that tho vote may be close. Tho wets
say there aro enough votes in the senate to de
feat ratification if their forces do not weaken
under tho over increasing sentiment in favor of
prohibition, state and national.
GOVERNOR NEVILLE REFUSES REGUEST
OP HOUSE
From tho Nebraska State Journal, March 28.
Governor Neville did not transmit to the pres
ent special session ' of the house a request for
action on tho national amendment for reasons
that he deemed sufficient. He says so in a spe
cial message in reply to a request from the
house for tho certified copy of tho national pro
hibitory amendment sent by Secretary of State
Lansing. Hero is his reply:
"To the Honorable George Jackson, Speaker,
and to tho Members of tho House of Represent!
atives o tho Thirty-sixth Session (Extraordin
ary) of tho Legislature of Nebraska:
"I have tho resolution of your honorable body
requesting the governor to submit for its con
sideration any communications which he mav
havo in his possession relative to the acts of
Sdmont g WJUl th nati0nal PwhibltoS
ii Vo f011.80?8 that considered sufficient, I
did not include in tho proclamation calling the
S5 nf'Hf "fcinary session th mat!
mn? "W"5 Q natiol Prohibitory amend
ment. It is not my intention to submit the
question of its ratification for the conaidPrnHn
of tho legislature at this session. I shaU Se
ZL!1?' hcTT' i your honorable body so
8 ft8' t0 8Ub?it for its information a copy
of the communications in my possession with
reference to this question, or to submit the $
inal copies for the information of individuals S
committees of the house who would care to ex
amine them in by office.
"KEITH NEVILLE Governor."
SMASHING VICTORY FOR RATIFICATION
From the Nebraska State Journal, March 30.
The lower house of the Nebraska legislature
went on. record Saturday morning emphatically
in favor of ratification of the national prohibitory
amendment. But two votes were cast against
it when the motion was made that it be ordered
engrossed for third reading. It will be passed
on Monday afternoon, when the house next
meets.
But two of the fifty-seven members present
voted against it, but this does not represent all
of those who will oppose it on third reading.
Possibly half a dozen or more will do so. Those
who voted against it to third reading were Kee-
gan, a young man from Omaha, and Mysenburg,
a farmer from Butler county. Both are from
counties that voted wet in 1916. Mysenburg
sent up a written explanation to the effect that
he voted no because it had not been included in
the governor's call.
Kcegan, who had made a motion previously
that had nothing to do with the matter before
the house, began to jangle with one of the other
members. Mr. Jacobson arose and moved that
the sergeant at arms take care of him until he
regained his equilibrium. Another member in
quired of him if he was sober, and he retorted
that he was just as sober as the other member.
Fifty-five of the fifty-eight members voted for
the motion. Behrens did not respond to the roll
call. The great majority of the forty-two ab
sentees are for ratification. The affirmative votes
were cast by:
Ainly, Anderson of Boyd, Auten, Axtell, Beal,
Cronley, Cronin, Dafoe, Dalbey, Fleetwood,
Fries, Fuller, Fults, Goodall, Gormly, Greenwalt,
Hoffraeister, Howard, Hughes, Hunt, Hutton,
Jacobson, Erick Johnson, Fred G. Johnson,
Knutzen, Lampert, Lemar, Llndberg, Manzer,
McAllister, Miller, Mills, Murtey, Naylor, Neff,
Nesbit, Norton, Olson, Osterman, Parkinson,
Peterson, Radke, Reiffenrath, Reynolds, Rick
hard, Rieschick, Stearns, Stream. Taylor, Thom
as, Tracewell, Trumble, Waite, Ward, Jackson.
During the discussion of the bill, Keegan, who
was the only one to exhibit a desire to take the
side of the booze interests, interrogated Mr.
Peterson. He wanted to know whether the allies
were prohibiting the use of liquor abroad. Mr.
Peterson's smashing reply, which brought forth
great applause, was:
"When it comes to the establishment of the.
highest principles of freedom, our nation leads,
it does not follow."
Mr. Norton, who made the motion to order
the bill to a third reading said there were sev
eral reasons why the amendment should be rati
fied. One is that Nebraska is a dry state, and '
there is no reason why after the success of the
experience with prohibition why Nebraska ought
not to be early in line. Ratification now would
elminate the liquor question from the campaign
and permit the people to focus their attention
on way problems. No greater war measure could
be enacted than this. Enough grain was now
going into liquor to give a loaf of bread daily
to every soldier in the allied armies. Banish
ing booze would mean greater coal production
and saving. The liquor interests were working
hand in hand with the pro-German element in
this nation. It isn't a question of politics, but
what the people want done. They expect this
legislature to ratify, and it has the right be
cause the matter was one submitted by congress
officer' legi8lature and not aneSeSKS
Mr. Thomas said that it had beon said the
senate would not ratify. This house then ought
resnonsiUv t? Y7 an,d let them ?
responsibility. The liquor interests are on the
side of those opposed to the country in this war
Mr. Taylor said that the world was clamoriS
for food, and this was a way to see theyot it
No business activity had a right to demaSd it
continuance when to do so delayed Sy '
Mr. Fults said that the fact that other atntnc
were made the sources of supply for Ww?8
who brought liquor into NeSSa in deflanef of
braska could not effectually hand e Sohfhm "
S Mr05 E,2ther States nufac?ured MlJ It
Mr. Anderson of Boyd said that the tio
montns oeiween tne soms tihio euect of prohl
VtfHnn in Nebraska and South JDalrntn oo, i.
people in his border county, an idea of what it
moanf. fnr a. drv state to be next tn n wa .
the
meant ior uiy atavo iu uo ucai to a wet one,
jproniDiuon uas proven j po a Bpirnam thing
and it ought to be passed 'along for the benefit
Mr. Peterson, who is also county food admin.
istrator in Lancaster, said that his work would
prevent him from taking any other stand than
in favor of ratification. He had gone up and
down the county urging food conservation, and
this was a food conservation measure. He
warned the members that human beings would
die of hunger in this world this year while thou
sands of men, women and children would die of
malnutrition for lack of food. The energies of
a free people should be bent for victory. Food
will win the war, and he did 'not hesitate for a
second to say that he was, for "any measure
which would not only prevent people from being
injured, but would save other people's lives.
Mr. Tracewell said prohibition was right and
the people want it. He was proud to put the
senate on record.
Mr. Cronin said he had a boy in France, and
he wanted to help the boys abroad. Prohibi
tion had been a success.
,
Mr. Radke said this was a war session. He
needjiot talk to reasonable men on the propo
sition that we must have food for our men. The
house had been called in special session to en
act important war measures, hut not one of them
was half as important as this one. We can get
along without the others. We can't without this
measure. He pointed out that a pony keg of
beer takes as much space in transportation as
2,000 cartridges for machine guns. Displacing
the cartridges with beer might deprive machine
guns of a supply at a critical moment. He had
been in camps and knew liquor was going in.
Mr. Trumble said he had "been for prohibition
from the beginning, thirty years ago, and was
glad to go again on record.
Mr. Hoffmeister said that maybe the governor
had. forgotten to include it in the call. Presi
dent Wilson had told the mothers he would take
care of the boys they sent :and send them back
as pure as when they came. No other nation
had the stamina and courage to oppose the li
quor interests and refuse to permit the sale of
liquor within five miles of army camps or to men
in uniform. If liquor was not safe for the boys
it was not for the men. ""
Commenting on the action of 'the lower house
on March 30, the. Nebraska State'' Journal said
editorially:
"The prompt action of the house of represent
atives in passing the prohibition Ratification
resolution with only two dissenting votes will
put this question up to the senate this week in
a way that can not be ignored. It is tho most
important of all the war measures now before
the legislature of Nebraska. The- ratification of
this amendment by enough states to put it into
effect in the next few months will save millions
of dollars worth of grain, which is needed as
much as anything else to win a victory in France.
The senator who hold back his vote on any pre
text is withholding much needea food from the
"v,iv,a,n Dumiera ana meir allies. Tne pieu u
doubtful legality has no real bearing on the
case. Ratification now may hasten the shipment
of food abroad. In no case can it damage or
delay the cause that is so close to the heart of
America.
"Intense interest has bqen aroused over the
state by the attempt of the senate to escape a
record vote on the ratification of the national
prohibition amendment. As one of the members
of the house said yesterday after the bill had
Tm!1 passed tner6 with only two negative votes,
This thing is no longer merely jt moral ques
tion. It has gotten to be even bigger than that.
we are fighting now to save grain for our armies
and for the allies. We wrint to prevent tne
brewers, who are many of them aliens, from
making one hundred million dollars a month
profitr which they are willing to use if they can
in corrupting our politics. The Issue in the sen
ate can not be clouded, although any number of
people on the outside are trying to mix it up. K
is now well understood that any rote cast for
SSu, nry 5,esolutlon is a voteto dodge the pro
mmtion ratification, by all means ,ndw tho most
ffiSFI! ni thing before the Peopl,of the state,
me members of the senate will-be -warned by tW
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