Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 January 1917 — RESER THREATENS TO QUIT SENATE [ARTICLE]

RESER THREATENS TO QUIT SENATE

Pressure Due to Fight For Prohibition Causes Unusual Situation; Liquor., Foes Confident. T ” ■' ‘ ■Senator Alva 0. Reser, representing Tippecanoe and Benton counties, created vast astonishment Tuesday evening in the general assembly, when he offered to resign from the senate on certain conditions. In a telephone message, Senator Reser requested that the information be conveyed to the advocates of prohibition.that he would reSig nat once if the temperance element of the district would assume the responsibility and guarantee expense of a special election to choose his successor. At the time the proposition was made, Senator Reser was under the impression that the action on the state-wide prohibition measure would be delayed until later in the session and th at —there would besufftcient time to elect his successor. Later in the evening, however, it became evident that the matter will come to a vote this week and Reser stated that he would not resign, but on the contrary will retain his seat and vote his sentiments. iMr. Reser has not attempted to conceal his attitude on the question of. state-wide prohibition, andwhile he has been polled as being wet, it «s stated by temperance workers! that he has not told them that he would vote for the bill, neither has he told them he would vote against it. The hill to make Indiana dry reached the upper house of the state legislature Tuesday after the senate had sustained the McGonagle measure calling for a constitutional convention to be held in January, 1918, by a vote of 35 to 12. The Wright bill was handed down just prior to the adjournment of the senate for the day and was erferred without comment to the committee on rights and franchises. This committee met in the evening and Senator Robinson announced that there would be no delay in bringing the bill into the senate for the admittedly biggest incident of the session, the fight to prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of alcoholic beverages.