The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-08-13
NOTES HERE AND THERE.

hibltionists have leased plot OF ground
in the Northern part Of the city, on Au-
gGsta street, where they have erected
tabernacle that will accommodate about
5000 people. Hon John E. Massey, Su-
perintendeut OF State Public Schools
and Rev Rumsey Smithson, formerly
pastor OF the Methodist church in Staun-
ton, and Rev Hector, colored, have
promised to take part in the fight and
address the people before the day OF
election, which is fixed for August 22d.
Considerable feeling is being manifested
on the subject, and not very Christian
feeling either. 1t is growing bitter and
abusive, and will intensity as the can
vass progresses. 1t is anything but
struggle for the supremacy OF moral in
fiuence, for there is as much immortality
in the spirit shown on great occasions
sometimes, as is involved in liquor deal.
ing People can get as insanely intoxl>
Gated from passion as from liquor, and
make themselves equally as dangerous,
offensive and disgusting. 1t is an evl-
! dence of ignorance and mental power
| ty, it is true, when people give way to
uncomfortable passion from whatever
cause, and it is especially inappropriate
and out of place when the protested OBJ
| ject is to inculcate moral principles and
engraft moral ideas Any cause that
depends upon sporadic excitement,
brought about by passionate appeals to
! r, arilx g
| lived, and the reaction from the excess
| will produce a worse state of things than
| that which it is the alleged purpose to
cure. Deep conviction from a sense OF
right is not effected in that way. 1t
may do for the demagogue and for the
| professional politician seeking office and
| its emoluments, but it is not the way to
approach the discussion of question
| that relates to the moral reform and
| business of community, and must
affect it for at least two years to come.
| 1t is an injury to any cause, i'll the long
run, to attempt to further its interests
in that way, and more especially to the
cause of temperance, which to be gen
timely promoted must be founded in
"a sense of Justice to all parties and sin>
cere belief that the change proposed is
| really reform. 1t is not every change
| that is REFORM To bring salutary and
| enduring results there must be some
other influences than passionate decla-
nation and blood curding denuncia-
| ton The reason and the conscience
| al, nd I,A ind a.,
ment invoked In this way alone can en-
during good be effected, whatever may
be the question at issue, and its relations
to public interests.
The Vinddcator last week contained a
| communication, marked as an advertise
| ment. referring to several articles which
| have appeared in the VALLEY VIRGIN
| IAN, on the subject of license or no liz
cense now pending in Staunton. The
communication refers to the VIRGINIAN
| as the CLIFTON Forge VIRGINIAN, as
| though its editor, who is a citizen and
| Taxpayer of Staunton, were an intruder
when he undertakes to comment on local
affairs in that place. The people of
| Staunton know the VIRGINIAN. wheth-
er published in Staunton or Clifton
Forge, as well as they do the V51sdicator,
and know that it has been a pioneer in
every reform movement that has en-
gagged the attention of the people of the
State for the past twenty years, and that
| there has scarcely been statute en-
acted looking to the rights and interests
Of the people and the well being of the
community that does not emphasize the
| VIRGINIAN'S work. 1t was prominent
in the movement eight or ten years ago
for the enactment of a State prohibit
| tory law by the Legislature, when the
Viasdicator and some OF those who stand
| sponsors for this communication were
aggressive and persistent in their la
bors for the liquor traffic in its most Of
fensive form. 1t was that Legislature
| which evaded the question of prohibit
tion by enacting the local option law,
| knowing that it was cheat and a
swindle and designed to be So 1t is not
and cannot be made to be temperance
| legislation, nor is it possible for any ac-
| ton of the people under it to reform a
single drunkard or prevent a single per
son, whether minor or major, from get
| ting all the liquor he wants. The ''seed
| corn" would be as effectually ex-
posed, if not more SO. under prohibit
| ton in the city as it is now under license.
| There is no licensed saloon in the place
where d minor can buy liquor unless
having an order from parent OF guar
dian. We believe this feature of the
| law is strictly enforced, and TO the ex-
tent that it is, is as much due to the
| VIRGINIAN as any other influence, for
it was the VIRGINIAN that led in the
| fight against the abuse of license that
brought about the reforms which have
been accomplished, and this too while
| the Eandic0t0r and some of the sponsors
for the communication to which we
refer, were supporting the saloons and
all the excuses that were committed in
violation of the license law. Since that
contest there has been marked reform
in this respect, and no one can truthfully
say that there is not as good order and
as strict observance of law in Staunton
now, as there is in any town in the
State, whether license or prohibition
prevails.
The ''seed corn" cannot be protected
under a delusive and deceitfhl local OBJ
ton law We have now law against
selling cigarettes to minor, but it does
not prevent every small boy from carry
ing a package of the deadly nicotine in
his pocket and smoking it around the
corners and behind the stable, where
the parents eye does not reach at all
times. The very fact of this prohibition
stimulates the ingenuity of the ''seed
corn and puts the small boy on his
mettle to circumvent the statute law and
his parents law, in more injurious and
deadly practice, because more insidious,
if possible, than indulgence in strong
drink. Like the traditional bed-bug in
the comic song, the small boy Twill get
there all the same,n whether it is to
70 Toll I,;,,