Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-02-02


Ec',ols, Fairfax, Ficod Green, liarnsberger
Harrison. Hatcher Hay, Herbert, Little
Miller Mushbach and Westinghouse.
Nays-NIessrs. Arthur, Barnes (Manly II y
Buchanan. Hurt, jackson, Jones, Jordan
LeCato, Maynard, Sands. Tredway, Walton
Wickham and Willams-l4.
Senator Hnft of Halifax opposed the bill
OH the ground t,;. the law should not lie in
terfered with until another Democratic State
convention had met ana spoken.
Senator StnObs then spoke at length against
the bill. lie said he bad made the first move
for the Local Option law which had beer
passed. He was for Prohibition, but against
the Prohibition party and he thought that
party desired that the Democratic party would
repeal this law. He confessed that the Pro.
hibtion party had sprung up since the Local
Option law was passed. and made close fight
i'll Augusta county, but the prayers of the tenn
perance people Of the State had gone up
against the Prohibition party He said the
iallot provided in the new bill was .For
local Option" and against Local Option -
md the question of License was not named.
ihs bill gave to counties and small towns
privileges which it deprived the cities of.
Senator Echols then made an able speech in
advocacy of the Miller BILL lis said that the
purpose of the local option bill was to give
the majority of voters in each community the
sight to decide tho liquor question, but it was
not intended by those who framed the law
that it should operate in such way as to al
low the minority to Cypress the majority and
to create strife and discord in every commu-
nifty where the question was raised. He also
said that the local option law was a tenta-
tive measure-a mere experiment which had
proven itself to bea failure and thatit should
now be modified. He was not in any sense
opposed to the temperance cause, but thought
the Prohibitionists were doing the temper
arce cause more harm than good. He then
made an exhibit of the names signed to re-
cent petition for a prohibition election N
Staunton. Of the $50 names on that petition,
200 were negroes and the others, with the
exception Of fifty Democrats, were Republi-
cans and Prohibitionists who owned very
little property. 1t was these people, he said,
who were agitating the question at Staunton
and harrassing the Democrats of that city for
political purposes. There was cry from his
city for relief and the cry came from temper
ance people and from many of those who had
voted the dry ticket, but who said that the
law was doing more harm than good. As to
any injury to the Democratic party from the
passage of the Miller bill, the local option
law was already doing the Democratic party
ncalculable harm.
He then reviewed the canvass in Augusta
county last fall and said that never were
there such debauchery and such attempts to
corrupt the suffrage OF free people as were
made by mehwho claimed to be working in
the interest of morality and that they resorted
to every means that would bring vote. He
also read one OF the prohibition circulars
showing the methods used in the canvass.
In reply to a friendly question from Sena-
tor Washington, Mr. Echols SAID he never
took drink in his life, but that his charac-
ter and his Democracy were both attacked by
the Prohibitionists. 1t was idle to say that
the question was not in politics. The Prohi-
btionists were already at work in Staunton
and Norfolk, and would show themselves in
all the cities of the State holding elections
next spring.
NO MORALITY BY FORCE.
NIL IACliOlS dLUuSOHl1Cu III CSSlHG Ldl Ills
the proposition that morality could be propa-
gated by force. His peroration was a, genuine
fight of eloquence and drew from the Senate
a round OF applause. He said:
SIN one eternal round men have rung the
changes upon all possible forms of govern
ment, hoping to find one at last that would
make the people what they ought to be. Va
rious theories have chased each other in every
variety of succession across the grand pano-
rama of earth's hstory-now rising to Heav-
en-. and now sinking to hell-the hopes of a
fallen world; but in vain. and worse than in
vain, have been all such forced reforms. They
remove the outward effect, but the inward
cause continues STILL They cleanse the stream
for moment, but the fountain is left impure.
They set the hands ON the dial of the universe
and leave the machinery within in disorder,
and this is all that force can effect. Force
cannot penetrate the core of society and cure
the rottenness that is there Force cannot
reach the fountain head of all true morality
the human heart-and make it beat respon-
sive to high and noble aspirations. Force
cannot restore life to the love of liberty. 1t
can only graft living branches on the decayed
and lifeless trunk Something infinitely
higher and grander than mere physical force
must be at the bottom Of all true morality.
From the dawn of this civilization men have
been at work on the outside of society," They
will not recognize that its life and its power
and its freedom and its glory must come from
within. What is this reform ing power upon
which all true morality must be based? 1t is
strong and healthy public sentiment. Its
reform begins at the very heart of society and
works itself out upon the surface. Instead of
cutting down q tyrant here or crushing an
abuse there, it enlishtens the understanding
and puriGes its efforts everywhere. 1t makes
society all glorious within that she may put
on such external form as best becomes her
glorified state
At the conclusion of Mr. Echols's speech,
there was cordial applause.
The question then came mp on the engross-
ment of the bill aud the vote resulted as fol
lows:
Ayes-Arthur, Barnes, L. IL. Berry, Echols,
Fairfax Flood, Green, Harrison, Hatcher,
Hay, Herbert, Jones, Lovenstein, Maynard,
Miller, Mushbacb, Parrish, Washington,
Watts-19,
Noes-Barnes an. ~ Buchanan, Harnsber-
ger, Hurt, Jackson. Jordan, LIE Cato, Sands,
Tredway. Walton, Williams-1l.
Mr.. Watson was paired with Mr.. Stubs
Mr.. Watson would have voted aye.
IA telegram to the VINDICAToR yesterday
afternoon says the bill will be put on Its pas
sage to- day (Friday) having been delayed for
emendment.]
PRoPos INCREASE OF PAY OF MEMBERS OF
THE LEGISLATURE.
| A bill was offered in the House by Mr.. Glib
son to amend the code in relation to the pay
| of members and officers of the General AS
| sembly. 1t fixes the compensation of the
| President of the Senate and Speaker of tht
House at $500, and the other members at $54t
for each regular session, and in addition
thereto the President and Speaker shall re
| caivn Sl0 and the other mam hers Gh Der do1