Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-11-15
Friday, November 10, 1901.
WHAT WILL IT DO WITH THIS

w ILL II DO With THIS
The Richmond papers, with others,
are advising the Constitutional Con-
vention against meddling with the
liquor question-having under con.
sideration the Barbour Quarles reso-
luton which provides that no LIQUOR
license shall be issued except upon
petition OF a majority of the voters
OF any district, etc. Our contempt
rarles take a strange view of the
matter when they assert that the
convention body has nothing to do
with such questions. If this mat
ter is not properly before the Con-
stitutional Convention, or is not ad-
Missile in its deliberations. we
should like to know what does prop.
erly come within its purview? A
Constitutional Convention, as the
highest law-making body of land, is
created to do what is equitable and
just to the greatest number of its
people. Can it go far wrong when
passing enactments which leave local
legislation to a majority of the peo-
pie interested? Surely not, and
douoly so when the object is to in
hibit the sale of what has never
been accounted a blessing to any
community, but acknowledged to
have been a curse in the greater
number of cases.
We do not wonder when laws are
passed to restrain the sale of lauda-
mum, opium and morphine, for they
are deadly drugs which do their work
quickly. 1t does not require argu-
ment or statistics to show that
whiskey is in the same category, the
only difference being that it is slow
III Its efects-first killing the soul
and the moral nature and lastly the
body. The Georgia Legislature is
now considering the advisability of
restricting the sale of cocaine. OF
all the drugs that confer a boon
upon mankind cocaine and Its con-
comitants are probably the chiefest.
Nothing has ever been found in the |
practice of medicine that will as
suage pain to the extent that cocaine
does. Yet it is to be placed under a
ban and its promiscuous sale re-
stricted. Not near so much is to be
said in behalf of vhiskey as can be
claimed for cocaine; and its effects
produce more depravity and as GER
tain death as does this soothing drug.
Our city contemporaries, fearing
that the Convention will act favor
ably upon the Barbour-Q uarles reso-
luton, are making an effort to have
the cities left out in the application
of the law. If the rural districts are
placed under its provisions the ma
lority of us would be content. but
why the cities should be exempt
from Its operations we do not see.
NOR can we see any tenable grounds
irged by the city papers. They
claim that such a law would be ,
detrimental to the business interests ]
II cities. Are they not willing to {
cave the Judgment of such matters /.
n the hands of the majority of the f
oters9 The resolution does not pro-
ioit the sale of liquor; it simply !.
avs that liquor shall not be sold in O
ny locality unless majority of the K
oters want it. If the damage done e e
city in restraining the sale of LIQUOR f,
mounts to more than the good ac-
emphasized it is hardly probable that Z
majority of the sovereigns would
e SO blind as not to see it. We saw h
ere what our exchanges are fond of
nging in our ears, "Trust the 4,
eople." 81