The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-04-17

tractive than they would be to strangers.
It would take but few hundred dol
lars year to keep the Square In good
condition. That money this State can az
ford to expend. and we should like to see
such an Item In the appropriation bill
every year. The penitentiary can and
Will furnish plenty Of unskiled labor,
but actual cash Is needed for other pur-
poses. and It cannot dc gotten except
through q Legislative appropriat lion. I,
N ttSt5S %FE-==.=..--=-----= tS
ENTHUSIASM AND TEMPER
ANCE.
H We have received tho following COM
munication
Editor Of The Times Dispatch:
Slr,-You have given so generously Of
the space Of your valuable paper to the
discussion OF prohibition and the Anti
Saloon League work that should hest
tate to presume further upon your lib
$erallty, but for my confidence In your
sincere desire to do Justice and give q
fair hearing to nll.
ID 1t is the fanatic" IN whose cause
fanatic" in quotation marks. do not
mean the fanatic according to the die
ttiohary definition Of the word, but the
man who, like Elijah, John the Bap-
fist. Paul and Luther. is SO full OF a
noble purpose, SO consumed with zeal
and determinationln q great cause that
the "hoi polloi'' say These men are
beside themselves; they are mad" They
are not infnllible and like ilnpetuous
Peter. sometimes make mistakes. some-
times perhaps, go too far But they make
things 60, they are doing something. There
are "conservatlves"al also In quotation.
who are In no danger Of erring In this
direction. DO not understand Ito COM
mend fanaticism. Conservatism Is gold
en-. but may the Lord bless the con-
servatlvo fanatic" and in mercy, de-
liver US from the fanatlcal 'conserva-
tive" the man with the fanatico-phobta.
who is afraid to have an opinion OF his
own lest 1t be not conservative, who Is
as still as a mouse during the calm, but,
when the wind begins to bow,8runs out
his little vane and says. ''Whew, what
big wind I am making" and then he
begins to crow over the electric fans
that were moving all through the scorch-
Ing heat Of the summer calm. They
are fanatics, they never could create
such a wind: they ought to have walt
ed for the proper time, -
1t Is a glorious thing that public SEN
timent is SO thoroughly aroused on the
subject OF prohibition In our State; but
what is the cause Of it? Is 1t the re-
suit Of natural evolution No. It Is the
effect of the agitation. the hammering
hammerlng the uncomfortable persever-
ance OF some old "cranks." Tho proper
time would never have come had not they
made It, Il "A 4s
News comes that Danvile has gone
dry What does It mean? More than
ten years ago one, John r. Nloffett, a
fanatic Temperance crank" one OF
Gods martyrs was shot down on Dan
ville's streets by {; bar-keeper. Yes, we
rejoice In the victory Of truth and right.
but let us remember that others sowed.
that others labored and bore the heat Of
1,te day and that we but enter upon their
labors. II.
. JOHN N1oNcuRE. JR.
Richmond, Va, April 16, 1908
We have great respect for the Henthu-
siast, we have great respect Tor tho
man who has the courage OF his con-
victions. we have great respect for the
honest man who has the courage to speak
his mind. whether or not we agree with
him in the opinion he expresses or In
the cause which he advocates. Tho en-
thus!ast Is always q good promoter. 1t
Is by enthusiasm and zeal that public
sentiment Is stirred. But the trouble with
the enthusiast Is that he Is apt to DO
over-zealous and Is apt to advocate ex-
treme measures to carry out the reform
which he would accomplish. When there
are practical questions to deal with. prac-
teal methods must be employed.
Another objection to the enthusiast is
that he is apt to overstate the truth,
which he proclaims and nothing is ever
gained by that. On the contrary the
cause is weakened thereby. For example
our correspondent says that the Rev.
]. r. Mofrett was shot down on the
streets OF Danyille, by bar-keeper4 and
as a result OF his martyrdom, Danville
has now voted o run the saloons out OF
existence. In point OF fact, Mr.. Monett
was shot by a lawyer. by a lawyer who
was not engaged in tho liquor traffic, and
IN tho interest OF truth It must be FUR
Their said that Mr.. Mofrett was not kill
ed because he was a prohlbltionist. but
because he had made an attack through
his paper upon tho lawyer. who after
wards shot him. Tho two men had had a
difficulty at tho polls. but there would
in all probability have been no further
trouble II Mr.. Monett had let the at
fair rest there. But In tho next issue OF
his prohibition paper, no denounced this
man IN unstinted terms and subsequently
there was another personal encounter be-
tween him and the lawyer In which Mr.,
Molfett was shot to death.
Mr., Moffett was devout prohibition
list, was honest and conscientious and
| courageous. but he lost his life not
| through his advocacy OF prohibition. hut
! because no deliberately and fcaressly
and we might almost say recklessly do
| nounced In print man whom he knew
| TO be his enemy.
We have no disposition to resurrect
| this unfortunate tragedy. and we shall