The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-08-04

.
tJnitcd States Senate liz directly IN accord
Wit, thot ucsItior Of Methodsin 81 fnr
II m their replies to The questions hskea
Isby tho Anti Saloon League Gun 'ndlchtc
4 lthrir position. Thcy are both opposed
A To the ltuuor feature of tie army ca Gun
tcen they both dcsroasto protect ,l ,l
1ndinns from the effects OF strong drink,
I. and they both favor the passngc or q
4 law which will protect dry territory
N ono state from the encronchinent Of
The iiauor sellers In wet" territory IN
another State So far, therefore. as the
i views OF tho candidates have beet,
brought out by tho Ant-saloon League,
! they have expressed tho same conviction,
and IL is very gratifying to- the sober.
tetnrernto people OF tho state thnt both
| of these gentlemen have lined themselves
i publicly on the side OF right.
/ Now, what about tho candidates for
Governors? Judge Mtnn's position on tho
! question Is exactly the same MS tho
| position NJ the candidates for the senate,
and his answers to the questions pro-
! pounded to him leave no doubt what
/ ever MS to whore he stnnds.
! Mr.. Swanson has not given any public
expression Of his position, and no nc
curate criticism can be made of his
personal views on the subject @
But we have n really surprising state
| mont from Mr.. Willard. lie states IN
his letter to tho editor Of the Cllnch
! Valley News that 'no blanc can attach
i to the recommendation Of a 1ulct and
| wcll-behavcd citizen who would keep an
orderly place" Mcthodism does not be-
| lcvo that any man Is wcll-behNed
| citlzon who keeps a bnr-room, and she
| does believe that great blame atthcheS
! to any man who recommends or assists
| in any way any man to carry on
traffic In Intoxicating liquor She says
| positively in her law that 1t Is I'M
moral to do anything which Will aid IN
any way the beverage traffic IN intoxi-
| eating liquor, and that Inv stands ms
the great Methodist Church regardless
Of what may be said by any individual,
| or by any other organization.
| The editor of this paper hast strong
| convictions on this subject. They are not
! tho product of few months; they are
| tho growth Of years, and during the
| twelve years in which he has been
engaged in editorial work, he has not
| failed to express himself clearly and
positively so that no reader could be
! in doubt as to his position. The present
political campaign is not responsible IN
any way for the views herein expressed.
! They are not expressed for the purpose
of aiding any one man more than an
other They are uttered in support Of
the principles for which Methodism
| stands. NIethodism stands for the de-
structlon Of tho beverage liquor traffic,
and IN this country and State this de-
| str,,ctlon must be accomplished by the
representatives of the people. For years
the ,rnffic has ridden rough-shod over
I the wishes of the best people OF the
State and. indeed, we may truly say has
ridden rough-shod over the very hearts
j, of the people. But the time has come
when the great bulk. of the sober, tenn
4 pcrate. Christian people of the State
have determined to protect themselves
from the assaults of the drunkard-mak-
} ers and to obtain such legislation as Will
destroy the licensed beverage liQuoE trnf-
fic. and as will insure that the law on this
subject will be enforced as well as any
, | other law on the statute books OF the
state, The position of Virginia Meth
: odism on this subject was clearly en-
: pressed at the last session of the Annual
Conference in the report on temperance
which was adopted without dissenting
: voice We give a resolution from that
2 ronort which. IL taken with the pro-
. vision from the Discipline quoted above,
will give the position Of Methodism on
: Tho liouor traffic so clearly that none
y can fail TO understand: #18st
. "Resolycd A. That we call upon our
pcoplc TO insist that the officials OF the
" county, city and State faithfully execute
: the laws bearing on the subject; that we
q give our support only to the men VINO
> REPRESENT the wishes of the people on
mis- great moral question, and that we
v continue the work of agitation until pup-
, lie ornion becomes SO strong that II
viii be impossible for public officials TO
: favor the licensed saloon.
: We give prominence to this article a:
c # ,renresents, We presume. the senti
s ment of the members OF the Anti-Sa
: loon League, rs well ms the sen'imcn
: OF the members OF the Methodist Church
v both the candidates for United Statc
c senator have, We are assured, slFcl
# satisfactory answers to the question
c rropoundcd by the Anti-saloon League
J. and 1t is obvious that Of the candidate
d for governor, only tho answer of Judg
d Mann is satisfactory. But Judge Mann
IS reply seems to be cmincntly satfsfactor
,c plain, We think. that in his opinion bot
a. Auti.Saloon Leagues and Methodist
sc are under obligation to give their SUI
70 port to Judge Mann.
| bNS'
question. for, in Democratic contes
Mt The Times Dispatch has no candidate
h. But we have thought proper to prcscl
10 the case fully and let all Democrats sc
n to shat extent the temperance cause
In figuring rs an Issue and It's relation
the several candidates.
L Judge Mann Is presumably the chcit
!, of the anti-lauor voters, and he make
10 no secret of 1t Tint while he Is n Dem
I'd crat and not, politically speaking. n Pre-
~ hlbtionist he Is opposed to the liqu
.. traffic, and in favor Of enacting and G
to forcing laws to restrict 1t rs far
10 public sentiment Will sustain. That b
ing the case, 1t goes without saying IN
he II Judge Mann Is nominated the tel
os pcrance question wa. Of necessity be