The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-01-27
The Liquor Question in Politics

'lhe LlquOr@ \(uestlOIlSlllls !.
son ignore the liquor question: Ri says 5; rho
Times Dispatch, etitorinlly his morning.
They did right to ignore t.1 tEis a. Gar l 3
gerolls question, and Il Il IS q wed go 8tso
get into our State politics IN any way wa
tho result will be q Republican Governor or
and the control Of our 5 tatoi BY q COM
bination Of Republicans and the LIQUOR III IL
teres ts..-Ri edmond News Leader 3$# n ~
ME 8thatsl,e a fact, the defeat Il q ; the
Democratic party Is o foregonrlc conIclllss
Sion. The regulation OF the liquor trat ~:
is d question 3 Intense interest through l
out tho state. II Is already in poll ties and
will lie an issue in the next gubernu to RAJ
campaign. The3 rimes- spntcl does q ' g.
bcliove in prohibition and rs not disposal
to encourage the issue l3ut Us an ISSUE,
and tho Democr TIC part might as 4 Snli
mako up itsmind iii advance 8t:, meet y.
In this connection the Petersburg index
Appeal says ny 4 .S5s3S
s."Thero IS III disposition N some Huln1ri-s
tiers to dlsparage consideration OF t q "
ll1uor question, and to '.sst $ !.
hns no proper place MS en- lHste 5slil Y
Democratic primary. But this Is n5 mar mr. I
row ana erroneous View. rho !lo'lcf q.
trnfic Ss a5 very important subject 81
state, NUM- clpsll and Federal regulation
and n control, and is, as much entitled
to reconsideration and N Il scussio on IN u
Demo- ratio primary campaign as the ne
school question or tho public Hrondls q u l
Stlon.# It Rtnkes considerable moral cou l',
tgc on, the part Of "a candidate to & 60
up against n t, ibutns a. q stlon OF Cd l
stract right, and, for that matter, 81 q
concrete land practical right, too. tho {,
Democratic party can settle as we'll
as any other party, and we firmly \ be-
5licve that the Democratic party VIII
make a grave mistake to ignore 4 Sc
evident conditions. IfSfit .should Il SHRINK
from the duty and opportunity OF reg ~
flatlng tho traffic in accordance wi tn
the popular wish. 81 II may find Sitself II
tho attitude OF having to light prohliie'l-5
ton as an organized force Z outsido a Of :
It's own ranks, and mot only as g 20
litical R moral Issue g, WITH 9, Y w
moral agencies of IN he State enlisted
on its side. Tho recent convention Ii N
Lynchburg is pregnant With warnfliin %
tho Democratic party, 4 Y. 5B5 lE Ss
HI. we do not d gree with our Richmond
contemporary that tho Introduction OF
this question will Split the Democratic
party and cause It's defeat.8eirlc party
has met The question lii times paste
by wise ana conservative 4 manage n1ent
has dealt with It in d way that was more
or less satisfnctory3to ali sides. The
Democratic party is opposed on princi--3
pie to all unnecessary interference 1 with
the rights OF lndividu als--to all sun,pt ,lr
nry laws. II stands for local self-govern-
ment aud believes IN permitting each and
every locnlltyS8to regulate tho LIQUOR
traffic to suit itself But the great ma
jority ofaDemocrats, certainly throughout
the rural districts Of Virginia, are IN
favor OF such practicable restriction and
l5rogulatlon OF the liquor traffic as will
reduce tho liquor evil to tho minlmun!.
III response tothat sentiment, the LeGis-
laturc cnnctcd IL the Mann laN.twhich Is
/. Democratic. enactment no matter who
framed aud introduced tie bill; no mat
ter WHOSE name t$hcars, and there Is no
doubt that tho law has operated we'll
and is very popular throughout the State,
In the Forthcoming campaign tho lues-
ton will be brought up, the candidates
for the Democratic nomination for Cow
crnor viii DO called upon to state their
position on it. and they might as we'll
mako ready for reply It Is n question
that cannot ba ignored