The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-16
Voice Of
the Peop pie.
Social Club Legislation.
Prepared for The Times Dispntch

Social Club Legislation.
w. ID. Cardwell.)
Ever since I have been Y member q \,
the House Of Delegates, beginning with
the session 1899, there has been an open
fight to put bona flde social clubs on tho
sumo footing MS bar-rooins. This move
ment was supported by the Anti-saloon
I.negue ana BY the bar-keepcrs, but was
always defeated.
At the session at which the Mann bill
was adopted I offered a number OF
amendments to the social stub section.
seeking to strengthen the hands OF tho
law and TO enable the officers OF the law
tion Of fake clubs. These provisions
seemed SUFFICIENT for that purpose, and
1 believe II properly enforced, with MD
p ponMag frf e wod sa
| any further Legislation along that line
unnecessary: tsee Acts, 1904, Sec. 14e,
During the present session. at m carly
| 322. which purported In It's titlerto amend
section 142, above referred. to. the. title.
reading: IA bill to amend and re-enact
o. 1914, ETC.. = This his iii contained nros
| visions In reference to giving Judges OF
the court greater latitude and discretion
and control over social clubs. 80 that
such clubs were harmful to tho moral or
material welfare OF the community, they
might either refuse to grant. charters,
or having them might revoke them.
bY the bona flde social clubs, but the
bill was referred In the Senate to sub
committee, consisting Of Senators Thorn
as. Sale and Sheckelford. for tho pur-
pose OF having the same rcdrafted, so
MS to perfect the above mentioned pro-
visions. This subcommittee reported
the bill IN the form in which 1t after
yards passed the Senate and the House
Committee Of Finance. and in which It
would have passed the House, but for
the discovery OF a provision in It, which
required all social clubs to. get out n
par par room license and comply with all
bill. This object was sought to DO ac-
anguage il the bil Itself but BY by re sssH
ence to section IA OF the. aforesaid Act
Ing the bar-room or Mann bill section
OF the revenue law. and which was BY
the Finance Committee OF the Senate.
ana rn.l, I, by. the Senate and BY the Finance
section 142. the social club section. 1t
appears that the canvass. which was |
mad by the Anti-saloon League people.
a hnena by the a rspresentatves Of the bar
conducted upon the basis OF keeping
quiet and out OF view this provision OF |
the bill. and talking exclusively to the
members about the provision with refer
e enc to enlarging the discretion OF the
judges. Whenever any member asked !
whether the bill affected bona flde social |
clubs. ne received an indirect. rather
than tn, a, direct answer, and was told that
tors Sale and Shackeiford. who were |
known to be club members and had |
passed the Senate with little or no oppo- |
si.ion. ;Ihus the error. which the sub
OF mistaking one section for the other, |
was perpetuated and was not discovered !
until the last minute. and perhaps would |
not have been. discovered but for the |
fact that ! having introduced the amend
ment. perfectIng the social club law en,- |
brnced In section 142. above referred TO. |
remembered the number OF the section |
and thereby detected the error. To show
that the canvass in favor OF the bill was
conducted upon the plan above sug- |
gested a reference Is made to certain |
language in an article published In The
Times Dispatch on Tuesday. the 18th In
slant. signed by James Cannon. Jr. The
language referred to being as follows:
The Finance Committee asked me /
Whether the billawas aimed atsthesgen-
Senate Committee of Finance had APP
pointed subcommittee. consisting OF |
Senators Thomas. Sale and Shackelford. |
and they had drawn the bill and had i
presented It to the Senate as a measure
ncceptable to the genuine clubs. ana that
the Senate had passed the bill by q prac- |
tically unanimous vote. 1t was not the |
bill offered by Judge Mann. but sub
stitute prepared Mt the request OF the
genuine clubs" M
Now. tho fact is. that IL Mr.. Cannon.
or any one else Mt this time. or at the
time that the bill was before tho SEN I
ate. had frankly stated TINT tho bill 1
did put social clubs on tho same footing I
with abar-rooms the bill would not have
passed the Senate committee. nor the
Senate. nor the House committee. but
the committee did not get this frank
answer. but got the indirect one. which
as above explained. perpetuated the error
which h., the sub. committee had fallen in
to. The last sentence of the above squo-
tation Is also misleading. The fact Ia,
that while the subcommittee prepared
substitute. In doing so they clipped and
pasted in that part OF the bill. as origi-
nnlly offered by Judge Mann, which con-
[ained the reference to section al. .Thc, i
original bill. the committee substitute and
the engrossed bill. as 1t passed the Sem
ate. are in the possession OF the clerks
of the Senate and House. respectively. L
and can be seen Mt any time. 5
1 have written the above statement at 1
The request OF Mr.. Stewart Bryan for
his personal use as manager OF The
Tines Dispatch.
Nv. d. ECARDWELL.