Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1909-02-19

mously OF the opinion that it woul
damage our cause to press this issu
upon the voters at the present time
In view of the conditions that con
front us. 1t would not be voted upo
as single definite issue, nor stan
upon its merits. 1t would be compli
Gated with the primary elections fo
the Governorship and for members O
the House of Delegates, 1t would be
come more or less a political football
Personal and factional feeling woulC
enter so largely into the result as t.
rob it of any positive meaning. More
over, the Senate of Virginia has al
ready been elected, and, inasmuch a.
1T is impossible to secure any legisla
tion or the right to vote on question
without the consent of both Houses OF
the General Assembly, it would be nee.
essary finally to resort to petition in
order to reach the Senate.
Differences In League.
Your committee is not unmindfuI
that there is some difference of opinion
among our workers on this question.
This very fact causes us to hold more
firmly to the position that the time has
not yet come for this change in our
policy. Ifthere is real division among
ourselves, there will be much greater
division among the members of the
General Assembly, and, finally, among
the voters. The League has won its
great victories because of the united
front that it has always presented to
the enemy. All of us can unite
heartily in working for the Legislative
programme presented in the first
part of this report and your commit
tee believes that the conservatism
of the proposed action will receive
the support, not only of our present
constituency. but will commend itself
to thousands of voters in the State who
will be willing to go with us that far,
but who have not yet been educated up
to the point of voting for Statewide
prohibitory law. Of course the exter-
mination of the beverage liquor traffic
is our ultimate goal. We have never
concealed the fact that we are working
for this end, nor do we mean to init
mate that, by the adoption of this
program. we are in any way surrender
ing our final purpose. But it is better
to take year or two longer to do the
work thoroughly and permanently than
to hasten unduly and thereby court a
defeat or a reaction. We are not in
this warfare for the sake of fighting
but to obtain results.
Unwise tn Change Policy.
In short, your committee believes
that it is not wise to abandon as yet
the policy under which we have won
our victories during the past seven
years. Let US concentrate our forces
and perfect our organization during
the coming year to wage a campaign of
education in the remaining strongholds
of the enemy, and when the blowing
and sowing have been thoroughly done
and we finally call for vote, we can
look with far greater confidence for
permanent results than if we closed
the saloons in these places by a State
wide law, without carrying on our
usual educational campaign. Let us
press forward for the next year in the
old paths, and when the next conven-
tion meets, if it should be evident that
we have gone as far as we can go with
profit under tlN local option policy, we
can then all join heartily together in |
the demand for a Statewide prohibi-
tory law.
In Favor of Local Option.
In view of the considerations stated
above, your committee would recon-
mend the following declaration of
policy:
Resolved, That we iterate the decla-
ration of 1908, that under present con-
ditions we favor the principle of local
option in carrying on our work against
the saloon, preferring to carry on the
work of education in all the towns and
cities in the State, which have not yet
voted on the question of license. But
should it become clearly evident that
such legislation as will properly pro-
hibit no-license territory and as will
place proper restrictions upon the
liquor traffic in license territory, or
that we have gone as far as we can go
with profit to our cause under the local
option policy, we shall be obliged to
change our policy and demand the
right to vote on the question of State
wide prohibitory law.
Your committee requests that this
report lie on the table until Wednesday
morning session, at which time we will
move to have it up and consider it item
by item.
Respectfully submitted,
(SigneO JAMES CANNON, JR.,
R. II. BENNETT,
E. j. RICHARDSON,
j. d. M'ALISTER,
r. S. BARBOUR.
w. H. VINCENT,
]. w. HoUGH,
Legislative Committee of Anti-Saloon
League of Virginia.
NO MORE WHITE FLOUR.
Flour is to be white no more. Secre-
Jary Wilson's order against the bleach
ing of flour by the millers went into eff