The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1909-01-28

imaginations Of some Of our temper,
ace friends may tempt them to do It;
fand We cannot justify legislation
against them on the same grounds as
Legislation against theft. murder and
arson. The only grounds upon which
any restrictive legislation against the
sale Of liquor can be justified. Is the
ground of public policy, and from that
standpoint the ,Intelligeneer seeks to
consider It,, Is public policy best ser.
we'd by an enactment that seeks to
Impose upon populous communities q
Condition In which they do not believe.
and with which they are not in sym.
pathy? Is public policy best served
by the arbitrary constellation Of mil
lions OF dollars of valuable property,
whose owners have enjoyed the pro-
lection and encouragement Of the
state, and who have made their In
vestments on the assumption that the
protection would be continued? Is.
public policy best served by depriving
| the states and municipalities of a
large annual revenue, which must be
made good by the imposition of heav.
Ter taxes? Is public policy best ser
we'd by the creation of a condition of
wholesale. lawlessness in many sec
tions? ~
These answers to these questions is
tEO. These. questions themselves
point to the best solution of the prob
lem. That Is. a county or municipal
local option law which will give to
leach community of Importance the op.
portunity of deciding this question for
itself. Such a law win give the pro
hibitionlsts In West Virginia every
inch Of territory that is , morally
theirs; and will give them prohibit,
ton over every. foot of ground In
which it can be practically enforced.
But The prohibition advocates answer,
what is the use of prohibition in our
interior counties When Wheeling,
Parkersburg, Huntington and Charles,
ton can ship wihskey to us by the
/ "AoAOSRACi Ahcic are L"O SuluCleuC
replies to this: -.
| First, The legislature may, IL it choo-
ses. pass an enactment prohibiting
| common carriers in West Virginia
from accepting and carrying liquors
into any prohibition territory in the
state limits.
Second, No state legislation can
prevent people living in prohibition
districts from sending outside the
state and having liquors delivered to
them in the original package The
man living in prohibition, territory who
wishes to drink may or may not, be
able to buy his liquors in Wheeling,
Parkersburg, Huntington or Charles
ton, but nothing that this state. can do
can prevent him buying them In Gin
cinnati, Pittsburg, Baltimore, or a hun
dred. other. points THAI are easily
Preached by mail and; express, Practic-
ally, therefore, an effective local op
ton law will give to, every prohibition
community in West Virginia as .effec-
tive protection against the liquor traf-
fic as state wide prohibition or any
other enactment could,
In considering local option it is well
to take note Of the progress in restric-
tive legislation that it has brought
iabout In our sister state of Ohio. The
Rose law has been effective less than
one year, yet in that time nearly
threefourths of the state has voted
dry and nearly 1000 saloons have been
closed. The communities that desire
1t, are protected against it. Surely
no temperance advocate can find fault
with the results achieved under this
law in Ohio; and surely it is not in
reason to impose upon this state with
it's scattered and widely diversified
population, It's comparatively weak
machinery for the enforcement of law,
more drastic measure than has been
found satisfactory in the great and
populous state. across the river. Cou-
pie effective local option with a high
state and municipal license, and the
result win be the most reasonable and
most satisfactory legislation which it
l.. will be possible for this legislature to
pass.
One Of the favorite arguments urg.
ed by the advocates of the prohibition
amendment before the legislature is
that the people should have chance
to pass upon the question. Theoretic.
: ally that is right, and that is exactly
! what local option law will give-an
opportunity for the people in every
county and in every considerable NH