The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-04

"The General Assembly shall have full power
to enact local option or dispensary laws, or any
other laws controlling, regulating prohibit
ing the manufacture or sale otslntoMcating
liquor.
The Constitutional Conventions recognized the
exceptional character OF the liquor traffic and gave
4 the NEST sweeping power the General Assembly
In handling it, and there is no question whatever
but that the trainers OF the Constitution had in
mind the thought that the Legislature would sooner
or later give the people the right to vote upon the
1 question
The present laws deal with the liquor traffic as
an exceptional business. What other is re-
Quired to appear in and prove his character in
1 order to secure license TO carry his business?
What other business is made the subject of so many
such stringent regulations? 1t is because the ex-
fceptiona character of the business is recognized
by courts, and law making bodies, and by the
general public.
d Moreover the Local Option Law of the State is a
clear cut recognition of the exceptional character
of the business, and the people of the various dis
tricts, towns and cities have been given the right
10 vote on this question by a general law, because
ii was recognized that il such exceptional
business that the people should be given a right to
prohibit it, il they desire. In every State OF the
Union the liquor traffic is question OF special legis
lation and the General Assembly of Virginia has
always dealt with it in the past as an exceptional
business.
I, The Times-Dspatch in this very article declares
be an exceptional one. for it says, by special
chinery supplied them by the legislature the Pro-
hibitionsts have banshed the saloon from three
fpurths Of the State" Why the Special
3chnery'' gtanted and why does not the Times
Dispatch object TO that special machinery Be
caase the liquor traffic is an exceptional business
IL Again the Tmes-D Dispatch declares that they
petition for the right have the people of the whole
State say whether or not the saloon shall stay in the
remaining fourth That is the whole and the
only nuestion invoked here,
Further on the Times Dispatch says, yet that
is the soto conceivable PURPOSE of the cuphcmsti-
caily styled popular election, asked by the Anti
Saloon League to empower threeourths of the
people who have no local interest in the matter at
AL TO tell one-fcurth OF the people whether not
they shall license saloons" And such request the
Times Dispatch declares to be entirely unreason-
able and cannot be considered
II ii true that the liquor traffic were simply
matter OF local interest then there would be no
sdenand for right 10 vote on a Statewide Pro-
hiBitory Law. But the great interest in this sub
u 3ect not only in Virginia but in other Southern
States. shows that it is not matter of local in
tfrcsf simply, but matter OF both local and State
rXaE Although OF far greater Importance,
5hecause il affects not only the physical and intel
lectnal but also the moral condition and progress
sft II somewhat akin the matter of physical and
\ intellectual health What is the attitude of the
state to these questions
The Constitution of Virginia declares that the
t4sAral Assembly shall establish and maintain an
5elehrnt system Of public free schools Throughout
9tiies-axtate. The people not given any opinion
90 shat question. No matter what the people OF