The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-02-28

I &sEse SBA8tFs AstfluOtlt HltbsNti, FHsa
10 a large Richmond audience iast
| Sunday: THE Anti-saioon League
! would demand Statewide prohibit
tory law tomorrow, II such action
would be productive OF the
/ best and the most permanent results.
| When the league viii decide that
such action would be productive or
this result no man can say
! On Monday, March y, 1908. in dis
cnssicn with the lndex-Appeai. the
Times Dispatch declared. Iii tihc
/ league} has made 1t as plain ~ lam
guage can make any thing that tho
/ policy OF local option has bes-E
adopted for expediency only. aud
will similarly be Abandoned as ex-
pediency may dictate. We need cite
/ nothing more here than the reso-
luton adopted bs, the Anti Saloon
| League convention at Norfoli. on
/ February 10 last. But should 1t be-
come clearly evidently that VIC have
gone as far as we can go with profit
4 to our cause, etc, law
we sincerely trust that tina issue
I OF Statewide PROHIBITION VIII nsser
| be brought TO vote In Virginia. isvt
should defeat In local options cleo
tons In Richmond and Norfolk, for
! instance, decide the league to change
I our policy In 1910. as IT would have
4 evary. right to do at Its discretion, we
/ look forward with interest TO seeing
! the Index-Appeal denounce these
/ high minded gentlemen as Judas Is
| CARROTS who have betrayed solemn
obligation"
In view OF these statements. which
1 appeared in print. both in the news
/ papers and in pamphlet form. and
were distributed by the thousand all
over the State and in view of these
public utterances and the newspaper
4 comments on both the statement and
I the ufterances. there Is no reason for
any one to be mistaken as to our
/ position, which was that the policy
| OF local option was purely n tenn
t,orary matter OF e2pediencs Ana not
! Of principle. which might be charged
at any time. and probably would be
changed to Statewide policy at tile
1910 convention.
why the Change.
on October /, 1909. after the l.oa-
4 noke election, at a conference OF the
field workers. conditions were thor
ourhly discussed, and Il was evtdeb'
| to those workers that the eistt'
! machinery of the large cities Was
under the control of the liquor e'e-
,ncnt. and that the Democratic ieg-
I igtration officials. at the bidding OF
the liquor traffic. were perrniuins
the registration of sufficient rum
her of ignorant and debased negroes
to carry the cities wet. N e'e'
eiectiou that was won by the vets
: tho natorittes were less in every aHse
than the number of the negroes who
had been added to the voting lsL
! -.rhts-was true of every city exeep'
Petersburg. which election was an
exception to all rules. IN view ~
thIs sitnation the officials declared
--,,,,e,,iy- that In ctr personal OPINION
: the time had come for the peepfe %
the State 10 be told the exaH CON
dtt}ons and be asked whe1her .heo
desired to vote on State-W ioe iaw
goIiovtng this declaration the Hoi'
80 and the Virginia conferences
took action. and the Baptist Asso'
cation indicated their desire that the
satnar ha eliminated from the en-
( .;ra sxata" The Antt-Safoon League
= a.,+,,.,..,.44,t.-. ,f-la19- earefullN-coIsio:
o,.ea tho reasons for the adoption OF
resolution calling for the risht "
I sc9c and adopted the same attaisf'
,nonsly These reasons were luiIs
Gel forth in the report OF the ies.s
I tive committee, when report Na'
printed and adopted by the coA'e"'
tion. -. .,,o above
r,a,a,nent that we have never varied
A., tho slightest degree from tne 20,
at,ton taken in February, lsos. Al
a. ,,,arkers of the Anu-seiooH
tlaa,.a conventions stood on the pat
h. fnrm enunciated by the Anu-oaiooi
! T aaviIe at Norfolk in FAVOR OF loca
I.,,sson hut that platform distinctly
nnd nositively stated that the ioca
ontion principle would be ananoohe'
whenever Il became evldeht 10 u
that we had gone as Tar as we coul.
go under that policy. The Temperance
ssaorIe az the state, In their last con
rcntion. have unanimously declared
, that we have gone as far az we car
go ana we do not see anything EN-
barrass;ne in changing our poiies
from local option to State-w iue pro
! i.it'tt,on when we positively declared
war ago that 1t was probable ina
we would do that very thing
we want TO be clearly understood
{If any gentlemen hold to the iooa
optfon policy as matter OF pin
! pic, directly contrary ana ah,asouis'.'
Ia a Statewide policy, that 10 a mat
, .tY fer discussion as differenee q,
) oninion concerning principles; but v
any gentlemen have thought that th'
= Anti-safoon League has bound Hsei
: in any way to the local option poiicN
: as a matter of principle. after reao.
ing the statements 1 have qooteu
above. there Is no ground Tor sucl
an ouiuion No man VINO STOOD OF
the An1i-Saloon League PLATFORM o.
! 1a09 ia one WIKI embarrassed ny
standing upon the platform of lsl'
rx.ith the conditions Of 1910 before
him. That is the position of thou
sands of ministers and laynen among
our best people. and they do not Zee
that there lis ts+N slightest ineonslsten'
cv In their present position. nor are
they at all embarrassed BY IT.
In View OF these things. the worn'
erz in the Anti-Saloon League cause
:. have been Indignant mt the charges
which have been made that the Anti
Saloon League has rot played fall
. with the Democratic party; that the
league tn 1909 declared for LEGAL OPP
ton and now has reversed itself
and declared for Statewide nrohihi.
. Hon; that the members of sae Gen
erai Assembly were elected on 10
I. tal optian platform. and thai II wdult
, he a betrayal az their tirtrt To VOTE
FOR hill giving the people . right
! To vote on Statewide prohibition.
, t.ncaI Option Ai0fc Viewer Eoilowesl
These statements are not In ac'
ccrf!anee with The facts. the sact'
. are that The Auii-Sal"on League has
never stood for local option rs :
policy 10 the exclusion of all otiiei
methods. hut 1t has used IL Simply
AZ one method among Others nf fight
Ing the liaua. .lsfft. Moreover. thf
, - M .,t,, tts.t2 trau rp1la.Np 2