The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-12-15
4 Great Question Solved"

It has remained for the editor OF a Richmond
paper to solve probably the pressing
problem OF general interest, We cheerfully
concede to him the palm-not that have
tried to solve il, for we know when a thing
Is beyond the ability of ordinary mortals al
this stage of esoluting civization-and gve
him the credit.
The startling announcement was made In the
course of an editorial comment in the Rich
mond Times Dispatch on the result of the re-
cent local option election in this city. 1t was
follows
Now that Lynchburg has decided that in
*eXicants can be sold there. the authorities
should take care that the rules under when
IL can be sold shall be SO plain and so exact
ing that harm will come to the community
from the free sale of the stuff.
We frankly confess that the overwhelming
Importance Of the discovery did not suggest
itself to us first. We had not looked for such
thing, 70 be more frank, in the editorial ut
terances OF our Richmond contemporary. ana
cur attention was called to the true signt-
canoe of 1t by the Danville Register when
made the following remark the question
used above:
This advice will doubtless be gratefully re
ceIved by the people of I.ynchburg indeed.
vets and "drys" alike VIII he profoundly
grateful to Editor Hcmphill if he will grace
fuzzy submit or draft such rules he sug
gests so that no harm VIII come to the com
munity from the free sale of the stuff. II the
major mas any such information he owes It
to suffering world 10 give il the benefi, of his
wisdom. Even Richmond would be grateful for
such a receipt which the Deacon, alone of all
men seems to be able to provide. To divuige
this secret will be to settle this HeNed cues.
ton fer all time.
We are willing 10 give the Deacon even more
credit than our j1anville contemporary does. It
is not possible for us unaided to know exactly
what system OF rules make the free sale
of Intoxicating liquors IN any communitE Of
no haFm 70 that community. and there
tore have no idea as To the system the Rich
mend writer mas devised He merely stipnlatea
that the rules must simply be plain" and
'eAactins. That is the real discovery. Strange
1t Is that in all the bibulous history af bibalous
mankind no statement genius in political
science no researchist IN physiological facts,
no truth no one had discovered the re-
markabiy simple thing that the Intoxicating
stun, tomorrow the Deacon's terminology
could be freely" sold without harm in a com
munity provided the "rules' were plain anG
'eXacting enough, Like all tremendous dis
ecveries. the beauty OF it lies III Its utmost
simplicity
The world ought to be grateful. For our part
We are grateful. The thing that causes us to
complainant IL is perfectly natural feel
ing. TO be sure--is that could have
been Informed of the discovery that ntoxi-
eating drinks could lie freely sold in lynch
burg without doing harm before this II would
have saved lot of trouble. for Il good many
of us in this town have been thinking hard
on the question .f how the LEAST harm from
intoxicating drink could be managed. 1t never
Jeaurred to any of us that there could be NO
s@rn n the free sale OF ii at all
Stall Il the Times Dispatch will only tell US
Snr resi- row without further delay. we will
allow 10 cavlings to mar our gratitude
Iynchburg Advance.