The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-04-27

must close from midnight TIL 6 A
NJ. all over the State. and In many
cities they close at an earlier hour.
Then in every city in Virginia the sa-
loon has license to ruin the young
men OF the State; now Lynchburg.
Danvtae. Charlottesville, kredericks-
burg. winchester, stanton, Chiffon
orse, RauIora and Suuolk refuse to
Roanoke they exist by q small pur-
chased majority. Nine years age a
majority OF the towns hau saloons:
now AL out OF 1853 have no sale OF
intoxtcants in any form. Nine years
ago ihere"were no adequate "niina
tiger" laws; now there lis on the
statute hooks Il strong, weli-arriculat-
60 law with teeth In 1t" Nine years
ago public sentiment concerninS the
saloon mad not been developed and
CrystaiiZed throughout the state; now
the development of puplic sentiment
has reached the stase at which inc
saloon Is recognized curse To the
indiA idual, ana as "a menace To So
elt.ty. ana So strong is TINS sentiment
IN Virginia that the dram seiters AMI
the dram drinkers openly admitted
that they did not want the people to
be given an opportunity 10 vote on
the question OF the Statewide law.
because they believed the State would
GO dry"
The editor of the Times may at,
tempt to brush aside these facts as ~
the change In conditions IN Virginia
during the pagt nine years by sweep
ing statement that the League leaders
have sssts4,ffa fssiteef nothing, but ErTca
a statement Il absurd, unless he means
to assert that the League leaders had
nothing TO do with the accomplishment
OF the above mentioned results. II he
means to deny that the League should
be given credit for these great changes
We simply reply that in the fight for
the Mann law and the Byrd law
and other restrictive and punitive Leg
islation. and ia the great local option
conflicts In our cities, the League
leaders were recognized as the repre-
sentatives of the temperance people
of Virginia And ii is a noteworthy
fact that the same editors and news
papers which are attacking the
League leaders to-day fought this
Mann bin and tho Byrd bill, and fighf
on. the wet side in all local option
elections. Certainly. the editor OF ths
Times, as editor of the News Leader
used all of his great ability to pre-
I vent the passage of the measures
! which have been enacted into law
with the support of the Anti-Saiocu
I League Of Virginia.
/ We present the above record and
appeal with confidence to the people
/ of Virginia on the basis of the facts
I to state whether the charge of the
/ editor Of the Times that Mr.. Cam
/ non and his associate leaders have
succeeded in accomplishing nothing
is true or false. We assert that We
| have accomplished much In oarryina
out the real purpose OF the League
the abolition Of the saloon" More-
over, We expect by an appeal 10 the
sincere people of single purpose
/ TO convince the practical politicians.
that Statewide prohibition must be.
come the law of Virginia. as climax
to the nothing which has been Ao-
complished by Mr.. Cannon and htn
associate leaders in the past
In conclusion, we would SuRrest sin
a friendly spirit" TO the editor OF the
| Times that he find out somethins
about the aims of the Anti-Saloon
! League and the results Of it's work hes
fore he attempts to pass Judgment
upon its success or failure
JAMES CANNON, JR.