The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-25
Magnetic Declinnuon Mt washington,

of every State show: a greater amount
of crime and misery attributable to
the use of ardent spirits obtained at
THESE LIQUOR saloons than any o!ner
source There Is no inherent
right in citizen thus to sell into%i-
| eating liquors by retail. 1t Is not
| privilege OF a citizen of the state or
of the United States the airSinia
class to itself when 1t gives tho Legs
! lature unlimited power over IL. Sec
ton 60: The General Assembly shall
| have full power to enact local option
or dispenuary laws. or any other laws
controlling. regulating or prohibiting
| the manufacture or sale of intoxicatlnS
! liquors" on what other subject is the
! General Assembly permitted to enact
lating or prohibiting the manufacture
or sale" of any commodity:
But you ask. Ought the Legislature
to abdicate the lawmaking. power,
without constitutional authorization
1t seems that section 81 is fun
and unlimited authorization. How
wide Is any other laws? You say,
however. that the Strobe bill is not !,
the law. This Is manifestly wrong.
If the Strobe bill, when passed is not
a law, then there Is no law on the
statute books 1t would be law but
a law taking effect when the majority
of the sovereign people desired 1t TO
take effect, and ii the majority OF
, the sovereign people did not desire II
to take effect 1t would never be CT
the law prescribing the conditions.
! punishmcnts for violation and other
, matters: they would only say whether
the law made by the Legislature should
be effective. Do they not do this In
every local option law every law
condonins bond issues. and, greater
still, every proposed addition to the
fundamental law. the Constitution.
a,,t ff,lfr a
STROBE bill would wipe out every one
of these laws, for they are Identical
e in principle. The sole difference in
the first two classes OF laws is that
their operation is limited to certain
! sections
:, AS to the second part of your dues-
9 ton whether the majority of the PEG :
. pie desire such law. from the pc
: titlons and representations. and from
> the dry condition of the three-fourths
!. OF the State, it would seem that they
q did. Certainly for every one who mas
. expressed public opinion against u
q 500 have spoken for H.
Your second question, Mr. Editor
= "Ought the Legislature give all tbs
:. people power to lesislate chiefly foi
/. one fourth?"--is indeed queer. Do no
:. all the people now make effective
: laws for one-fourth, onc-tenth. one
= hundredth and so on? Is not all Law
II at last the will of the majority? Els
q the majority can at It's VIII repea
any IIlu All idWs'
+ Your last question. as to the ad
- vantages of Statewide and the bring
~ ing on of a bitter struggle, has nothin:
is to do with the question of the PEG
pies right to VOTE The sovereign peo
~ ple, not the Legislature, are the one
Il to determine at the ballot box tn
rs advantages of Statewide. Nor ha
=. the Legislature anything to do wit
10 the bitter struggle; 1t is already OF
- having been brought on by educatlo
IN and agitation. Like Banquos ghost,
e will not down. The great churches ar
~ behind the movement. and tho churc
n Of God, like time, never goes back
,e ward. The question is not Whethe
Won will have agitation, but whethe
hi YOU will have it on one issue now, 9
& lhave it continue two years. inject use
f. into the next election ana oVershauo
n every other question.
ST, The doom is written on the cor
~, science of the church by the llamln
an letters OF the Just God, The Saloo
" Must Co.: and. go she must, as we
"a might you try with the Old KING
a sweep back the inrushinr ocean.
,is Yes. Mr. Editor the Legislature he
he the constitutional right to enact
lie law that shall be effective when. az
~ ONLY when, the majority of the peop
- So decide And more, it is their dut
A To make feasible to the people the e:
~. ercise of this right. One-fourth of II
Z = peoplc have no right to thwart the wi
a. az the three-fourths The mo inr'tv s1a
ed rule ", \, Aabumi J, eiiisi'' '.'-''