The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-01

Then came the section allowing de.
livery OF liquors under retail license
| 10 customers within one mile Of the
city or town. Mr.. Cox moved to make
THIS three miles, as the Richmond de-
| livery wagons go that distance. This
WAS lost, as was an amendment making
IL Two miles, by vote of rs to 80.
NO objection was raised to the new
provision requiring the names Of the
consignor and consignee TO be marked
On the packages of liquor shipped This
u IN accordance with the new inter-
state law passed by Congress.
| There liz no change whatever In the
section relating to social clubs.
Drug store Sales.
AS 10 the sale OF liquor in drug
stores. Mr.. stephenson, OF James city.
offered a substitute for the section. It
was along the line Of the Keyser bill.
allowing pharmacists, without paying
additional license, to sell liquors on
prescription.
Mr.. Yarrcll said he was for local OPP
ton, and he would not stand for
state law making every drug store a
barroom. He had seen the bad effects
Of this practice In Alabama.
Speaking for his amendment. DR.. ste.
phenson said that country districts.
small towns and villages needed liquors
for medicines as much as did cities. A
great deal of trouble, he said, is
found in getting whiskey for medical
purposes. He called attention to the
safeguards thrown around such sales
in the way of aftidavits from the ply
sicians.
He was opposed by the other Mr..
Stephenson, he of Bath. The latter
said he had practiced law in West Vir-
ginia for twenty years, and that in
many places in that State where there
are no saloons every drug store is a
barroom In one town that he knows
of there is a drug store which does
not keep drug. In one case man
got ten quarts In one week for medi-
cine. Some pleasantries occurred here
on the subject of snake bites.
Mr.. Cox opposed the amendment. He
said he would also oppose the Keyser
bill. The Stephenson amendment was
lost by a large majority. but Mr.. Cox
insisted on a division, which resulted:
Ayes, s; noes, SO.
Saloons Near Churches.
Taking up next the provision against
issuing licenses within 400 feet of
churches and schools, Mr.. Byrd accept
ed the Finance Committees amend
ment making this highway measure
ment, and not direct measurement.
Mr.. Cox offered an amendment strik-
ing out this provision entirely. He
said that Richmond is locally manag-
ing the question of the location of sa-
looms as suits her best. She has re-
duced the number and is placing them
where 1t seems proper TO her citizens
to do so. He appealed to the com
mittee of the whole to give Richmond
local option and let her work out her
problems as she wished.
Mr. Byrd opposed this. He had ar
ranged II SO that it would not disturb
existing licenses.
Mr.. Lee offered an amendment ex-
empting cases where the church Off
GERS and congregation agree to the
saloons being established within 400
feet. He explained that it was the
policy in mis- town of Rocky Mount to-
restrict saloons to one street. short,
one, which has a negro church In the
middle. The people wanted the sa-
looms to stay on this street. He was
afraid it would be impracticable to-
move the church. and its members
would agree to the saloon.
Again speaking to his amendment
Mr.. Cox argued that the Legislature
should not pass a bill putting pre-
MUM on one mans property over that
of another.
The committee amendment was
agreed to. The Cox amendment was
lost by vote of 81 TO 43. The Lee
amendment was agreed TO.
Richmond Excepted.
Mr.. Cox then offered an amendmen
providing that the 400 feet clause
should not apply to cities having a
population of more than $4,000 at TIL.
last United States census. II was
carried by a large majority.
Mr.. Page proposed an amendment
which was agreed to, stating that this
section should not apply to places al
ready licensed at the time of the pas
sage of the act.
The next section of the bill to be
taken up was that prohibiting license
to be granted in towns of less than
500 inhabitants Mr.. Byrd had made
this 1000 in his original BILL but it
had been reduced to 500, which is the
figure In the present law. by the Com
mittee on Counties, Cities and Towns
Mr.. Lion offered an amendment
making it 300. He said he believed in
local selfgovernmertt. The Legisla-
ture. he thought, should not abridge
the liberties of the people by depriving
them of right to vote. The objec-
ton might be raised that these small
Towns nave no adequate ponce prOtec
ton. He replied that they cannot be
towns unless they have organized gov
ernments.
Mr.. Byrd opposed this. He thought
it would be an unfortunate step back
ward. If any one part of the present
law was satisfactory, in his opinion
1T was that cutting out licenses in
small towns.
For Local Government.
Mr.. Clement announced that he
would like to go on record as oppos-
ing this section entirely He believed
in local option and said that these sort
of laws. instead of promoting temper
ance, We're disastrous to the temper
ance cause. The idea of destroying
local government came from New
England and was not Southern
----a''"r' It was repuenant to him 10
trv to force peonle to be good II
men can bo made good by legisla-
ton, there was no use in having
churches. which could as we'll be turn
ed into barns.
The change proposed by Mr. Lion
said Mr., Oliver. would. so far as he
knew, affect but one town in his sec
ton of the State--Occoquan. That
town had saloons until the massage of
the Bvrd law two wears ago ava