Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1910-11-11

dry territory. Nine years ago there
were 1718 saloons in the State; now 702.
Then there were GAL distilleries; now
6S. Then there were 2,691 licenses OF
all sorts; now 9O8. And, by the way.
if the hosts of Methodists, Baptists,
Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Luther
ans, Disciples. ETC., can't put out 90s
liquor shops from Virginia they had
better lock their church doors, throw
away the keys, get out of business and
blow up their buildings with dynamite.
The most serious problem that our
people face in the present attitude of
the liquor question is the invasion of
our State by national liquor interests
and the notification of our million dol
lar constitution. In town after town,
city after city, representatives of ma
tional liquor dealers association have
appeared and attempted to hold or
helped to hold the liquor traffic-not
for the benefit of the community but
to make our Virginia communities de-
pots of supplies of outside liquor and to
fill the pockets of millionaire brewers
and distillers with our hard earned Vir-
ginia money. The shameful manner in
which our constitution has been nulli-
fled in the registration of venal whites
and negroes is not generally known to
the people especially in the registra-
ton of negroes. No one desires that
any negro who has the moral right to
register under the constitution shall
not have that right secured to him, and
have talked with republicans and dem
ocrats of prominence in this State and
have yet to find a true, patriotic Vir-
ginian-whether democrat or repubi-
can-who wants the bad negro re-en-
franchised. But the liquor forces are
putting such negroes back on the poll
books. A few figures will give some
idea of what is being done. In Berry
vile, in ordinary elections 4 negroes
were registered; ten days after GER
tain primary, when liquor election
was held, 81 were qualified to vote. In
Staunton the registration of negroes
was increased from 4 to 72; Harrison.
burg, from "a to SO; Roanoke, from
about 70 to 800. In some places schools
have been run by white men who taught
negroes how to write copy of applica-
tion for registration, thus drilling them
for registration and then had them reg
istrated. The Anti-Saloon League is
consistently advising its people against
the registration of negroes and as an
example of how we stand on this ques-
tion let me say that when the 'drys'
knew they would call the election in
Fredericksburg about two years ago 81
negroes were on the poll books; in the
election recently called by the 'wets'
when they knew they would call it
nearly 80 negroes were registered.
''Yet there are those who still hold
that one community should not say
whether or not liquor should be sold
tberein-to let each community settle
the question for itself. But, as have
said. Son cannot localize liquor; and an
example o' the logical right of COM
munity suffering from liquor to say
whether the offending community sell
ling liquor should sell it, wish to say
his: Not lone ago a Wytheville man
said: Il hold that as long as Roanoke
has right to ship jug of liquor to
dry Wytheville, Wytheville has right
to send a vote to Roanoke. And a
speaker commenting upon this says:
May the Lord deliver us from the day
when a good dry mans vote can't 20
as far as liquor mans jug!'