The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-03-23


lie on "wednesday the legislative COM
mittee of the Anti-Saioon League Of
Virginia tells Of the work before the
General Assembly At the session just
closed:
The 1910 session OF the General AS
sembly of Virginia has adjourned, and
IL is now the duty OF the legislative
committee Of the State Anti-Saloon
League to give to the temperance peo-
pie OF the State an account of its la
bors during the session Of the Legis-
lature.
On the goth day of January. 1910.
the State League convention lin ses-
ston) assembled at Richmond, by n
unanimous vote, Instructed the League
legislative commtttee to endeavor to
secure the passage by the Legislature
Of an act which would allow the peo-
pie to call an election and to vote
upon the question OF Statewide pro-
hibttion. On the 9Th day of February,
Just fiftecH days after the instructions
were given by the convention. when
only twenty-three days of the leEisla-
tive session were passed. fourteen days
before the time limit for the intro
duction OF bills WAS reached and thfr-
ty-seven days before the adjournment
Of the Legislature, Senator Strobe In
trOuuceu III tuc OcA~eo oui p'Ab "i
Immediately became known az the
Strobe enabling ACT A Few Gays iater
Delegate II. 8. Myers. Of Amherst,
presented the measure In the House.
In each house the bill was referred
to the committees on privileges ana
elections. The committees promptly
granted a joint hearing upon the dill.
and reported the measure to their re-
spective houses with the recommenda-
ton that 1t DO not pass. In the 1ouss
OF Delegates the Dali was re-reie.Ieo
to the finance committees, received
prompt consideration, was reported
back to the House with unravoFapie
Recommendation and went upon the
calendar. IN Ue senate. oehAtos
Strobe. after repeated enorts' secured
hearing Tor tne Dali on the Sun oay
OF March. and the senate ny Vo.e
OF ~ TO - Reused 20 pass IT. s,,a An .ns
House Dr. Myers on two successive
days attempted to get hearing Tor
the DILL out faaleo 10 get tne Two
thirds vote necessary TO take tne
measure UP our OF oroer, Atnounn
majority voted 20 CONSIDER the Dill.
The Hearing.
Ample time WAS devoeed py tne
Senate and House commattees on PRIV
ileges and elections In joint sessions
TO hearing the aovocates ana opPo-
nerts OF the Dill express their Views
upon the merits tnereoI. Inc Dill was
advocated by your committee ana by
leading citizens from every section %
the State, who came to hicnmond AZ
their own expense-many OF tnem
staying several days-fo plead Tor the
passage OF the measure. More sec
tons were represented ana more
prominent temperance workers SPOKE
than at any nearing ever neid IN VIZ
gtnta on temperance measure.
The bill was opposed pnpiiciy. chiet-
~ by the attorneys Tor the LIQUOR
Dealers ASSOCIATIONS, VINO were pup.
iiciy aided by only few citizens. all
OF whom We're from wet cities.
The Petitions.
In the meantime petttlons Tor tne
passage OF the Dill were pouring INTO
the Legislature from all over the
State. Every county In the state save
four and every city In the STATE saVc
one sent petitions. In ROANOKE.
Lynchburg, newport news ana IN
many other cities and towns great
mass meetings were held ana resoiu-
lions were passed endorsing the meas
ure and calling upon their respective
representatives 10 support the Dill
More than $1,000 petitioners asked
for its passages greater number
than besought the passage OF e1sner
the Mann or the BYRD DILL Inc op-
position to the bill presented no peu-
tons against It's pause.
1I,c Issue In the ha!A was cfear-eut.
Objection was made that the enact
ment OF the measure would mean an
effort to register and qualify to vote
every ignorant ana venaI man white
and black. In the state. This was
promptly met by . proposed amend
ment limiting the vote on the cues.
ton TO the present etectofate. snouio
the election occur on or peiore oc-
tober !. 1910.
1t was claimed that the state could
not get along without the revenue that
would be derived from the saloon TOT
the next two years This objection
was met by another proposed amend.
ment that would not allow the Dill
10 become enective before the next
Legislature MADE provision 10 meet
any loss OF revenue In case the State
should vote dry.
Further objection was made that
the drug store section OF the Dill
would. II enacted, turn drug stores
all over the State into saloons. The
drug store section was stricken out
by the patron OF the bill. The Dill
was narrowed down to the one sin
gle proposition--to give the people
the right 70 vote on the question OF
the StMtc-wide prohfbatton OF the man.