Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-08-05
at the Postoffice at Staunton,
Va, as second class mail matter.
Friday, August 5, 1910.


The fact that Mr.. Bryan lost in his
prohibition fight in Nebraska will be
q subject Of much joy to many Of those
who have sought SO often and SO unre-
lentingly to discredit him. But let
them not suppose for a moment that
Mr.. Bryan is dead. His live corpse
has always been seen after every polit-
ical funeral, and it will still appear to
many who hoped to see it no more.
The fight Mr.. Bryan lost was one
which he might have expected to lose,
because it gave, or undertook to give,
the county people of Nebraska control
over the cities and towns, as we under
stand it. We will illustrate it thus.
Augusta surrounds the city of Staun-
ton. Augusta has \ much larger vot-
ing population than Staunton. Sta un-
ton is an independent and separate
municipality, pays her own expenses,
fixes her own tax rate, says how she
shall manage het own affairs. Now
suppose an effort were made to have
Staunton controlled by Augusta coun-
ty, there would unquestionably be
strong opposition. Staunton might
want the same things Augusta county
wanted, but she would oppose bitterly
any law which COMPELLED her to
abide the dictates of the county. The
effort in Nebraska was $50 goes the
county SO must 60 the town." If
Staunton proposed to issue license the
county OF Augusta could defeat it under
Mr.. Bryan's bill. 1t is true that this
principle was proposed only In SO far
as the licensing of liquor sales was
concerned. But if permitted in one
thing, then it could hardly be denied
in another, hence city or town would
lose its identity and surrender its pow
er of government to those who pay no
taxes in it, and have nothing to do
with 1t, further than dictate it's course
on the liquor question. This Is why
Nebraskans refused to follow Mr.. Bry-
an. They saw in his platform what
any person must see in it-political
control-by party protesting to have
only a moral issue to advance. The
bold pronouncements by the Anti
Saloon League, of its dictation of laws
and its election of officers, has put the
question of politics SO plainly before
the people that now they vote not as
democrats and republicans, but rs
vets and drys on such issues as the
Nebraska issue. There seemed to be
more vets than drys in the Nebraska
convention, that is men who would
not deprive the cities and towns of
their identity. Hence MI. Bryan lost.
Mr. Bryan, however, has not lost in
~4e thing. He has not lost in the es-
tlmatioA of those who from the begin
ningof his remarkable career, have
been imbued with his sincerity, and
impressed with his ability. He is a
moral man, deeply moral. He does
not use liquors in any form. He would
gladly see them banished, and he
would be only too glad to know that
no human being used an intoxicant.
He has his views about how such q
millennium might be brought about,
and he has been bold enough to advo-
cate them. There are many who differ
from him as to the mode. Many who
believe laws cannot make morals. But
in his opinions Mr.. Bryan is sincere,
and on those opinions he is not at
temptlnP to ride into office,