The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-22
LOCAL OPTION
DESTROYED BY
STATE 0.P / ION
Leagues New Plan Kills
Real Principle of
Old Law.
PUTS POWER IN
HANDS OF FEW
Members Of General Assembly
Figure That One Section Of
State Could Dominate, TAX
ing Right Of Self-Govern-
3 ment Away From
All Others.

Exactly what attitude the General
Assembly will take when the Anti
Saloon League presents It's bill calling
for vote on Statewide prohibition
was not made clear. even with the
variety of opinions expressed ycster-
day by members of both houses. In
decd, members said that they did not
understand how the thing would bo
done, especially when they are asked
TO order an election on petition Of
one-fourth OF the qualified electors.
regardless of sections from which they
might come.
The point Was made that state op-
ton az suggested practically destroys
local option, inasmuch as one section
of the State might dictate to the en-
tire State. For instance. II the South
west. by system OF hard work, should
induce enough people to sign the Pc
tition to make MP the requisite one
fourth. the election would have to bs
ordered, the effect being that the
Southwest would dominate 1t might
not necessarily follow that the whole
State would do as the Southwcs, urs-
ed by petition, although the Commons
wealth would be thrown into strife
and turmoil by an election and a cam.
paign which would arouse bitterness,
world without end.
Destroys Local Option idea.
While there was difference or
opinion as to the number who should
have tho right TO demand an election.
1t was argued that TO make State
wide option local option on larger
Ecale, the bill should be so framed as
TO permit a vote only on petition OF
ope-fourth of the qualified electors
from each con gressjonal = dis trirtass1t,
other words, those who studied the
situation reasoned that the demand
should be equally distributed-ti,at no
blanket law should be passed which
would enable one section to say what
all other sections OF the State should
do
What happened in North Carolina
was recalled The Legislature OF that
state passed law for a Statewide
vote, when more than 80 per cent OF
the Commonwealth was dry. Had this
majority vote been wet" the dry ter
ritory would have continued dry, while
the people In the 90 per cent. terri
tory simply reatirmed their previous
stand on the question, and drove sa-
looms out of the small area where they
stfl1 nonrished.
Wilmington. Winston Salem and
salisbury. which licensed the saloons,
Hhowed no desire or disposition to
eliminate them in local option contests,
but when the strength of the entire
State was thrown against their posi-
ton the saloons fell The main argu-
ment used against the law In North
Carolina was that it destroyed the real
principle OF local option. newspapers
claiming that II was an open and shut
game by which dry territory could not
bring back the bars even II the whole
state voted wet.
Everytbing Indefinite.
Even il the Legislature of Virginia
should pass the enabling act, there is
no intimatlon as to when an election
is TO be held, should one-fourth of the
qualified electors request 1t. Nor is
there any definite understanding as to
how these petitioners are to be dis
tributed, and then, again, il everything
should go we'll. the election might not
be ordered until the executive commit
tee of the Anti-Saloon League should
deem it eXpedent.
Some members Of the Legislature
took the ground that this would mean
that sword would always be hang
ing over the head of the people, and
that IL the minority should ask for
- - sSS'o'' WV 1i4i {, ~ 'oN 2 -
executive committee would be the
storm centre. the court. Jury. sheriff
and eXecutioner. with authority to de-
lay the fatal day until it deemed con-
dittons "eXpedient."
You are not going to get any en-
abling act through the General Assem-
bly, until 1t becomes more definite"
said a member of the House of Dele
gates. 1.-THE league must give us some
thing more concrete. The people
would not submit to State option,
which destroys the real principle OF
local option. II we are to have state
option 1t must enbody the groundwork
of local option, for we are not solng.
to pass law which would enable one
section OF Virginia to say what IS
right and Just for all sections. We
must have something specific"
, A recent poll of the General Assem-.
bly,. taken by The Times-Dlspatcf, In
dicated that a majority in both