The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-02-23
IMPORTANT ISSUE
BEFl RE LEAGUE
Secretary Would Be Willing to
Accept Act, Leaving 1t TO Thir-
ty-five Per Cent. of the
Voters to Call
Election.
RICHMOND. VA. Special.

HMOND, VA, Special
II is a pretty safe guess that the
, Virginia Anti-Saloon League, at its
convention to be held next week in
| Newport News, will vote in favor OF
asking the passage of an enabling
/ act at the hands of the next Legs
| lature.
Certainly this seems to be the wish
Of the more conservative members OF
the organization, though there are a
| few uncompromising white Tibboners
who favor an even broader demand
the passage OF a bill directly pro-
/ vfding prohibition and shutting the
voters of from any cay whatsoever
in the matter.
! There is vast deal OF difference
between an enabling act' and a di-
rect Legislative enactment. The first
mentioned procedure reposes the ul-
| innate settlement OF the whiskey oues-
| ton in the people. while the direct en-
actment gives the General Assem- bly,
the sole authority to Dust the demon
rum. '-.fa 8
The passage of an enabling act.''
In plain English, means nothing more
/ or less than the extension of the
present local option laws to the entire
! Commonwealth.
II the Legislature favors such a
proposition. Il will be for the people
to do the rest, though the, details of
the procedure. of course, would have
70 be specified by the General Assem-
bly, in the bill passed.
The Rev. DR.. McAlister, secretary
| OF the Anti-Saloon League, said this
morning that he would be willing to
, favor measure allowing IS per cent.
OF the people to call for an election.
Others. however, think % per cent.
should have authority to bring about
the contest.
They Differ Materially.
Temperance folk. like all other
classes, have their differences of opin-
| ion, and while all may be sincere in
their antipathy TO liquor, they are
not unit in their suggestions as 10
the manner in which the common
enemy may be vanquished.
The hot-headed element that would
neither give nor take quarter, are for
demanding everything and conceding
nothing. On the other hand. the con-
servatives feel their way.
They realize that il is useless 10
reach out after something that can
not be had, and they cautiously grope
in all directions before they make
any move.
Here in Virginia the ground is by
no means certain, and the conserva-
tives don't intend to be Ouixotic. nor
will they allow their enthusiasm in
the cause 10 lead them TO tilt at
] windmills or charge flocRs Of sheen
They want results.
Ana this faction-probably a ma
| - - W NAAS ut-nGllGNe that thC
enabling act is the thing best suit
ed 10 serve their purposes.
| vi course, Il is not sharp and de-
cisive like direct legislative enact
ment. nor is Il deep-rOoted and an
! permeating like constitutional
amendment fastening prohibition on -
! people for years.
hut the conservatives believe IL -
about the best that can be had m
present. They want all they can pet
/ No -
whelmed by mistakes thar m5vb,
nave boomerang effect. So. -
Fair to Both Sides
Supposing the General Assembly
were TO pass an enabling act" il
would not necessarily follow that ,ho
passage OF the bill would be ouicl[lv
succeeded by an election testing the
wishes OF the people on the subject
Of prohibition.
After the white ribboners had got
zen through the measure. they might
oeem IL imprudent TO cross a lance
with the opposition until they had
! thoroughly analysed conditions in Vir-
gina, They might hesitate three
months, six months, or even a wear.
hut they would always have before
mem the enabling act" which would
allow them to try their strength when
they felt that their cause could win
on the other hand. the liquor ele-
ment would be equally as wen OF.
Win an enabling act" they, TOO
would be able to resort to tricks II
they felt that the white ribboners
were weak. they could hustle about.
get thlrty-hve per Cor whatever the
prescribed percentage was) of the
people to call for an election and Join
/ issue at the polls.
Some Nice Questions.
Inc preparation of an enabling
! act is by no means an easy task, as
/ many nice INSTRUMENTATION both
OF law and eXpediency-necessarily-
arise ~ .t.-.
1t is simple enough to say Let.
/ Twenty-Five or thirty-five or forty per
| cent or the people have the right to
demand an election on prohibition.
but there quickly follows the query:
How are they to express their wish?
Suppose. for example, there are
100000 voters in a State with an en-
abling act and the act allows twenty
nVe per cent. to call an election. There
instantly arises the question: Must
the contingent demanding the. cleo
/ ton represent twenty-five per cent. of.
the voters in each congressional dis
trict, or can they reside anywhere. in
the state, regardless of political di-
visions?
This point is a delicate one. sup
pose, for example, the twenty-five per
cent uniting in the petition all live.
In one section OF the State; would
| they have the right to make seventy
iNC per cent EeSlQlIlS elsewhere 40
to the polls to vote on prohibition?
SO far as Virginia is concerned,
Secretary McAlister said today that he
| favored provision allowing the twen-
ty-five or thirty-five per cent. TO re-
! side anywhere regardless of congress
I sional or legislative districts.
/ He added, however, that ne was
willing to be perfectly equita bic in Civ
/ ing the saloons time to close up.
In other words. If an election were
held under ar enabling act" and the
/ white ribbonerS were TO prevail, Sec
| rotary MeAlister would be willing to
postpone the prohibition regime even
/ for as long a period as twelve months,
! If equity required this for the pro-
/ lection of the saloon men.
II will he the duty of the legisla-
! tive committee of the State Anti-Sa-
/ loon League to thresh out all these
/ details in connection with the coming
campaign, but even after it's members
have embodied their ideas in report.
| the report must he ratified by the
! convention as a whole.
Widely divergent views are sure 10
manifest themselves in Newport News
! but as has already been said. il looks
very much as If the majority do not
] feel justified in demanding more than