The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-02-22

1 ment OF tne COuoltlOnS OF lie.
| Let 1t be recognized by all temper
ance workers thAt these papers re-
present In their utterances the covet-
BUSINESS OF the drunkard-makers and
| the appetite OF the dram drinkers, and
that, like both Of these classes, the
purposes of these newspapers are sell
| fish to the very core. Our people cam
not be too strongly warned to be-
lieve absolutely nothing that they read
in these papers concerning the liquor
| question. They are no more trust
worthy than are the brewers, dis
tillers and saloon-keepers. They de-
iiberately suppress all facts damag-
ing to the liquor traffic or favorable
to prohibitory legislation. and they
deliberately magnify everything which
Is damaging to prohfbitory legisla-
ton or favorable to the liquor traffic.
/ The statements made in their col
umns notably in the columns of THE
Supreme have been shown to be
| prejudiced. misleading and unreliable,
! even slanderous. time and again. and
| yet with brazen faces they repeat
the disproven Misrepresentation.
Your committee feels that it can
not stress this matter too strongly.
| for in every conflict with the liquor
| traffic the wet" newspapers have
been their right arm of power, and
will continue so to be so long as the
temperance people pay those same
hostile newspapers to send their mis-
| representation and liquor advertise
ments TO their very hearthstones to
poison the minds of their children
and to put temptations in the way of
| their sons
League Not Political Organization.
| The opposition to the work OF your
| Lego alive committee, as voiced by
these wet" newspapers, is directed,
hrst of all, against the league and
it's workers. The effort has been per-
! sistently made, without regard To ac-
| curacy or truth. to weaken the posi-
| ton of the league by accusing ii of
| being a political organization and OF
| joining itself to the fortunes of GER
| tain factions of political parties OF
course, these accusations are false.
| The league has never, as an orgauf-
| cation. joined itself to any Individual,
or faction, or party. Because of the
fact that the league desires the abo-
| iition of the licensed liquor traffic.
| which is entrenched behind the laws
| OF the State, and because 1t Is neces-
| sary to secure the desired legislation
| by an act of the General Assem- bly,,
| the league Is interested In the posi-
sembly upon the liquor question, and
the position of candidates on that
| question may influence the vote of
| members OF the league. But such
| vote would be cast not because of
the factfonaL partisan, political po-
sit!on of the candidate, but because
of his position or this great economic.
social and moral question. As indi-
Vidual citizens, men who may be
prominent members of the league have
d right to work and to vote for any
OF their friends. but, as members OF
| the league. they discuss men only In
relation TO their attitude to the liquor
question.
We reiterate that the league has
never. a. An Organization advocated
the election of any particular indi-
vfdual for am public office, although
men mo are members of the league
have exercised their full rights as
| citizens to vote. to work and TO use
all possible influence for the election
| of certain car didates. This is not in
any sense unusual. and does not make
the league political organization, as
the wet" newspapers have declared.
The Methodist Conference has passed
resolutions urging the mem bers of
that church to vote for men for pub
lie office who will themselves vote
for prohibttory liquor laws, and who
viii enforce existing laws, but it does
not call upon its members to vote for
any particular individual. Because
some prominent memb ers of the Meth
odist church may advocate and work
for the election OF particular indl-
ytduals. the action of those members
does not mako the church a political
organization.
These accusations on the part of
the wet" newspapers are made, not
because of any desire TO purify the
league or to protect the mem bers OF
the league from designing politicians,
but, with the purpose to arouse sus-
picion and distrust among the mem
bers OF the league. to weaken its uni
~ Of purpose, and to destroy Its DOW
er In its warfare against the saloon.
Our people should remember the apos-
tolie warning that our adversary, the
devil, goeth about like roaring lion
seeking whom he may devour." At
tacks made upon our workers by our
enemies should bind us but the more
closely to them, Surely we must trust
! our friends and. workers who are Civ
ing their time and thought and ener-
Ky to our work, rather than those
enemies. whose sole purpose IL to de-
stroy the power of our workers, to
SANDERS, to excite suspicion and dis
trust in the RINK and file of our mem.
bership. Continual utilization of
I aAnsi-Satoon League workers has been
+ for Eaafy Years the faeortte weapon OF
the drunkard- in every State
in the Union The fact that an ac-
icusation 10 made against an Anti
Saloon League worker by wet
newspaper Should be prima racie evil
derice that Ii Is a Islander circulated
to help on the business of their LIQUOR
advertisers. We must defend and
support our workers against these as
/ sautts OF sensual. covetous and wick
ed men.
The opposition TO the passage of the
legislation desired by the league. aside
from attacks upon the league workers,
has assumed in general two forms:
First, II declares that prohibition is
a failure and, second, It proclatms
the sacred right of local self-govern-
ment."
Is Prohibition u Failuree
In the effort to prove that prohi-
bition Is failure, there has been,
on the part of the wet newspapers,
a deliberate refusal to face the real
issue. or 20 print the real facts. and
a deliberate garbiing of the things
which have been printed. The real
issue Is not. Does prohibition prohib-
IT," as these papers declare: the issue
Is not, rs the prohibitory law ever
violated?" This Is nothing but a man
OF straw. erected to be knocked down