The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-07
Voice Of the eople
The Prohibition Question.

| and fifteen blind tigers illicit liquor
| saloonsl being found by the police
officers In Birmingham, Ala. You seem
| to think this proves a strong case
against the principle OF prohibition; 1
think 1t proves strong case In
| favor Of the police force OF that city.
| iou and others who argue against
| prohibition make the mistake of sup
posing that If prohibitory law does
not Immediately suppress all drinking
in spite Of the fact that local politi-
| clans and local newspapers generally
give all the aid and encoura cement
| they possibly can to those who run
| blind tigers-you are justified in claim
| ing with considered BILE show of gratil-
| cation. that prohibition is failure
! and should at once be abandoned In
favor Of regulation Of course. the
absurdity of your position is apparent
| to any one who will take the trouble
to do a little thinking. as the passag g
| OF a prohibitory law or ordinance IS
! simply the state or the local colnmu-
| nifty putting itself In the right atti-
| tude toward n criminal business
| No one Of any age or experience
| expects the saloon keepers or the
| Keepers Of blind tigers who arc one
| and the same people. to obey any Lax
| interfering With the most proiita bl G
| conduct OF their business. II Is also
| true that the charge of hypocrisy can :
| not be refuted by any citizenship OF
| a State Or community that votes out
! the saloon and still allows saloon sym
| pathizers TO hold the executive Offices
! and to compound with the liquor Grim
! inals on tho basis OF an occa sional
| fine. such inconsistency deserves TO
be called by its proper name.
| But, Mr.. Editor. sauce for the goose
must in this discussion be accepted as
| appropriate food for the eandcr If
| YOU demand OF prohibition that Il pro-
| hihit all drinking or be called "a fail
| ure. YOU must be willing TO Judge
| regulation, or have 1t judged, by the
! same standard Nearly two years ago
! there was meeting called by the
I, liquor men OF this city, under the
/ chapcronagc of one OF the editora OF a
| daily paper Of this city, the expense OF
which, was paid by the liquor people,
and the object of which was TO pro-
| test against a local option election
| here. The speakers were all selected
| by the liquor men, or their editorial
! chaperon. but not man OF them
even attempted to say a good word
IN favor of the liquor business, while
every one of them spoke Of methods Of
reducing its evils and all agreed upon
regulation as the proper remedy. It
would DC entirely pertinent TO say that
rcgula ton. a S typihed by high license
W
duced the conditions that have led to
| the almost nation wide movement
against the saloon. The fact is noto-
rious that regulation has never regu-
lated, because the forces behind rcgu-
lation have played this little comedy
drama as the tail, while the saloon has
been the dog, and has done the wag-
ginS. Regulation has simply been a
! neat and effective way OF levying polit-
ical blackmail against the saloon bust
ness, with the understanding that the
payment Of hush money would leave
the saloon free TO conduct It's bust
ness in any way 1t found to be most
profitable, and the saloon keeper has
done this, and has despised the laws
regulating his business and those who
! make those laws and blithely go
| through the farce OF enforcing them
because he knows that his business is
criminal. and ought to be prohibited
and that any community that has no
more character than to allow his bust
ness will not much concern Itself
about how he conducts his business.
Of course, when the devil was sick
| the devil a monk would be-" and OF
late the saloon men Of Richmond have
| made some little pretenSe Of obeyng
the law requiring them to close on
sunday. which. by the way. is done
! more because they feel the need Of a
day Of rest as well as all other men
and all are ready to close up IT they
know that Tom. Dick and Harry are
not open to sell to their customers
and for this reason rather than be-
cause they have any respect for the
law or any fear of the officials behind
It, But In this case the devil a monk
would be" because he sees that the
saloon business has we'll nigh filled up
the measure Of It's iniquity, and that
in spite of political leaders and dailv
newspapers, the plain people who
the bills are about ready to rise in
their wrath and smitc this beast
OF Bashan," hip and thigh. and the
saloon keepers hope by a prctense of
| good conduct to stay the day OF reck-
oning.
So much for generalization; now for
concrete facts. Almost daily the POI
lice force OF Richmond---whIch Ger
tainly is not urged on by any fanatcai
desire TO suppress the liquor business
lis arresting boot-leggers and pro
nrietors of blind tigers In tho city
where the liquor apologists say the
business is well regulated. Further
than this. there are from fifty to one
hundred and fifty places in this city
where liquor is sold day and night and
Sunday and Monday without any pre-
tense of paying the license fee or OBJ
serving any of the so-callcd regula-
I tions thrown. about the traffic. and po-
liccmen watch liquor being Carried
| into these places and empty containers
| being carried out and no pretcnse is
| made OF interfering with ihiS traffic,
| which is the most lawlcss and dana g
| ing OF any form thatit has ever taken.
| For shame. Mr.. Editor! Prating
about the failure OF prohibition to
make lnw-abiding and model citizens
! out OF liquor men in Birmingham, but
| utterly silent in the face OF the monu-
| mental fnilurc Of regulation In Rich
| mond. j. .. ATWOOD. #
! Richmond.