The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-06-08
CONVENTION ROWS
OVER PROHIBITION
LIQUOR QUESTION CREATES
Juror WHEN RESOLUTION
Is INTRODUCED.

~ 50
Like bolt OF lightning from a
clear sky. the question of prohibit
ton was injected in Wednesday af
ternoon - session Of the annual con
Vention of the Virginia Federation Of
La Dor al Murphy's Hotel. splitting
the delegates into three factions. pre-
e.pitating ii verbal hattie teeming
with abuse and vttuperation and cal-
minafing in victory for the delegates,
who contenaed that death Ia organ
Ted labor in Virginia would he the
result OF the federation taking a
stand on the hquor problem,
Never in the sixteen years history
III the Virginia Federation Of Labor
has there been Witnessed at any an
n0al convention such a sterms scene
"a that which followed the introduce
tian Of "A resolution providing that
the federation gn on record OPP
posed to Statewide prohibition and
favorable to local option. ana when
the battle vas at liz height. win a
seare ef delegates on the floor shout
ing for recognition from the chair,
waving their arms Ia attract the al
tentien Of the presiding officer and
1enouneng each other IN loud and
angry voices IL seemed fer a time
As though the sting of the tongue
would he abandoned In favor al the
blow from the fist
But after President Epperson had
been called from The chair hY dete
gates. who denounced him as the
champion If the intermediary fac
iion and Vice President \. a Heaiy.
of Newport News appointed temper
ariiy presiding officer. and every
feasible plan for terminating the war
OF words had been tried with no sue
-eessr%-all which, &3-takeH "a
nonpartisAn stand and viewed the
violent proceedings in silence rose
and in quiet. soothing voices restored
the delegates to a state of mind IN
which they could receive a safe and
sound proposition. finally recalling
the gathering 20 "a semhlanee of or
Ger.
Delegate John tiirschberg proved
himself the man of the hour by jump
ing into the arena when there was n
luii IN the storm and closing the
sreaet, ii, 7tS vHu&Yrt-< eysSas- 4ss}HsTttes
hs offering a motion that the res0iu-
tien concerning prohibition he pass
eli IN, With a sigh of relief the
delegates PASSED the Hirsch berg mo-
ton by unanimous reclamation. and
the mooted resolution passed out 81
existence.
The Resolution.
Rearing the signatures of twenty
eight delegates and the approval II
the committee on resolutions the res
aluption, which cereated the division
of the convention. was presented in
full as follows:
" hereas. Ii is understood thar nm
effort viii be made at the next ses-
sion of the Virginia Legislature 10 have
this State department from the time
honored and Democratic principle OF
local option and in it's stead suhsti-
Il Elta. Stats wide prahlhitian. and
Whereas. this organization believes
in local option as the true and tried
method of handling the drink question.
productive Of the best results ana the
most good. and
Whereas. State wide prohibition
will menace the prosperity of the
State. turn thousands Of Industrious
workers out Of employment and con-
slscate millions Of dollars worth of
property of honest and industrious men
and
Whereas. no good can be accom-
plished by this change as State wide
prohibition is impossible of enforce
ment and substitutes the worst form
of poisonous drinks for ordinary drink
ers. therefore be IL
Resolved, That the Virginia FEEDER
alton of Labor. put itself on record as
utterly opposed to the passage or a
State wide prohibition law which II
believes to be dangerous and unwise
substitute for local option: that the
members of the Virginia Federation OF
Labor be urged 10 oppose any and all
legislative enactnents having this end
In view and that the Legislature of
Yirgipia which will assemble In Rich :
mond in January 1912 IL hereby urged
not to pass any bin with State wide
prohibition as its object.
With nine other resolutions which
had been favorahiy reported by the
resolution committee. the above reso-
luton was presented to the convention.
taking the delegates somewhat un-
awares. As soon as its meaning and
object was dscerned. pandemonium
reigned. The convention was ut once
VI diViaetf ffittf ti4res .rsfctfUfrs- one ffv,5f
ing the passage of the resolution. the
second desiring that IL be voted down
and the third fighting to have 1t thrown
out as unworthy of the serious consid-
Grafton of organized labor.
Chair 10 Sustained.
Delegate Clinedfnst asked the con-
yention to avoid the resolution. Dele
gate Hirschberg made like request.
Then the LIQUOR advocates jumped into
the heat of the fray. J. II. Darden. OF
Norfolk, chaplain OF Local. No. 696,
Rartenders' International League. as
sumed the leadership OF the faction de-
string the adoption OF the resolution.
When several delegates endeavored to
shouted at President Epperson:
eff you are not for US. you are
against u.s." meaning that the presfd-
ing officer was showing Partially det-
rnental to the liquor interests.
Then a motion was mace to put the
sssolptaon on the table, but this NOR