The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-21
WOULD KEEP FREE
FIR 0 Nj POLITICS
Difference of Opinion Is Mani
fest at Meeting of Anti
Saloon League.

Lancaster. Va, March 2o.-Thc FIRST
Circuit Court brought out the usual
crowd of people, both white and col
ored hliing the spacious courtroom
and much Of the open space on the
public grounds. The session of the
court began promptly, with his honor
Judge Wright presiding The grand
jury was at work all day, and will be
in session again Tomorrow. only one
| Indictment having thus far been
| found. 1t is und ers TODD. however. that
the grand jury is investigating several
cases OF alleged violation OF the local
option law in the Corotoman region,
and that several indictments for this
| offense probably will be found.
IN the afternoon a called meeting
OF the Antt-Saloon League of tho
coonty was held III one of the Jury
rooms OF the courthouse. which was
attended by twenty-five or thirty per-
| sons. Soon after the meeting was
opened It became evident that IL had
been called for the purpose of organ
| izing and conducting a campaign in
| the county with @ view TO selecting
delegates TO the approaching state
| Democratic convention favorable to
the adoption OF a resolution pledging
j
the submission of the question of State
vide prohibition OF the liquor traffic
! TO the voters. This policy was vigor-
ously advocated byW. Macdonald Lee
state Commissioner of Fisheries, and
! several others. The Rev. Frederick w.
j Claybrook. long pastor Of the Baptist
churches In the southern part of Ian
caster opposed the proposition on tho
! ground that ii would involve the
! league 4 partisan politics. and short
speeches of a similar nature were made
i by the Rev. c. a. Han, president of
the League, and the Rev w. +. Dun
away. d. Dr. but the majority OF those
present seemed to indorse the policy
| advocated by Commissioner Lee Can
tain Samuel p. Gresham. long chair
! man Of the Republican party in Ian
caster. who was present by invitation
| being called on to express his views
on the subject, said that If the meet
! ing had been called for the purpose
CT influencing the appointment of
delegates to The State Democratic CON
vcntion, he was in tho wrong pew, and,
of course, could not participate In the
proceedings; that III the past he had
co-operated with the league in voting
! TO close the barrooms and prevent the
| Illegal traffic In Intoxicating liquors
! In the county; but that he was un-
! alterably opposed to the policy of in
volving the league in partisan politics.
After expressing the belief that IL the
league would devote itself TO preach
! ing and practicing the tcnets of the
| Christian religion and let politics
| alone more good would be accom-
| plished. he withdrew from the meet
| ing. 1t Is not known what Will be the
final outcome of the meeting, bur the
| impression prevails here that many
| members of the league Will cooperate
with Commissioner Lee in endeavorinE
| TO capture the delegates from this
county to the State Democratic con-
vcntion, and thar the same policy may
be pursued in other counties of Nir-
| ginia.
The last four days of spring wea ther
mas enabled the farmers To go 10 work
| making preparations for planting their
forthcoming crops. The public high
ways. too. are rapidly improving under
| the influence of clear weather The
new roads built during last year and
the roads that have not been worked
at all have in many places been prac-
tically impossible since the ground
has thawed and the rains have begun
10 fall. The leading highway of the
county between Lancaster and Kill
marnock. which was built nearly three
years ago has not been seriously cf-
fcctcd ythc rough weather. and this
furnishes 81 striking object lesson as
to the value OF good roads. The album
dance OF both clay and sand in this
section cnables the people to have eN
ecllcnt roads at q comparatively small
cost. il ,has been demonstrated dur
ing the winter just past that the sand
clay roads of the Northern Neck ca ii
! stand such winters as we have iust
experienced better than the more
costly macadam roads OF the Piedmont
region OF Virginia.
|