The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-01-26
NOT PROHIBITION. But POPULAR Gov
ERNNENT

After TWO days of ful and comprehensive
argument, the Anti Saloon forces of Virginia
have closed their case before the House Com
mittee on Privileges and Elections in advo-
tacy OF the bill granting an enabling act under
which the question OF Statewide Prohibition
may be put to reforedum Of all the people
for final decision.
In laying their before the Legisla-
ture, 1t is notable that. in the main. these
men, comprising. as they did, ministers OF
the gospel, representatives of religious and
charitable organizations, manufacturers. bust
ness men. and influential citizens from every
section Of the State, did not permit their ar
One and att these men are against liquor
They see In the open saloon the debauching
influence to which every other vice ana species
OF corruption either incidental or negligible.
They feel personally and acuteiy the pathos
of the human debris that everywhere shows
have taken 10 themselves the obligation OF
righting and fighting wrong which they con-
slider paramount among the causes which i'm
pede the orderly progress of civilization and
society. Yet feeling this way fired with
this ambition, they brought To the committee
having their cause In charge not passion. but
logic not vitupei alton. but reason, not plea
for mercy, but the calm assertion of time
honored right In asking the General Assem-
bly, to pass the enabling act. these men sank
Tor the moment the expression OF their own
convictions In the exposition of purely legal
and perfactly patriotic ideal
II would be well II the temperance workers
and the Genei al Assembly alike take at its
face value the character of argument made In
favor oil the Jordan bill 1t cannot be too much
emphasized that prohibition IL not at issue;
that d vote for the enabling act means neither
Issue ia simply and solely whether or not the
time has come when great popular demand
can no longer In justice be denied by repre-
sentative body.
IT must be remembered that the enabling
act does not even 20 so far as TO ask the
Legislature to assume that this demand exists
On the other hand 1t undertakes specifically
to prove 1t by the petition or at least one
fourth of the quaIiied voters of the State, al
q condition precedent TO the operation of tbs
law. And the bill itself does nothing more
than to PROV de that the whole body OF tht
p.opl. shall be permitted to express them
selves upon a referendum OF question WHOSE
vital character has thus previously been sf
clearly demonstrated.
such proposal can be ignored only by ths
method of refusing to recognize apparent
iustness Ii can be defeated by the Genei a
Assembly. or either branch OF it, only If the
rep. esentatives OF the people choose TO take
the risk of setting their own private prejudice
against the clearly expressed opinion OF part
of the public large enough to make its de-
rssantas,s aasslw imperative, sanaa. those elsss
ed TO voiee IL In this day there is no man whe
will deny as a principle, either the right OF
the people TO take for themselves the direct
settlement of questions OF gene al moment, OF
that an expression that such a question has
arisen By onefonrth of the better class oil
voters docs not OF itself determine the exs-
Il senses OF. the crisis calling for such direct
government.
It is to this ciear-cut result that the tighi
for the enabling act reduces itself. III is gra-
tffyng that Its supporters should have made il
70 clear and should for the most part. have
eonflded themselves to the one issue that has
been drawn. There was. In the multiplicity
OF speakers, a deal Of cumulative evidence OF
the popular desire Not every speaker Kept TO
the mutton of his logic. But enough was
said. and the direction was made clear enough,
to leave to the General Assembly the nat al
tHrnHttre OF grauting reasonable right OF
direct government or refusing it, 1t Is good
that the people generally understand this fact.
and that the members OF the Legislature can
not fail TO appreciate II.
THE NnsAPPIIcATIoN OF 4 KISS.