The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-03-04
THE WAY of REFORM.


the popular understanding that number of
those senator's representing districts in which
the sentiment Of the people is Overwhelmingly
in favor Of the measure were prepared TO vote
their own bias against the wishes of their con-
stituencies.
A temporary reverse from such cause
operate only 10 intensity and inyigorate the
zeal Of the people in forcing an ultimate
eession TO their will. Reforms move slowly.
They must be built up from the germ OF pro-
test against recognized and accredited evil
They must start humbIy and gain strength by
44a~faitA They H4et-e+ia head
way against jaundiced prejudice and blind
ignorance They must open unwilling eyes,
secure hearing from stopped ears. More than
all they must learn the lesson of gaining
strength by defeat, courage from dsappoin'-
n1en'. confidence from apparent disaster. The
way OF reform Is "A way beset With thorns and
obstacles way ambushed with lnisreprcsenta-
ten ohseurea by ridienle and fired With abuse
Vet IL is the glory Of all reforms worthy OF
the name that they thrive what would kill
less consecrated passion, The real measure
OF movements worth is in most cases
the violence of the opposition il excites By
the same token does this very violence of hatred
confess and make certain its own defeat -
The Jordan Act for this time, is dead. The
principle which the Jordan Act spoke. the con
yiction which it reflected never more
alive The campaign for temperance, for the
divorce OF an essentially moral people from
civic marriage with an essentially cruel vice.
is no summers holiday It was conceived under
no such delusion, 1t viii be prosecuted in no
such spirit. The people of Virginia in this
matter will come to no attitude of signing and
folding of hands They enlisted for the
war. Two years from now. the Senate or Viz
einla~tp practically the same SenateI will be
given the opportunity to reconsider the adj
Visibility of ignoring the popular will
Growth of temperance sentiment, the ccr-
,ainty of final temperance success, was splen-
didiy illustrated by the shifting tactics OF
those who for the present denied its demands
The opposition made no frontal attack 1t
made no frank effort at disqualification, In
stead. it demurred to the Indictment and avoid
cd trial by tcchnicality. It spouted side issues,
hunted cause of personal offense, looked over
at the letter in the effort TO evadc, TO confuse.
10 compromise a pressing obligation fhat the
iauor interest was the moving cause behind
this attitude 10 reasonable man can doubt,
That it afforded or stimulated such brain as
the preteNt could muster cannot be gainsaid.
For the nearly sixty days of the session now
closing there nave been rumors of corruption,
Of. trades and bargains and political barter TO"
liauor advantage, We have not stressed these
/. rnmQrs, becsuse in natqre they were not sas-
cent biz of proof They are, however, charac-
teristic of liquor method They do neYerthc-
less place upon those representatives of dry
districts who cast the deciding votes against
the measure, the obligation Of explaining an in'
consistency OF action more plainly than they
have vet seen fit to do.
s Against all of these things the Temperance
movement in Virginia has won TO the point
where 1t carried the more responsive House g.
10 80 in favor of the Jordan bill. where it won
1s votes out OF 40 from Senate claimed by
and which in the final test failed to meet the
wishes of an overwhelming majority Of the best
citizenship OF the State II is worthy of note
q that no senator from wet territory voted
against the bill while number OF senators
from dry territory for varying reasons, joined
with senator's from wet territory TO defeat the
measure. These senators from dry territory
who did not represent the wishes Of their con
stituents and must explain to them what obllga-
ton carried more weight with these senators
I than the obligations they owed 10 their own
ueouie Such Il movement viii not, cannot. go
backward Ii has established beyond doubt the
imnortaut thing: that Il has the sympathy Of
majority of the people That admitted IT
remains for those districts whose sentiment
has been ignored by their representatives in
the Senate to keep up the fight, aud to con
slider the ways and means by which they may
dissuade recaicitrant discbedience TO their will