The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-01-27
.ODDs" AGAINST TEMPERANCE SUCCESS.


Of Delegates of the Jordan bin for enabling
act to a referendum on the question of State
wide prohibition advocates of the liquor In
ferests. declared and otherwise. have adopted
the gamblers expedient of running up the
odds" with respect to the action OF the Senate
The professional politaker Is abroad in the
land. Assumed canvasses Of the opinions of
the body OF Senators are published. talked, and
whispered. The enabling act say these inter
esss who know all before IL happens is DOOM
cd, whatever action is taken upon il in the
House. The Senate, they claim. has declared
itself On all sides there Is professed calm
and assurance that seeks to prove itself by
vocferation.
This is a dodge old politics itself. No
doubt the popular elections in the Roman
Senate knew the bookmaker who went abont
ehalking up odds his favorite candidate
Everywhere and In all time, this has been the
device by which the timid have been cajoled
and the cautious sought TO be influenced Know
Ing the comfort that there Ia In a crowd, the
Z purpose has sought TO create his crowd
hF soaring INTO lis those VINO IDluk tuHt uH~
less they follow the proclaimed result they
viii be left in the cold that pinches minority.
in the old DAYS when Republican headquarters
were at the Fifth Avenue Hotel and the Demo-
cratic stamping ground was the Hoffman House,
IA was II equently possible In New York for one
TO get odds against the Democratic candidate
at one place and against the Republican can
didate at the other.y These people were not
throwing away any money predictions: they
were Investing in the psychology of human ma
tnre
II lis significant of the fear of the liquor i'll
terests that such methods should have been
begun thus early In the campaign for refer
endum of the prohibition question. II is more
significant that even by such a policy. the
House should have been conceded II remains
TO be seen what effect, il any. this indirect
effort at instruction will have On the Senators
whose undeoiared position render the fate OF
the measure uncertain in the upper House
As the situation stands, the Senate exhibits
no declared majority either for the enabling
act OF against it. That being true, the odds
on the supposititious polls, constitute moth
Ing less than an Insult 10 the aehates Inter
Egenee and question of It's good faith Both
sides have of course sought TO ascertain the
stand OF every Senator. Neither side. In our
opinion knows the stand OF all OF them. The
I. liquor interests claim to know, but do they' II
they know. why they the conhdants OF
men who refuse to publicly declare themsesrcsy
II they do not know. is not the blum apparent
and is not the fact evident that their purpose
Is to indirectly coercs where they cannot con-
riHces
To temperance advocates Pay no attention
TO The odds" Those who lay odds have the
money. and ii Is conceded that the liquor people
have In this fight a. practical monopoly of that
commodity.
III. TO Senalsrs, Think fer. a nsalsnt Of. what:
these odds mean--not the fair probabilities con-
: corning "a doubtful issue but the probabilities
that they aciH saflueaee goar decision!
To temperance advocates and Senator's. alike:
Remember that this contest is not remotely a
contest to be decided in the Legislature OF
Virginia upon inc question OF Prohibition. But
that Ii embodies a right sacred to the English
speaking people almost from the time tina,
memory of their achievements began to run
the right Of petition, and the right, when the
heart of the people is aroused, to take
back from delegated representatives the dele
suted right Of seq government.