The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-02-03

IS ~ ~ offered ~ would have voted
ssG6g sthAx msaaure Also
~ AeclnkAd that when the State
NJ So&oo n prohibition 4 would vote IN
u - hind eteor ~ we'll. In his
Ap1aioA Die Democratic party would
never 80 year that would 20 tear
u Asnuder - the year In which "
y spted 70 gtvs the people Statewide
\ prohlbiticn4
M ia discueepA the constitution. de-
caAr1ug that section 80 wss restrictive,
ana declared that the law Was that
= lexislntive enactment must be com
4 pieta In itself and that no law tnat
nave the electorate the right to make
law would be constitutional
He declared that the referendum
was one ~ the hybrid products Of the
Wild and wcoliy West. and that Fir-
gfniA did not have the right to make
usc OF the device until 1t had been
duly en1rafted into the constitution.
He declared that when the General
Assembly OF Virginia passed a refer
euduua measure its greatness would Dc
gone.
MeAiists~ Closes.
When Secretary McAliister arose 20
close the argument he declared lie
\ right rise on inquiry; are we yet
siisesr So formidable had been the
arguments brought TO bear. His oppo-
negits had brought representatives, from
eight cities, one county. and one town
10 speak 10 the committee. All of these
had been at pains To explain that
that they favored temperance. ne
was glad that he was not called upon
to explain that he was for temperance.
The eight cities represented by those
who had appeared had population
Of 3ls. 900. and during last year ieAlo
t..N nH Ant MT
the total number OF arrests In the
state OF 1895. Less than one seventh
III the population OF tho State had fur
nisited more than three-fifths of the
number OF arrests. Hc declared that
in the case Of some of fifteen or TWEEN
~ members OF the Legislature that
il the jalls had been opened and their
inmates all had voted against them,
they would have remained at home.
He took up one by one, the cities rep
resented referring to them az MIR,
bland. OF Portsmouth. had described
them as happy families with one In
thtrty-two OF the member In Jail doWn
TO Danviile where one in eight OF the
uupuiation had been under arrest the
past year He replied to the srgu-
snent OF the representative from Alex
andrfa who had appeared for tnat
city with the plea that happiness ana
ciared that that city hadn't shown one
increase per saloon per year the past
ten years, and had fifty less population
than IL had fifty years ago. II had
close neighbor. Rossiyn. dry" town,
which had gained two millions In
values the past three years, and which
Alexandria was tryins sainly to ALI
mex. And none of the sixty-seven
salconmen In Alexandra, he declared
q k~vz their IfrMnQea ~
less they dispensed the Robert Port
ner beer.
Norfolk Argument.
He took the wind out OF the argu-
ment made by the Norfolk reprcsen-
tative OF the liquor interests who had
declared that FIVE mi,iions OF property
would be contiscated by Statewide pro-
hIEition by showing that the brewery
interests of Norfolk were taxed on
s4zl eco OF property only.
Replying to an argument advanced
by Mr.. Kelly that the year after
North Carolina went dry there had
been barge increase In Federal
licenses u showing that the govern
ment had required license OF all
near-bear saloons and that. accepting
the challenge OF the liquor interest.
The Legislature Of North Carolina had
put It's foot on the near-beer saloon
and put 1t out of business. He re:
TERED to the arguments of opponents
of statewide as taking 1t for grant
ed that II the bill was passed the
State WAS gone.
Mr. Kelly had argued that there
was no sentiment behind the move
ment--that 1t was artificial. Then.
were that the case, where would come
the harm OF passing the law as no
election could be held, unless TWEEN
ty-fiYe per cent. Of the qualified voters
signed the measure.
No Dry state Increased Taxes.
He declared that North Carolina
had outsripped our own beloved
State by 200, 900 population the past
ten years. and was building school
house for every day In the year. Its
State tax rate was but twenty-five
cents onthe hundred dollars, and no
dry State could be found which had
increaned Its tax rate.
Mr.. McAllister declared that the de-
mand for tho Statewide measure was
growing more insistent Two years avo
I; had been the opponents of the
measure which had crowded the hear
snxs. This year IL was Its friends who
fixed the hall. The Anti-saioou
League had been the conservative
force In the movement, Ii had not
fathered or eountenanced the Rock
ingham trouble. or the detection in
5uatment of the matter outside Of the
realms OF politics. In the recent leg
ixlatfye campaigns the officials of tho
league had net interfered In any way
with the local situation. 1t had
urged the people to Lei ny-gones be
by-snp@s
Reads Section g..
Replying 10 the constitutional aues-
ton raised by MIR, Cardweli he read
the plain words OF section Sc OF the
Constitution Of the State of Virginia,
giving the Assembly the power to en-
act such laws as Il saw fit regulating.
controlling or prohibiting the man
-
LIQUORS.
He read strong temperance naner
drawn up at convention held as
3ar back as the year 1880 in the city
~ Richmond and SIGNED by James
Madison. Andrew Jackson and John
Quincy Ada.as He closed with a
nnwaFfui asneal to khe commute.
saying, Gentlemen pass this question
nr 10 the people Of Virginia for set,
ttemert for IL In even up "a this good
Hcr eIrrx pcp,.fj Way Tnfs -