The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-15

hand, and the destruction OF the liquor
traffic on the other. Lrc these re-
forms? That is the quetslor Is equal
suffrage right? Is 1t RICH, 10 destroy
the liquor trainc? Answer these ques.
Lions honestly, ana we need trouble
ourselves very little about the out
conc They VIII arrive.
Incompetent agents and ineifcctiv.
methods may postpone fundamental
reforms for time. SO may the inso-
lencs OF power or the cabal OF cor
ruption. Who has not seen tho
wicked In great power and spreading
himself az green bay tree Yet he
passed away. and. and. 10, he was not.
yea sought him, hu, he could not DO
round" But. after all. he has served
y useful purpose. because temporary
defeats are often vital to the most
Fundamental reforms. They tcach us
TO exercise more discretion and Wis
dom In the adoption OF methods ana
measures. This Is the way Il is work
ing In the two reforms 10 which |
have already called attention To put
equal outrage upon wise. conservu-
tive. Intelligent basis Is certainly the
problem now before our progressive
and constructive statesmen. That II
VIII be eventually accomplished there
Is no doubt, whatever. and when IT Is
done and your intelligent. cultured
and morally sensitive women come to
vote. there will be several institutions
OF public nature which will fec TO
the rocks ana mountains" etc. You
itnow the rest. People who are lmmo-
diatcly interested In these peculiar In
sttutlons are not advocating women
suffrage In Virginia. The same is
true of others, many others, who are
not financially Interested in tho out
come OF the movement. but they are
hD nd fnr
they undertake to make the suffra &c
so vile thing, so mean and un-
worthy of angelic woman that she
should never think OF STOPPING to
touch It, Perhaps we do not have
to go very far to see that It Is this
conception OF manhood suffrage. this
deliberate debasing 1T. this making It
more than half vile. which Is respon-
sIble for that alarming degeneracy We
are witnessing right now In our
southwest counties, even in Virginia.
God save the Commonwealth"
Now Just a little word about the
enabling act by way OF application.
! How many people do you hear de-
rendins the liquor traffic. per sc &?
How otter do you hear any one maxi
Ing long argument that II Is a di-
vine institution, or that 1t Is even n
idecent human one? It's warmost
friends shy that It Is evil, and most
OF them admit that II Is only evil.
Their defense is that II is Inevitable f;
that we cannot get rid of It. that
prohibition, as we know It, is farce
! or n hypocrisy. and that reform is i'm
possible. To argue against these as
sertions would be Just about as ra-
tional as to make serious argument
| that the sun would certainly rise. even
though tho day be cloudy. We have
far better business. Let us believe
in the final perseverance OF reform.
Let us believe that tho sun Will rise
through all clouds. and In spite Of all
clouds.
Let US also line UP on the side of re
| form. and do IT openly. decisively. II
should not DO necessary to inquire of
| any man where he stands with regard
to issues OF so much Importance. moral
and political. Because this particular
issue is moral as we'll as political.
there arise these charges of insin-
cerity and hypocrisy. Right at this
point is an exceedingly interesting
study OF human nature. but we haven't
time for that now. We are working
| for the destruction Of admittedly tho
greatest evil in the modern world
be just as willing TO destroy 1t in yonr
private cupboard as anywhere else
/ Does the cider Joint In which you arc
| Interested promote drunkenness IN very