The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-24

all druggists-5Oc and SlOO.
OF delegates or In tho Senate of yIr-
Elhia and demand that the state wide
n INV AGAINST sampling and houses OF
li,latne ue repealed, and local option b.
substituted In their place, because tho
police of Richmond and NortoIk and
iin ,w county do not enforce these
Avs But botn the laws against gam
bilnS anu the law against prostitu-
Aon are Statewide laws.
Inese gentlemen may be thoroughly
honest. but they are just as certainly
Illogical; Anu they urc stiIl unuer
tne spell OF that strange opinion tnat
because the LIQUOR traic mas openly
| ton shall not prohlbit," because wo
VIII violate the law ii IT is passed,
therefore the law should not be passed.
because the liquor sellers have declared
mat they Will violate II.
An. gentlemen. either you must
throw logic or consistency to the
winds wnen you talk In this way
you are at heart the friends OF the
traffic. This may seem to be severe
upon some excellent gentlemen. but
principles of logic and sound renson-
ing when II comes TO u discussion OF
the liquor trattic. your committee can
not FOLLOW In their tracks.
The Rights of the People.
No person and no party can justify
q refusal to give Tie people u right
to vote on this question. man may
say honestly that he favors the local
option policy, and lie may Guy that
ne VIII vote against Statewide pro-
hibition In any election on that sub
,ect but 1t seems TO your committae
that all believers In democratic gov
Governor OF Virginia whom he stated
In his recent message, as in the first
one that tho people OF Virginia have
the right to settle this. and all other
questions as TO them shall seem best"
Not a Party Question.
This question has not been made a
question of party politics in Virginia
IT has been the aim of the temper
ance workers OF the state TO Keep it
diSassocnted from party politics. But
the question Is now up for settlement
and II must be settled by the General
Assembly. Both the Senate ana tho
House OF Delegates are overwhelming
~ Democratic. viii the Democratic
House and Senate pass the enabling
oct as the local option law was passed
twenty-five years ago. and thus remove
1t entirely from the sphere of party
politics and leave II where It belongs.
In the hands OF the people. moral
political issue. to be settled without
regard to party Affiliations? Or viii
they insist upon making this question
party issue. and declare that they
cannot pass the enabling act, because it
is contrary 70 the time honored Demo
cratic policy of local option. and thus
range the Democratic party against the
quor question apart from party at
tiliations? Your committee sincerely
trusts that botn the House and the
Senate will pass the bill without in
jectinS into IL any partisan pol! teal
considerations, for we should greatly
regret any attempt made TO line up
party against the right of the people
to settle the liquor question as TO them
shall seem best. Such action would
bring on q bitter fight. for men viii
ia
on such moral Issues.
Gentlemen Of the General Assembly.
pass the enabling act and pass the
question OF Statewide prohibition out
as local option is now removed from
An Irrepressibie CouHict.
But II 1t should happen that a ma
jorlty should vote against the en-
abling act in the Senate or III tho
moment that the fight Is over. Every
advance movement In temperance leg.
islation has been bitterly contested
who are now opposing the enabling
act the aame wet newspapers which
now tight the enabling act fought tho
Mann law and the Byrd law.
If this reasonable request OF the
temperance people shall be refused
at this session of the General Assem-
bly,, the whole question will be re-
DdCh 10 the people Tor Settle
ment, and il Will be live Issue in the
next gubernatoriai and legislative
elections We do not indulge in any
threats. but we declare It as our con-
viction that any man in the Senate OF
Virginia or In the House Of Delegates.
who declines to allow the people Of
Virginia to vote upon this question,
VIII thereby SO deeply brand himself
as distrustful of the people. and so re-
creant to genuine Democratic pr.nci-
pies. that the brand VIII not be over
looked when he comes again before
the people for election to public office.
Not only right principles, hut political
sagacity also demand the g.anting OF
this right to the people, and the re-
moval of this question from the realm
OF party politics. Gentlemen. withdraw
Your protection from the liquor traffic
and force 1t TO meet in the open field
the temperance forces of the State.
Manhood Versus Money.
Certain persons have said that the
enabling act should not be passed be-
cause the State Treasury cannot stand
t.. loss of 100000 per year Let II
be understood In tho beginning that
your committee does not believe that
such plea is worthy of consideration
by reputable, patriotic citizens
father might as well assert that he
must soil the virtue of his wife and
daughter to meet the family expenses,
as for State to declare that II must
license mon to make drunknrds of her
children In order to meet the state eX-
pc1scs.
The total amount involved is AN