The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-03

oil who seek TO thwart their Will,
Republican. Reply.
Senator Catron, one OF tho Repub-
lican Senator's, was far from con-
'vinccd that prohibition is a force for
good, He told Of conditions in tho
dry counties OF Southwestern Virginia.
In which, he said. drunkenness ana
crime. was rampant because OF Tia.
lack of regulation OF the liquor traffic.
, Whiskcy came in from wet territory
and WAS consumed In burger quantities
than under the regulation laws
! Shall who ain not lawyer" he
said, question the wisdom Of the
committee, OF Its report? Are the mem
( bers of that committee not under oath.
the same as / am:
! Tho Republican party, said Ecnator
Catrcn, has repeatedly declared itself
; In favor Of local option. That plank
! was COOL enough for him 1t was the
state Republican platform, he said.
and II was his intention to stick 10
il. To the threat of political death.
ne could only answer that he could
get along very well without coming
back to the senate.
Divine Right ofr<Ings.
Senator Yves: modernixcd the creed
OF the first james Of England and the
fourteenth Louis OF France. with the
that tho powers that be are ordained
by Coo Every representative OF the
people holding public Office. he assert
cd derives his power not alone from
the people. but also from God
You are under double obligation"
he said. Bring your Christianity into
.lhc senate ANA do your duty to your
God as wcil as TO Your constituents"
The enactment OF prohibitoiy liquor
ia i,iA S,-st . In,
earlier enactment by the State. of laws
iorbiddin; lotteries. lie regretted the
passing of the stcrncr days of Lee ana
Jackson, when men acted from a sense
OF conviction and duty alone. ana
placed the good OF humanity above
mere money.
Ills People Do Not wnut II.
i VII vote against the enabling
act. because the people of my district
have not told me they want IT," said
Senator Parr. I'm spite of the biz
claims that are made by the advo-
Gates OF this bill. / do NOT believe that
more than one-tenth of the qualified
voters OF this state want IT,
He repudiatcd the charge that every
one who opposes the enabling act does
SO for merccnary reasons. II was bad
taste, he thought, for minister of
the Gospel, OF all men, to make such
a charge as the Que made before the
committee last Monday night
Il say 1t is bad form for the clergy
10 make that charge" said Senator
Parr. The question of money enters
often into more Godlikc affairs. When
! attend church-and | attend II reg
ularly---l hear discussed only these
three things: heaven, hell ana collec-
tons"
Not Troubled by Threats.
He was not troubled. he said. by the
threat that opponents OF the enabling
act VIII be made to suffer prompt po-
litical death at the hands of an out
ragged constituency.
II Rm not sure snld senator
Pnrr, with telling irony. that to nd
vocnfc prohibition Is the hiEhond To
political prefermcut. remember that
senator Strobe Introduced n prohIbi-
ton bill Mt the last session of tue
General Assembly. Where IN Senator
STROBE nows Why didn't rho people
rc-ctcct him. The halls that knew
him once. know him now no more"
"And Dr. Myers, who fought for the
prohibition bill two ycnrs nRo In the
House. Where I, he: Why didn't the
people send him hack this year. The
Legislative halls thut knew hin, t,v.,
?cnrs ago, know him nov, no more"
Senator Gayle looked upon tho pres
cnt contest as "a case OF honest men
differ ng OH great question" The
Senate. he argued, could not mako "A
mistake In referring the question TO
the people. II the bill Is unconst!tu-
t!onal he was confident that the court.
would 50 decide il. The people o.
Virginia are demanding this lcgisla.
ton, he said, aud In the and they viii
rule.
Mems Rule OF Majority.
FOLLOWED TO its logical conclusion"
declared Senator Wcndenburg. who
made tho concluding argument against
the bill. the act which we are asked
to pass means virtually government BY
majority instead OF government by rep
rcacn,otion. Tho minority III repuh. .
licnn form OF government submits to
ruic by delegated representatives but
to force upon them the caprice OF the
minority Is Tyranny"
Tha Hcnrico senator undertook to
confuto the constitutional justihcuti nn
OF tho bill attempted by Senator Walk
eT. The very device Of Republican gov
crrmcnt, he argued. Is founded upon
tho ralicnablc right OF the separate
units composing It to control their own
local affairs. The argument that if tho
principle of referendum l., sound as ap-
Piled TO local communities Ii must thcre-
fore bc SOUND for group OF such com
muniiies forming n state. he thought.
could not appeal TO legal mind.
Transfers tnn-Mnkiug Power.
The measure" under discussion, said
Senator Wendcnburg, transfers the
law ma king power from tho ticneraI
Assembly. where. according to the Con