The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-11-07
Sixty-four Members of Houes
Sure, While Sentiment Ex-
pressed at Polls Affects
"Wet" Senators.
Drys" Sweep Districts Of Five
Members of Upper House,
Who Voted Against Bill at
Last Session of the General
Assembly.

The passage OF the enabling act by
The general assembly is nearer to &C
complishment today than 1t has been
in all the years its advocates have
been hghting for IL and prohibition
leaders confidently predict that when
the bill comes before the next general
assembly 1t will be passed.
They base their prediction on infor-
nation received as TO the wavertng
attitude OF certain wet senator's.
upon the election of Judge Buchanan
from the Washingtou-Br!stol district
despite. the money hat was sent into
the district by the saloon forces, and
upon the election OF dry" candidates
for the house of delegates In districts
or senators who two years ago voted
against tile act.
Stxty-four member of the house OF
delegates are certain to vote for the
measure, twelve are doubtful and
twenty-four are sure to vote wet.
May Get Seventy.
That Is the way the house Is lined
UP, according to the figures OF those
who have studied II out. 1t would not
be surprising II seventy members OF
the house should vote for the act.
The lowest possible number is placed
at 81 or So.
II is a fact. highly significant Of the
sentiment of The State. that in the dis
tricts OF FIVE OF the wet"
every candidate opposing the enabling
act went down IN defeat before those
who favored 1t. SO that now from
those FIVE senatorial districts there is
not In the lower house a single dele
gate who VIII not vote in the afflrma-
tive He m -sr-fc.
passage. These are the senatorial dis
tricts OF Senator's Hart. Echois. Mon
cure. Hobbs and Paul.
In Staunlon and Augusta-Echois'
d!strict--tv opponents Of the
enabling act were replaced BY two aa-
yocates. In Moncur~'s district a
dry" delegate was elected in place
OF one wao voted against the enabling
act two years age Willis comes to
the house from Roanoke city TO vote
for the act. giving The prohibitionists
two votes from Senato Harris district
Instead Of one, From Senator Hobbs
home come a solid dry delegation. the
''wers'' being left behind. In Senator
paul's district a dry man comes
back.
Gains From Norfolk.
In addition the advocates OF the
act gain a member from Norfolk city.
while the two from Norfolk county.
wet before. nav not as yet de-
clared themselves. In Fredericks-
burg. Spotsylyan!a district. rcckribbed
in its Democracy, the democratic
candidate for the house Of delegates
went down in defeat before an indie
pendent, who made his campaign on d
dry" platform.
On the other hand. in Scott county,
always sending n Republican to the
house, the Democratic candidate. on a
platform declaring for the enabling
act, was elected.
The losses are in panville and prob
ably in Lynchburg. Two dry mem
bers OF the house from the former
city are succeeded by two men who
will vote dry" while Easley. the new
member from Lyrchburg, is expected
to line up with the VETS"
The fight for the vacancy In the
State senate from the Washington
Bristol district shows better than
anything else. probably. how fully the
saloon element realized that It was
absolutely necessary to poll a heavy
vote for wet" candidates. and their
failure there is typical Of their fall
ure wherever the question was made
an issue. The fight was bitter, and
Il was frequently charged that the
saloons OF the state and their adj
herents poured money into the dis
trict to defeat not only the Demo-
cratic candidate > for the senate
pledged TO vote for the enabling act,
but the Democratic candidates for the
house from Bristol city. The liquor
forces staked their all here and lost,
Buchanan defeated Lou Summers,
the candidate of the VETS by a
majority of 500. and the two Bristol
Democrats were elected by a safe ma
Jority.
Is Heavy Blow.
ITO lose this fight means a hard
blow to us" wrote Jerry Bunting. a
Roanoke saloon man, to an Abingdon
distiller. They lost the fight.
Bunting. by the way, Is a voter in
the First senatorial district, and pre-
sumably a Democrat. He took part
In the convention which nominated
Buchanan. and then bolted the ticket,
supporting Lou Summers, h Repub-
lican candidate.
These sweeping victories have
elated the workers for the enabling
act, and they are almost confident
that the moral influence will be suffi-
cient TO bring over the necessary four
votes in the senate A gain OF four
will make the vote a tie. In which
case Northumberland E:fyson
will vote in the affirmative. thus as
surfing It's passage. 1t is pointed out
that two years ago the State sena-
tors did not face reelection, n
could afford to vote against the act.
even though their constituents faV-
ored 1t, hut after this session they
do not held over. Two years hence
they must come UP for reelection,
and some of them, knowing from
Tuesdays election returns the senti-
ment of their constituents. may vote
tor the act, especially II they are
wavering as many Of them are rs-
ported to be. In fact. it has been
stated that one or two senators not
representing the districts which 50
Enthusiastically made known their
wishes Tuesday are considering the
expediency Of changing their votes.
Leaders here are reticent, but It IL
easily to. he seen that their hopes are