The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-08-18
Some Spicy Letters to Secretary Owen

The Nirginian prints herewith
another interesting letter TO Secretary
Owen. OF the Local Self-Goyernment
league and the writer asks that II
be published throughout the State;
Mr. Ben p. owen, Jr.
Secretary Local self-Government
Association. CITY.
Dear Sir:
You letter of July 80 just received,
also pamphlet on Statewide Prohi-
billion Effect On Taxation" and at
your request have read both and will
also comply with your wish and write
you my conclusion. as am both WILL
ing and anxious for my views TO be
known by the people OF Virginia. /
earnestly request you 10 send this TO
the newspapers you are usefng
through the State. for publication. but
as The Richmond Virginian is not
one of the mediums you are useing
am taking the liberty OF sending a
copy to them myself.
Now for my conclusion and a few
very few compared TO the many
could give1-reasons for this conclu-
sion. In the first place / am forced
to the conclusion that the name of
your association, as ia your letter and
pamphlet Is misleading and only in
tended to mislead those who do not
know the faCts-for we'll do | re-
member a few years back how you
and your crowd fought the very pat
form you are now standing on
Local Option'--if not you person
ally, those who are backing you up
the liquor people hemsalves--you
said then just what you are saying
new--higher taxes. and the country
would go to wreck and ruin general
-, he found with
any crowd who are not sincere. My
next reason for my conclusion is you
and some OF your speakers say you
are against prohibition because 1t
don't prohibit" Now. Mr.. Owen.
will you kindly tell us who 1t iS that
violates the prohibition laws In dry
States and will break it IN this State
after September. 1916? 1t certainly
will not be by those who are work
+ ing so hard to get this law passed
then 1t must be by the other side
for there are only two sides. those for
Statewide prohibition and those
against Statewide prohibition. So !
certainly cannot join hands and cast
my lot with those who will not obey
tho laws of our State. Prohibition
Will prohibit If the other side will
keep the law as strictly as our side
will. I say your letter. pamphlet and
the Trumpeter are misleading, tnat
sounds harsh and / dislike to have to
say 1t, but when such men as Bishop
KiIgo, Judge Pritchard. Ex-Governor
Glenn and Governor Craig, OF North
Carolina, Governor George III. Hodges,
Of Kansas; DR. James Cannon and
exc overnor VIM. Hodges Mann. of
Virginia, and hundreds OF others in
this and other States who are above
reproach and whose word could not
be doubted, and the facts / have got
ten all say contrary to what your
association is saying and sending out
over the State, with these facts be-
fore me | am forced to say one side
Is misleading Which side. Mr..
owen. will you believe. the side that
stands for manhood. womanhood.
childhood, home, God and his church,
or the side that destroys all the above
so far as in its~power lies? / repeat
which?
For the want OF time I will give
only one more reason (this time) for
my conclusion. II the open saloon
(the high license saloon. which you
advocate, and which Is far more
dangerous to our young men then the
low dive), is allowed to remain some
body must furnish the boys-about
100000 every generation. God has
placed two boy} in my keeping to
raise for His service, therefore, 1t is
my duty to put every safeguard
around His (my) boys. The open
saloon--and those who run them
are ready to take them and drag