Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-07-15
Secretary of Local Self
Government League
Discusses Petition.
RESULT UNCERTAIN
Many People Said to Have Signed to
Bring Matter Before Voters of the
Commonwealth.

Richmond, July 1J.--Ben J.. owen,
Jr., secretary of the Virginia Asso-
citation for Local Seif- Government,
in commenting yesterday on the
number of signatures to the petition
for State wide prohibition election,
said:
"The signatures secured for the
Statewide election cannot be regard
ed as any index as to the strength of
the present local option plan, and the
substitution thereof of Statewide
prohibition. While the number of
signatures filed with the Governor
does not represent one-third of the
qualified vote even if all these voted
for Statewide prohibition, they
would not represent anything like a
majority Of the qualified vote.
Securing signatures calling for
an election does not signify that
those who signed that call will vote
for Statewide prohibition, because
the information which we have Sc
cured from all sections of the State,
and from many persons whose names
appear upon the petitions, is that
they signed the call in order to have
an opportunity to vote and get rid of
the question: and they stated when
they signed that it was not their
purpose to vote for Statewide pro-
hibition. Many others signed rs
the easiest way Of getting rid of
importantly. Ii vas freely states,
by those who carried around the pc
titions that what they desired was to
get names, and that signatures did
not bind them.
"In n great many cases where the
signatures were given the statement
was made, I will sign, but I will not
vote for State wide prohibition. It!
it also a fact that many signers are
not qualified voters. Giving the
.State-wders everything: they claim
on the face of the petitions, they are
far short Of 4 majority Of qualified
voters.
Putting the accepted system of
accounting in such matters to this
petition problem, it will be found
that the State-widers cannot reason
ably rely upon anything like G9,939
votes in the coming election.
''In the hunt for signcrs, every ar
gumcnt known to the political can
vasser was used to induce people to
sign. Voters were advised by many
canvasscrs that signing a petition did
not commit them to State wide pro-
hibition, that the act OF signing only
provided the opportunity to have the
enabling act submitted to the people
for ratification or rejection. Under
these circumstances, a great many
signers will vote for local option as
against Statewide prohibition.
These facts are borne out by hun
dreds of letters received by the Vir-
ginia Association for Local Self-Gov-
ernment.
"That many persons who will vote
for local option in September and
against Statewide prohibition signed
these petitions, and that many who
will not vote at all also signed them,
is self-cvident. There is no way to
accurately sift the petition returns,
and separate the local optionists
from the State-widers, and in view of
this TACT the basis of calculation has
long ago been adopted by nonparti-
sans and by entirely reliable bureaus
of statistics to get at the facts. That
basis, as already pointed out, is Col
per cent of the face of the petitions.
In palmer words, experience and re-
suits in other States, show that only
about 60 per cent of large petitioners
of this character go to the polls and
vote the way they have signed.
"That a majority of the voters of
the State are against Statewide
prohibition and in favor of local op-
tion is a reasonable conclusion. If |
they had not been these other names
would have appeared on the peti-
tions, as the entire State was Wig
orously combed to make big show
ing. 1t is to this unsigned majority