Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-08-14
TUCKER FAV0R5
LOCAL OPT|ON
Disapproves Statewide Pro-
hibition from Several
Standpoints.
OUTLINES HIS VIEWS
Principles Involved, He Says, Are
Imbedded in Virginia Institutions
Able Statement. &I

Richmond, August 14.-Publlc men
in Virginia are rapidly indicating
their position on the prohibition
question which is to be voted on at
the polls throughout the State on
September %. Acknowledgement
John Garland Pollard has just re-
turned from tour of speechmaklng
in the interests of Statewide prohl-
bition. Harry st. George Tucker,
former member of Congress, and
candidate for Governor in the Demo-
cratic primaries against Governor
William Hodges Mann, has written to
Judge George L. Christian, a state
ment of his views supporting local
option.
Among other things he says.
The principle Of local self-govern-
ment by which the government is
brought close to the people anG
gives to each voter the maximum Of
power in the administration of tt
affairs of the government, is Or
which encourages individual respo
sibility and enlarges the powers
the people. If law is proposed
the people of Virginia, supposi
there are 10000 voters in I
State, each mans vote is unit a
has power to influence the result
one in 10000. If it he a mat
that concerns his county, his poV
TO Influence the election is as
to 1900. If the question is one
which magisterial district or to
is involved in which there are 500
ters, the potcntiality of his vote
as one to 500. The nearer he
the question comes, the greater p
er the voter has.
III my own section of the State, the
Valley Of Virginia, l do not see how
the election, however it may termi-
nate, can affect the present condition
of things in any respect. Today
the Valley is without a barroom from
Winchester to Roanoke, except al
Harrisonburg, Rotecourt, Rockbridge,
Augusta, Shenandoah and FrcdericE;
ere dry. They are as dry under the
local option as prohibition can make
them. If the law is evaded now un-
der local option, there is no reason
TO believe it will be different under
Statewide prohibition.
Apart from these views, if l were
one of those (and there are many
such), who honestly believe that all
alcohol is either poisonous or injuri-
Gus, I could not vote for the enabling
act in the coming election; for this
act, in Section X, while prohibiting
the manufacture of whisky and
brandy, permits the manufacture Of
I wine by firms or corporations tha,
are now manufacturing wine in the
State, and also permits the manufac,
! ture of beer, containing not moro
! than 3 1-2 per cent Of alcohol, BY
! firms or corporations now manufac
/ turing it.
| This act was brought about by tht
forceful sentiment of those who be-
! lieved that alcohol was destroying thu
F. manhood Of the State. 1t would be o.
! interest to know from those who ef
fected the passage of this act by wha
alchemy alcohol contained in wine ant
beer is less destructive of Virgini;
manhood than that which is found il
whisky and brandy. That there j
less in one than in the other is NJ
argument to him who believes tina
all alcohol is destructive of manhood
A vote for this act would deny tn
right of any man to manufacture
brandy or whisky, and would affirma
lively grant the right to those manu-
featuring wine and beer to continu
I it. If / were prohibitionist l coul
not vote to grant the right to any
person to manufacture beer and wine
which l honestly believed was de
structive of human souls.
I believe the people of the State wi
pass upon this question in no hys
terical way, but that We may eXcep
| a calm, dispassionate judgment i
is determination, and it is to be sin
cereiy hoped that the. extravaganc