The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-09-08

educate the American youth to let liquor alone
is the best method Of doing away with the
liquor traffic and it's consequent evils, but IL
does seem to me little unreasonable for our
people to spend millions in educating the Amer
lean youth to let liquor alone. while licensing
millions to profit by teaching the youth to
drink. and licensing individuals to make drink
ing places as attractive possible In order to
draw the young people with music, dances,
games, etc.
1t has been reported that the president Of
a big liquor dealers association has said the
! American youth must be educated to drink
or the liquor dealers will have to go out Of
| business Whether he said this not Is i'm
material-the question is Of 1t be ques-
uonl, Is such the fact? You know and T
know, that somebody must educate the Ameri-
can youth to drink whiskey, or the LIQUOR
dealers will have to go out Of business IT
seems apparent. therefore, that our question Is
whether we propose to encourage and make
legal and profitable this training of the Amer
lean youth to drink, or whether we propose, to
fight 1t and make 1t criminal?
good deal has said about the thou
sands who will be thrown out of employment
II these people are producers. they should not
| he deprived of their employment. certainly not
without great cause. What Is producer? A
man who produces something of BENEFIT 10
mankind If these people are not making some
thing that is OF benefit to mankind it is obvious
that they are not producers. but consumers
Which means that others are producing not
only their share, but additional amount
for these consumers. If they are producing
something detrimental to mankind, and some-
thing, that lessons the producing powers of
others It Is equally obvious that they are OF
less value to the nation than idle consumers
What an opportunity and what blessing II
would be, If these people who have so much
interest In the welfare of their own people
and of their own families, would stop ma king
that which Injuries, stop promoting the sale or
that whic his harmful and make united fight
against all that is injurious and that tends
to bring distress upon mankind.
Notwithstanding all the general statements
that made and sent out by the State or
ganizatfon for local self-government, / do not
suppose that any person really believes that the
regulation of the sale Of liquor should be left
to the local communities If the regulation Of
the liquor traffic Is to be left to each magsteral
district. ii Is clear that Ivy district could
license many places for the sale of liquor
as they desire-they could regulate the hours
that the saloons should be kept open--they
could sell to minors. girls and boys, to women
they could have girls sell ft--and could
every inducemerf to draw young people to-
gether. means of offering them liquor. and
they could do this right at door, notwth-
standing Newport News rs. even 90, per
cent dry / can't believe that there is a man
In the city who believes that a few people in
one magsterial district of Warwick county
| should be allowed this privilege. And yet when
they say that every locality should regulate tho
sale of liquor they must this for the
present restrictions against these things
not made by the locality, but made by the
people of the entire State. Our forefathers,
when they founded this government believed
| those things which affected the whole people
similarly should be controlled by the national
government that those things which affected
| the people of State only should be controlled
by the people Of that State. and that those
things which purely local should be con-
trolled by the people of the locality. But
even locally these rights greatly hedgel
about by statutes and constitutional provisions
Finally Statewide prohibition is nothing new
to Virginia TIE only question is whether we
shall broaden the present provisions for State
wide prohibition. We have Statewide prohibit
ton against the sale of liquor except by
voters fonly voters are licensed to bar
rooms) have Statewide prohibition now
against the sale Of liquor by people except those
who own property; we have Statewide prohi-
hition now for all who under twenty one;
have Statewide prohibition against all wo-
men; have Statewide prohibition against all
men, unless they fit to handle liquor. and
even If fit, have Statewide prohibition on
Sundays and Christmas; we have Statewide pro-
hibition from midnight to A. M. and from
noon before election day to 6 A. NJ after cleo
tion day; further have Statewide prohibi-
ton except at designated places; we have State
wide prohibition at all where there are less
than -saa- people,; have Statewide prohibition
even though there 500 people. II IL is near
a city which prohibits the sale; we have sta,e-
wide prohibition against every place that hasn't
police protection II the and place
are fit. everybody Is prohibited from selling to
minors by Statewide law; everybody lis pro-
hibited from selling to females In a saloon by
a Statewide law; everybody is prohibited from
selling to students Of public schools and coll
leges by a Statewide law, and finally, when on
a train, everybody Is prohibited from
drinking their own liquor without first OBJ
tanning the consent OF the conductor. In fact,
the voters of Virginia have prescribed Statewide
prohibition substantially for everybody except
| themselves and possible voters who may later
have a say this proposition.
With all these statutes of Statewide prohibi-
ton so heartily endorsed by the Virginia Local
Self-Government league, it does not that
the rights of the people jeopardzed by a
further extention of approved principle.
After all. the word prohibition" misrepre-
sents the idea of many people who will vote
dry. the question Is:
SHALL WE CONTINUE TO LEGALIZfS
| AND MAKE PROFITABLE THE PROMOTION
OF THE SALE OF LIQUOR, OR SHALL WE
SAY PROMPTING THE SALE OF LIQUOR IS