The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-09-12

AAC AahG AihCRS 10thQ an
quoted as saying, in explanation OF his
wonderful. success as manager OF
circuses: THE people like to be hum
hurged'' An old friend OF our years
ago had famous lecture with the
title THE Cosmopolitan Bug" OF
course he used the phrase to intro
duce his discussion of the hum
bug
Perhaps we have too high an esti-
mate OF the intelligence Of our people
when we insist that the various and
persistent attempt TO beguile and mis-
lead them In the pending campaign
against the saloon are bound to fall.
There are few people yet in the
Commonwealth who are prone to be-
lieve everything they see in print.
especially IL 1t liz In big print and Is
continually thrust upon their atten-
tion. We cannot believe that there
are many of these. We should be
sorry to think that any of them are
found in the Herald family. We edit
this paper with some care; stik we
would not ask our readers to accept
everything that appears In print even
In the Religious Herald. We wish
them TO think for themselves, and we
believe them capable OF thinking for
themselves.
Look at few Of the humbugs that
characterize this campaign. First,
the humbug which masauer1ded AZ
the tobacco scare, with the view OF
alarming the tobacco raisers. and up
on the assumption that the men en-
gagged in this business did not have the
sense 10 come In out OF the rain
The iiquer headquarters In this town,
a-feM- Xeeks SEQ. made a great noise
ha aFfarrcd y,,Yrnnxa NJ ~ fnaa
of the saloon to attack tobacco OF
course there was not the slightest
ground for such an assertion, and tina
men who put the story out did not
believe 1t for one moment. They ex-
pected. however. to fool a good many
simple folk with 1t. The tobacco
farmer who IL simpie enough to be
g1ai.ed by. this hHmbug needs a
guardian. He may as well understand
that he would make himself = laugh
ing stock in the eyes OF the very men
who put forth this story.
Another current humhug In this
campaign Is the talk about local
Enforcement" In thus designat-
ing this talk, we do no. mean to ques-
ton the sincerity Of number Of the
men who have lent their names and
influence to this business Yet the
bug. Whether we shall accomplish
our result by using the smaller or the
larger political unit. II purely ques-
ton of expediency. AZ a matter OF
fact, we are acting on moral questions
OF every kind, questions Of sanitation
and the like through the State ~ a
political unit. Changed conditions Of
modern Afe make this necessary. Our
modern democracy. as every sensible
man knows. has been modified over
and over again. because OF these
changes. Communities no longer live
to themselves They are increasingly
and OF communication now ana ehb
conetantly and our legislation must
be canned to meet these new conoi-
tions AT the present time the State
OF Virginia, acting ~ 4 political unit.
does legiSiate ON this very question.
Nobody need be fooled about this
matter at all TO an intents and pur-
poses the part which the Local Self
Government. league OF this city II now
playing In the campaign 10 simply that
OF furnishing bulwark Of respecta-
btiity behind which all tho HQaOr In
terests OF this StAte arc interpreted
and from which. reinforced BY the
liquor people from without, they ara
firing their heavy gums.
3 IA third humbug Of the present
campaign II the cry OF increased tax
alton. This IL expected to appeal 70
nerve. which they rightly assume 10
be highly sensitive. So they send out
an imposing and impressive array Of
figures. carefully arranged and cir
culated 10 show that YfrgfiliA cannot
live ana conduct her public affAirs