The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-08-16
LAW Violated Under License, ..
r Respectfully


Editor Roanoke Times:
Sir.--The fifteen-year-oi old boy, which Won re
fer 10 In your editorial Of the 18th inst. made
mistake when he called the leaders II the
saloon forces fools. A few years ago when the
country was overfun with licensed distjilerles
there were ffteen-year-ol boys in the country
that could have given Mr.. Ben p. Owen Mr.
Roy Cabe'l DIR. Mcclure. Judge Christian and
Mr. A b. Williams great deal Of inforYf,7t ION
about the whisley traffic which they d. moi
seem to have. II does not see unreasonable that#
men or their standing would uphold the valskey
traffic II they knew the true conditions thar
existed during the twenty five years previous
to the BYRD law
A great many Of the distiilers retailed their
"hisKey at me dfstillery for st.25 TO 81 so per
gallon and furnished the harronrns ana bin
tigers at soc 10 $500 per gallon II the store
Keeper happened to be too honest to allow the
distiiier TO block liquor the distlllerv would close
Tor repairs another would be sent TO look
after the governments interest when the dis
tllery started up again. The distilers would
ship to the wholesale dealers tho bulk Of the
liquor that they paid the taxes on and would
furnish what they could Of the balance to the
blind tigers and barrooms. They would hau!
IT to the barrooms at night There were ten
blind tigers in the country 10 one now
Some of these disttllers furnished the lowest
clement Of negroes with liquor to SELL tor them
few years ago this action OF the country was
s." much under the control Of The liquor people
that the county officials were almost royyeriess
in enforcing the law There was so much law
lcssness and disorder around public places that
II was dangerous for ladies to travel the pubic
roads.
Since the Mann law closed the tarroorns and
the Byrd law stopped the licensed h1ockaders
conditions have improved very much IT Is sell
dom you a drunken man. hear OF q
dfunkard now, here In the southern part OF
Henry county and TO nay certain kowIedEe
drunkenness and crime have greatly decreased
throughout tho entire section The writer is moi
far ryt-Ifb
II other portions Of the State have improved az
much as PittsY!vania and Henry counties have
since the barrooms and licensed blocladers have
been put Of business. the Local Sef~Gog-
eminent people will never convince he voters
ot virFinia that prohibition does not do a great
deal OF good. There is not tru1hfgl man in
this section who VIII say that conditions are
not great deal better hero In the country than
they were before the passa re OF the Mann and
BYRD (prohibitionl laws
The way the whiskey business has been con-
Quoted under license for The past twenty five
or thirty years has been disgrace 10 the state
do not mean to say that there we're not some
men in tho business that did legal business
but it Is weli-known fact that the hulk Of this
whislIey made In Henry and Pittsyeanta counties
was made and sold in violation of the law If
liquor was handled all over the State like IT was
In this section, I do not see how the laaders Of
the Local Self-Goyernment league ean condo
scend to uphold the business Their literature
* failing flat with the people in this section
The writer cannot understand why any one
would abuse the preachers and call them hypo-
critics for trying to suppress business that
has been conducted as tho whiske.- h0sinees bas
for the past twenty-five years. These preachers
and tn -AntiSaoor Len cue, with the churches
Gil backing them up, are fighting for our homes
and the rising generation, while the Local Self
Government league, tho liquor dealers .'ines
Unable aid" and the wet newspapers are fight
ing to continue a business which the people
who know the true situation, are condemnIne
! say the people who know the true situation
not those who get their drinks from hlgh-cla SIS
harrooms and clubs! The statements IAhava3
made in this letter can be proven by many men
who have been in the liquor business. and nv
men who have been drunkaras bat have re-
formed and are going 10 vote for prohibition
Yours truly,
+. NJ PAYNE
Lone Oak, va, August Is, 1914.