The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-02-19

the report OF the conferences on the en-
abing act.
First let me say. when / gave out a
statement TO the News Leader and the
Evening Journal, Appearing in their
issues of January 2Sth that / would
vote for the bill provided the amend
ments adopted by the senate committee
on privileges and elections were con-
Cured in by the senate. namely, that
the ballot read: For Statewide pro-
hihition" and "For local option; that
the law, should it pass, would become
I effective in May. 1917, instead of May,
1916, and that the time OF holding the
election be set earlier than September.
in order that the electorate might not
be padded.
/ had been informed by the lader
az the dry forces in the state that
this form of the ballot was fair and
would be acceptable to them. Not only
so. but dry men in the house told me
the same thing. Having on the eth
of January received letter from Or.
Cannon. in reference to my having
stated that I wanted to carry out the
wishes OF my constituents. and asking
what test L desired to apply to indicate
what those wishes were by way of
reply ! enclosed him a copy of the
statement just given to the press, and
on the second day of February by way
of answer he wrote me this
Hon. f. X. Brock, city:
Dear Sir,--T hereby acknowledge re-
ceipt Of your letter inclosing the state
meut which you sent to the press. l
have read the same with care, and am
glad that you have decided to vote for
the bill, but I trust that upon consid
GRAFTON you will realize that the liquor
dealers are being given twenty seven
months In which to make their ar =
| engagements to change their invest
ments, and this is as much time as
they can reasonably expect
Yours sincerely.
{Signed) JAMES CANNON. JR"
Apparently from this letter DIR. Can
/ non found no serious objection to the
/ ballot amendment for he states that he
4 is glad that / have decided to vote for
the bill but he does find fault with the
7 extension of time and expresses the
I hope that after consideration | will
realize that the time fixed in the bin Is
sufficient. Before the bill was voted
on, l informed Senator Mapp, the leader
/ of the dry forces in the senate in
whom | have great confidence, that
would not sickle for amendments as
to the time of holding the election or
as 10 the time the law was to become
effective, though ] thought the aaddi-
tional year would be preferable. II,
/ had told nae more than once and had
so stated on the floor of the senate
| that this form of the ballot was fair
and while / told him I would vote
for 1917, when the bill went to the
| conferees, | would stand by their ae-
! ton on this matter. Again, after the
bill went to the conference, I repeated
TO Senator Mapp that l would stand by
/ the conference report on this amend
ment whatever it was. and also on such
action as they might take on the beer
amendment, which I had voted for, and
which appeared to me harmless and
certainly CONSISTENT with the amend
ment exempting cider, but that as to
! the amendment relative to the ba1lo;
Itch / had been led to think was
fair and least Objectionable To the dry
( forces. and which had been adopted by
T the. senate without a dissenting voice
/ l would hold out for the acceptance
! While the matter was before the
/ conferees. | had heard some talk OF an
| effort being made to go back to the
1 form of the ballot as provided in the
house bill, and not until the confer
/ ence report was read on the morning OF
the 14th did I know what that repor,
/ contained nor did / know what a
change in the attitude of the dry forces
/ toward this amendment had taken
place until Senator Mapp made his
speech on the report, + was surprised
as / had supposed that this was one
concession that the dry forces ha6
granted without a contest had beer
assured by every dry member OF tho