The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-02-28
PEOPLES FORUM
Not Sufficiently Progressive.
Editor Virglnian:

Editor Virginian;
/ Sr.--I agree with a number of other cor
respondents that your position the LIQUOR
question is admirable and deserving of all COM
mendatIon and that The Virgiuian is due to
share very largely in the credit for the pas
sage of the enabling act through the general
assembly few days
have been a reader of The Nirginian since
the paper established Your stand on moral
questions is always high and unequvocal+ But
my quarrel with The Nirginian--if il may be
phrased s=uch--is that it does not view
political questions with the same mentally sound
perspective that II gives to moral questions l
mean, II you please that The NirginiaH is tine
tured with n species Of standpatism and reac-
ttonary tendencies, Morals and politics are
very closely allied. and while the doctrine Of
the separation OF church and state is necessary
and unassailable Yet there should be more
thorough mixing of politics and religion than
we have had in this country. To be
specific and to make my remarks apply to
The Nirginan. it may he said that prohibition
local SfateWide-is distinctly progress
sive step towards the correction and nuim{z-
ing of a great evil 1t belongs rightly and
inherently to the family of progressive meas
ures of which We hear much today IT is
not worth while 10 undertake here definition
Of the term, "progressiveism." Anybody who
wants to know the meaning can take a good
look at Wilson and Bryan and the leaders Of
the administration at Washington. Now, have
no doubt that The Vrginian will stoutly deny
administration and. therefore, with its most
distinguished leaders Wilson and Bryan. And
yet maintain. and | substantated ny the
record. that The Nirgnan is unsympathctic. II
not actually hostile. towards the known ideas
Of these men they apply to the state Of
Virginia. and 10 measures affecting the welfare
Of this and other Commonwealth. For exam
pie. there is the principle of the referendum
with regard to the question Of Statewide pro-
hibition. a principle for which The Virenan
has fought valiantiy. but for what other ques-
tons would The Nlrgnan invoke the refercn-
dunn Has it told anybody? Is II a
fact that The Nirginian is opposed & gen
eral policy to the initiative, referendum and
recall instruments of popular government?
What the ideas of Wilson and Bryan with
reference to these things? Take the subject
of presidential preferential primaries, Has The
Nifglnian advocated any such system Where
/ do Wilson and Bryan stand? Has The VIZ
ginian undertaken TO stamp out the lobby evil
| in this state" What is the opinion OF Mr., VIII
son on Hobbies? Has The Nirginian done any
| thing especially towards the correction Of our
iniauitous fee SYSTEM, the perfection n a fair
and just primary law, reform. and a null
| tttude of other needed reforms which Mr.
Wilson has advocated in his State Of New
Jersey. and which. far known, he would
advocate were lie citizen OF Virginia al the
present time? is It fact that The Viz
einian. while, perhaps giving mild assent to
some Of these things, its position is either UNI
known or antaGonistic to a majority OF them?
(
State to choose men for high official position
! involving issues which certainly not un-
/ important. does not The NirEinlan SIT back and
say nothing, save that it is contest between
| Democrats, and therefore. It will take no
part? Quite n little observation has led me
! to believe that there all sorts and sizes
/ of Democrats-big, little, old and young Demo-
crats-good, bad and Indifferent Democrats
standpat Democrats and progressive Democrats
Thomas +. Ryan Democrats ard William ]
! Bryan Democrats-and Democrats that It would
not be polite to mention
/ wish sincerely that The Virglnian having
started out right the prohibition question
would include the full list of progressive meas
ures and thereby become consistent To play
constantly on the liquor evil. when there are
/ other evils almost as dangerous to us here in
! Virginia, smachs too much of the organ, in
I journalism. An organ is all right sometimes
| but a free. outspoken. Independent newsna ner
keenly alive to all the interests of it's con-
stituency and State, beats any organ that ever
existed earth.
! write this letter plainly and frankly not
with the hope that l shall convert The V{r-
ginian. but probably because have crouch
against yea and ernved the opportunity TO tell
you about it. ] like The Vircinian hut M,
desire is TO like ii better WHY don't ven cut
t loose. go the whole catalogue of reform and ion
Il world movement--a movement that js known
| in this country progressive Democracy and
! laws Of God and in such manner as win
! answer nobly to the clarion cal Of a TWEEN.
4 tieth century civilization
HOWARD G. MILLER
Norton, Va, February eth
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