The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-09-04

Continued from First page,)
respects, so that today the Illicit traffic
In intoxicating liquors in Knoxville 10 a
negligible condition
Elect Dry sheriff.
At the recent county election on
August 8. the liquor crowd Joined
hands. as 1t always does everywhere,
and made a life or death fight to elect
a wat sheriff of the county. But they
failed ingioriously. and John Fl. Blank
cnshtD was Overwhelmingly elected
sheriff by the anti saloon votes of both
the Republican and Democratic par
ties This fact shows very clearly
that there has not been any recession
of the anti-saloon sentiment in Knox
county since our great victory in 1907.
after seven years trial of prohibition.
Evidence of Progress.
| cannot go Into the details Of the
many evidences Of Improvement and
advancement that Knoxville has made
since 1t became dry" in 1907: but I
will call your attention to two notable
and indisputable facts. First more
public improvements have been made In
Knoxville since 1907 than had been
made In all the previous history of the
city; second. you will remember that
In 1908 the city of Knoxville bought of
/ the Knoxville Water company its water
plant. The company had then but re-
Gently expended $3.50. 900 In enlarcing
and extending its plant, and 1t was
confidently believed then that the wa
ter plant was adequate to supply pota
BILE water to the inhabitants of Knox
Vile and its envirorts for many years
to come. Rut SO great has been the In
crease In the demand for water and for
the sion Of he
present year Of 1914. that the Knox
Vile water comm ission has been utterly
unable to supply large section of the
city, and several suburbs with water.
so acute became the water situation,
that the city commission, headed by the
mayor, who inveighs so loudly against
I prohibition, was compelled to secure
the services Of an expert hydraulic en-
gineer, Mr.. nabney H. Mauray, of Chi
cago, who, having spent weeks in an
examination " the situation, reported
to the city commissioners that IL wa.
imperatively necessary to spend an ad-
! ditional 100000. to make the water
Supply adequate to the needs of our
people.
Journals Charges.
VIII not undertake q reply to all
or the charges made in the Richmond
tNa) Journal. but will group the main
charges under a few CONGRATULATIONS:
FIRST, 1t charges that the prohibition
lists of Tennessee first "outlawed" the
liquor traffic. and then collected taxes
from that "outlawed" liquor traffic to
the amount 1T s5,0O0000 If the
Journal had desired to make its at
tack upon prohibition in Tennessee
effective against prohibition in Vir-
g!nia. It shou,d have made It's Gains
more moderate No effort YVES ever
made in Tennessee. except in the
three cities Chatham nga Nashville
and Memphis. TO evade the anti
liquor laws by collecting revenue from
the Illicit trqfIic in the shape Of
fines" Tn the state and those
Illicit liquor traffic since 1909. S.
100000 Is simply absurdly fa'se why,
the lesalized liquor traffic In Tennes-
see. as Il existed prior to 1903, never
yielded IS 600 o08 OF taxes In any Ave
wears of the states history
Inv Enforcement.
Second, That the prohibition laws
have not been enforced in Tennessee.
because puDlc sentiment against the
laws in the tiles acts as an effectt1i
barrier To heir enforcement. This
We all reccs1ized as the stock argn-
ment aga!r7 prohibition everywhere.
II Is very ----anEe that the opponents
OF prohihi m laws cannot see tina.
this argumeat of nonenforcibilitv ia
tust as eff i've AGAINST Local option.
which Is rostricted prohibition. as
against Statew'de prohibition. IL there
be any trlrh in the objection at all.
But. as a natter of experience. II Is
not trne. n Tennessee the prohi-
bitfon Jaws are rs we'll enforced as are
any other p0lice regulations. Public
opinion SUPPORTS the enforcement or
our prohibition laws inst a 8 much as
It support any one Of dozen other
kinds of enactments that might >be
named as for instance. the pure food
laws the laws against carving con-
cealed we ons. the laws intended to
secure soc'al decency. the avs aEains,
allowing da serous animals to run at
large. the avs designed to prevent
the sale of tobacco to minor childreh.
and many. MANY others. IT Is the
universe, experience OF our peace Of
flcers. that the prohibition laws are
more ea.siN. and more generally, en-
forced than were the laws throwing
restriction around the 'egalizen
liquor traffic; to instance. the law
against Sunday-sslling. against selling
70 minors. upon election days. and to
hahitual drunkards.
Saloon An Outlaw.
Why not speak the plain truth