The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-08-19
Mr.. TUCKER, STATES
RIGHTS AND PROHIBITION

Il INlAI - AMI E\AI1lDA i IoiN
Editor vrginian:
! sr-I am the personal and political friend
! n II. St. George Tucker / recognize his
splendid ability his undoubted integrity. I was
! the personal md political friend of his father.
John Randolph Tucker, one of the greatest
constitutional lawyers this country has pro-
duced. With them I have believed in Demo-
crazy, States rights and local option These
two latter things belong to the former, and differ
only in degree. They are Democratic tenets
and illustrate the adaptabity of Democracy TO
different conditions. Mr.. John Randolph Tucker
does interpret these things. I believe, as
does Mr. II ct. George Tucker In his recent
letter, which Is being published by the liquor
interests great argument against state
wide prohibition, / think the elder Tucker be-
lieved in the absolute supremacy OF moral laws
He did not believe that State, a county.
u any other political unit has q right to grant
any or set Of men, the privilege OF
doing, under sanction of law. anything that il
/ inherently wrong that would cause serious
ha rm TO his neiRhbor In proof of this cite
me fact that. though ne the most pro-
/ nounced States rights Democrat In congress-
/ he In connection with Senator Edmunds, of Yer
mont prepared and put through congress the
I t,dmunda- Tucker bill. which a prohibition
btu that took away from the States the right
/ TO permit the practice OF polygaany within their
/ limits This was prohibition measure IL was
destructive OF the doctrine OF States rights and
local option II recognized the principle have
named above that inherent wrongs must be
prohibited, Local option cannot be pleaded in
/ Justification OF wrongdoing.
/ \ short time after this the Democrats in con-
gress passed a national prohibition law pro-
! htbitng lotteries in the United States even
though the great State Of Louisiana claimed It
! had a right a State license the same and
showed that its people proited by such lot
teries to The extent OF escaping State taxation
and that he city Of New Orleans also derived
great profit from the State lottery. A little later
etill bill prohibiting prize hghting was passed
the Democrats voting almost soiidly for this
| prohibition bill. Why did Democrats In con-
| gress vote fer these prohibition measures? Why
4 cid they vote for these bills that apparently
/ violated The Democratic principles Of State $
rights and local option? Because they were
not willing to place themselves record as
trying 10 upset moral laws with political doc
tr!nes
i The size Of the political unit is Mr. II. st,
| George fuckers stumbling block and the size
OF the unit is the fundamental difference be-
/ tween Democracy and anarchy Anarchy be-
lieves in the Individual unit, Democracy believes
I IN different units for different purposes, the
principle being that the unit must be large
enough and strong enough to meet the rcspon-
slbtses that may properly be placed upon
that unit President Wilson IS q Democrat and
local optienis general principles, but he
says when it comes to the question Of prohibiting
the sale Of Intoxicating liquors where there Is a
homogeneous population the unit may well be
as large the great State Of Texas That is
Il unit four times the area with twice the popu-
iotion Of Virginia. and a people not so
, homogeneous as those OF Virginia. In such
cases he sees conflict between local option
and Statewide prohibition. Mr Wilson recog-
nizes that small and weak units with constantly
~,
good policy. Mr.. Tucker assumes that in domes-
tic affairs the unit must be small, The ques-
ton OF how many wives man may have would
seem To be somewhat OF domestic nature. Does
he believe that the question OF lotteries and
=. polygamy ought to be settled by small domestic
units? How many and what size political units
would he have? We now have Statewide laws
regulating the practice Of medicine law and
, dentistry, Statewide pure food laws under which,
as applied here, the grocer must be very care
full not sell anything to eat that Is in the
least tainted or does not up some art-
fcial sta 1ard fixed by people who do not live
here. while the liquor sellers have the State
wide privilege OF selling any kind OF poisonous
liquor they may find most profitable We have
Statewide laws prohibiting stealing. murder.
adultery, gambling. prize fighting Statewide
laws regulating interest charges Statewide
school laws, Statewide laws S 10 quarantine
and vaccination, but liquor is supreme and liauor
demands a Statewide market, but local restric-
tons for temperance. and the privilege OF ship
ping into territory where 1t is not legal to sell
it. This violation OF the integrity Of dry terri
tory has not far as heard from caused a
single word Of condemnation from the local
nptionist. Shall we abolish congress at Wash
inEton and the legislature at Richmond and let
the thousands of small communities of Virginia
legislate for themselves2 In the dark districts
whore the believers in voodooism are still
numerous, shall they regulate their own domes-
TIC affairs, and the dried lizards and snakes
as medicines and charms they are prescribed
ly the dus1y disciples OF voodoo?
Mr. Tucker knows that little section Just out