The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-08-10

ID. Kline in reply to the recent open
letter of Judge George l. Christian.
president of the Local Self Govern
ment association:
Editor The Star:
In the liquor dealers advertisement,
which appeared In The Star Tuesday
afternoon, Judge George l.. Christian.
president OF the respectable allies,
states In regard TO statewide prohibit
ton that he believes in the "princi-
pie of local self-government. and
hence that each and every county and
city in the state has the right and
should enjoy the privilege of deter
mining for Itself the policy TO be pur-
sued In that community on this I'M
portant question"
/ The principle OF local self-govern-
ment IS not involved in the issue
now before the people. The Byrd law
prohibits the sale Of liquor IN large
part Of the state The principle un-
der which the statewide election is
held and under which 1t IS sought to
drive the saloon from the state, is the
same principle that has been invoked
/ in dealing with tho sale OF poisonous
drugs and In dealing with crime.
1t has been proven by science and
Is admitted by wet newspapers in the
state that alcoholism is the creates,
factor in insanity. epilepsy feeble
mindedness and degeneracy IN tho
race, and that It Is responsible for
q large part of the crime, pauperism
and corruption IN the state.
In the license cases. decided by the
Supreme Court OF the United States.
| & Howard. 5o4. Justice Woodbury. said
that the state has right, through
legislation, to promote physical. 30
cial and moral improvement" In the
preamble to the Constitution OF the
United States. IL is stated that two
OF the. six distinct objects to be OBJ
tanned are to insure domestic tranquil
ity and to promote the saoeral wei
fare
Does Judge Christion maintain that
the saloon. now fighting behind the
skirts Of the respectable allies, the
Local Self-Government league, pro-
notes physical and moral improve
mentT" Or does he believe that the
saloon ENSURES domestic tranquility"
either In the home. the state or the
nation? Or does he claim that the
saloon promotes the general welfare
It would seem that the state has a
right to enact laws against murder.
arson. burglary and rape, instead of
leaving these crimes to be dealt with
by each and every county and city
IN the state" as advocated by the re-
spectacle allies Then the state has
right TO deal with the saloon. the
greatest cause of crime.
II the state has the right to deal
with the sale OF dangerous and dead
~ drugs. instead OF leaving these
questions to local constituencies, she
/ has the right TO close the saloon, q
greater menace to the citizenship OF
the state than all the drugs COM
bined.
The state Is not only interested In
! the physical. social and moral well
| fare" OF the citizens Of a particular
city or county. but Of the whole state,
The United States Supreme court
says in stone VS.. Miss, i0l L. S, Rep
S14: ma legislature can bargain
away the public health of public
morals. The people themselves can
not do IT, much less their servants"
The partnership which exists now be-
tween the state of Virginia and the
saloon by which the state for money
consideration. in the form OF license,
grants the saloon the privilege to op-
crate bargains away the public
health and the public morals" under
| mining the very source of her power
Judge Christian says, too, that he
believes in three aphorsms, to which
| he seems to think all legislation
should conform. as follows: First.
/ that the state has no right to control
or to attempt to control the private
opinions Of individuals" There Is
nothing In the statewide prohibition
| law to interfere with the judges aph-
crisn. When the law Is put into cef
/ feet. though against his will. he can
be Of the same opinion still. The laws
against crime do not attempt to "con-
troll the private opinions Of the In
| dividual." but they do provide for the
punishment OF offenders. Mr.. Minor
has said that "the power~of punish
ment grows out Of the right of society
to protect preserve itself"
Government does not attempt to
control the opinion of the anarchist
or the most dangerous propagandist
but the state may prevent public ut
terances or the circulation of l1tera-
ture that would incite to crime. Edu-
cation Is the only means employed
either by the government or the pro-
hibition forces for changing ''the pri-
vate opinions of individuals" the same
means employed by the respectable
allies. in which they are found to be
"of inestimable aid" to the saloon. We
believe the judges first aphorism Is
safe.
Judge Christian gives as his second
aphorism. around which the respecta-
BILE allies must revolve this piece or
wlsdom: THAT compulsion makes
hypocrites and not converts"
Why does the Judge single out the
saloon as the object to be protected
by his Local Government league?
If II Is true that compulsion makes
hypocrites and not converts" why
does this not apply to those who de-
sire to peddle cocaine and opium and
sell other deadly drugs?' Why not