The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-06-29
debauoh the sons aud daughters OF this


! debauoh the sons aud daughters OF this
Commonwealth"
II is hard, my friends. to keep enes
patience in face Of such an argument
as that; for. stripped OF sIl Its spectoux
yeritase. IL simply amounts to this;
We beg To serve notice IN the great
Commonwealth Of Virginia that II 1t
eracts a prohibition law. RichInUnd
Svlll not enforce It." j do not mean
that all the members Ct the league
would admit the Interpretation of this
parliamentary of them are rn.' per
sHaal friends IN " hose integrity / have
as much confidence rs In my own
bat L submit that In prophecyinK law
lessUess as Inevitable they are. by the
I w eli known law Of meNtal auEgesuon
+ Give a dog bad mans ana YOU
may hang it'--dnirg all they can to
prepare the way for the lawl asspcss
tncy profess to deptore.
For my part. I have higher regard
for the essential character of this
people | dc NOT believe that they can
/ have changed so quickly from the
high civic integrity of the Blhie-class
parade ta condition of moral anarchy.
On the contrary. ! believe that If the
state Gces dry--as il surely willard
Il Richmond gives "a majority on the
etaeF side--as / hardly think TX Will
/ say. ! believe that Richmond wifi en-
force the Law, that Richmond Judges
. and prosecutors viii not become par
ticers caiminis with law breakers, and
Richmond Juries viii not perJure them-
selves.
Effect al Prohibition.
Eut oar friends are Very fond Of con-
crete instances. They point to the
~ N =
cities. especially Ia Kansas Tennessee
aad Georgia. But unfortunately they
IRE behind the times. That argument
might have been legitimate enough "A
few years agp. when the saloon did
run openly tn these ctties; bat IL IS
no longer legitimate. Recent history
has changed the face Of the map. In
Kansas Governor Stubbs has. within
the last few years. made the enforce
ment IF the prohibition statutes q mat
ter Of state police. and, with the threat
to send the state militia into any com
munity violating them. has put If not
the fear Of God, at least the fear Of
Governor Stuhbs. and the Kansas pen
itentiary into the hearts Of corrupt
and weak -kneed officials; so that II
yeu are going to use Kansas as an
argument you had better be sIre Of the
date of your statistics. The same is
true OF the cities IN Tennessee. Up
until year or two ago their defiance
NJ the law was fragrant and unhlush-
Ing But there has come a tremendous
j change in public opinion, and the Grim
iual courts in ar least three OF these
citlea-knoxvile. Chattanooga and
Nashville-are now as busy suppressing
the saloon as a few years ago they
were busy conniying at il. The fact
is that the qualification Of the prohibit
tion statutes wherever II has taken
place, has in nearly every instance.
/ been due not to public sentiment taken
by and large but 10 the corruption
or cowardice OF officials who hold the
Office at the will of the lawIess class
of the community And surely It is
poor kind Of logic that would lay on
the prohibition statutes the respons-
bilty for corrupt police and a CO.
/ wardly judiciary.
You saw what the encouragement
acting under orders from the COVER
nor, did the race track gamblers
at Jane own. when the local auttori-
ties not only refused 10 act, hut openly
espoused the side Of the bookmakcrs.
He went down TO the scene Of the
law breaking and clapped q jail SEN
tence on the sports. That shows
what an honest and fearless official
can do for the enforcement Of the
law; and so long as NirEipia has a
governor and an attorney general Of
the present high type now sitting
IN their respective chairs, we need not
fear-whatever local authorities may
do-the prohibition statutes viii be
nullitied for very long in Virginia
Then, again, they tell US that pro-
hibluon will deprive the State Of
q much-needed source Of revenue. This
is perhaps the most fallacious OF all
the arguments; for. leaving out Of ac-
fcount the point whether a State has
tho moral right 10 derive revenue
from n traffic that works go much de-
struction rs that In liquor. It is dernon
strabIe that 20 far from losing In
honestly enforces 1t Will be financially
the gamer, To make this clear one
has only TO remember that Mt least Sc
per cent Of all crlnes, SO per cent OF
sickness. Insanity. epilepsy. etc, and
Al per cent OF poverty is traceable d.
rectiy or indirectly to alcohol No one
: der4es these percentages. Indeed, they
are under rather than above tho mark
Keeping. then. this In view. let us con-
slider these figures which you may
verify for yourself from tho State au-
ditor's report:
Pertinent Facts.
The cost of crime In the State OF
Virginia in 1913 was s62o.29s.52
Eighty-hve per cent of this traceable
to alcohol. making cost OF crime TO
alcohol s527.253.74.
Cost OF hospitals and benevolent in
situations IN the State of Virginia In
ll913 was ss65.i77s1. Thirty-fiye per
cent Of this traceahle to alcohol. max
ing cost Of insanity. epilepsy. etc,
4s302,S12o5.
The cost of poverty to the counties
and cities OF Virginia In 1913 was
S.13o.75. 'Forty-seven per cent OF
this traceable to alcohol. making cost
OF poverty s173.o21.45
Total cost If crime insanity, cpl
lepsy. poverty. etc, $1,000, 0S724,
Revenue from liquor traffic In 1913,
S548,sT1sT.
Loss on account Of the liquor traffic,
1919, $464, 405 81
But and this is the most interesting
Of all their arguments, our opponents
now tell Us that they are as much In
- "a E,, ~. ~