Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-09-18
'REASONED ARGUMENT IN SUPPORT
OF STATE-W PROHIBITION

In the following paper / propose to
set forth a reasoned argument in
support of Statewide" as against
Local. prohibition, and / shall try
to make it cover, as briefly as the
subject will permit, the main con-
of those who oppose Estate
wide" upon the single ground that
''local" prohibition is the better rem.
edy for the admitted evils of the
liquor traffic. In doing so | shall
to state the argument in p C.
cisely the same spirit in which the
physician diagnoses the symptoms of
a sick patient and in which n scicn-
fist p"rsues his research work in a
labratory. Whether succeed i'm
this purpose and spirit con-
troll my conclusions, each reader
must judge for himself; but, in order
to judge honestly and fairly, he must
follow the argument in the same
spirit in which it is attempted to be
written, and whether he does so or
not is his affair-not mine. l merely
state the argument which has salts
fled me, after reading and fairly con-
sidering all the principal contentious
urged against it, that l shall do right
in voting Estate wide" as substitute
for "locap prohibition, and if those
who read this paper with an honest
purpose and an open mind are helped
to like conclusion, | shall be very
glad.
THE ARGUMENT,
l.-Tendcncy of Liquor drinking
good or bad?
2-Tendency of man to drink
good or bad?
3-Tendency of Open Saloons
good or bad? All "human expe-
rience" as expressed in all the liq-
uor laws of the States, declare with
one voice that the three tendencies
mentioned are BAD, because they
are restrained and strictly regulated
by law every where.
Tendencies of Liquor, Drinker
and Seller, are not LOCAL.
5.-Because such tendencies are
Universal and Bad they have placed
the Liquor Traffic within the "Polico
Powers of all civilized countries
thus distinguishing it from every
other recognized business.
6.-"Police Power" in the Code of
Virginia and every State, covers "of-
lenses against the Person." the "prop.
erty," the "Peace," the "Morality and
Decency," the HEALTH" the "Public
Policy" in short, under this power
the State deals with all felonies and
misdemeanors of whatever charac-
ter.
7.-"Local Self Government" nc
where depends upon the size of the
voting unit, but every where depends
on the nature of the act regulated OF
governed and extent of the public
Interest," therein; therefore, "selfA
government" in this and every state
has required that all statutes against
any offense within the "Police Pow
err" shall be and are state wide
and not subject to"local" approval;
and every law in this state in force
today dealing with the liquor traffic
was enacted by the State legislature
in the exercise of the same "Police
Power" under which the same leg
islature prohibits murder, theft, adul-
terry, or any other felony or misde-
meanor. The difference in principle
between those acts within and those
not within the "Police Power" is the
difference between dry goods mer-
chant and liquor dealer-both must
have a license, but the merchants IL
cense is a mere revenue license impos-
ed to get revenue for the state, and
the merchant gets it as n matter of
right from the commissioner and the
merchants business cannot be regu-
lated or prohibited as long as he paws
the license tax; but the liquor dealers
license is not issued by the commits
sioner or as matter of right to anv
man who pays the price, but is issued
in tho 6icnrat,n. of Al.