The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-09-18
Delegate Meetze Directs Queries
To Secretary Ben P. Owen

The following open letter has been
written Mr.. ID. p. Owen. Jr., secre-
| tary of the Virginia Association for
Local self-Government:
| Manassas. Va. Sept. Is, 1914.
Mr.. Ben p Owen. Secretary,
Local Self-Government League,
e. Richmond, Va.
My Dear Sir:
Pardon mo for not answering your
letters sent to me upon different oc-
! casions during this campaign, but
really l have been so very busy here
fighting the devil that have had no
time to take any part In that work in
your city.
Now, in the first place, Mr. Owen, I
will say l was shocked when this
liquor organization. of which you are
/ secretary, was organized. known as
the Local Self Government league.
You are one Of my first acquaintance
| made in Richmond, when | went
there in 1912 as a member of the,
, house from Prince william, and 1 had
always held you in the highest esteem
and respect. but, to say the least,
when l first saw the report In the
papers of the meeting your crowd held
IN the Lyric. and that you allowed
yourself to be roped in with this set,
| was simply mortified. What does 1t
all mean. what interest have you in
the liquor business? why did you do
this? Your friends cannot understand
you, and to think of you being secre-
tary of any organization, which has
! sent out to the public such a batch
of absolutely unqualified and misiead-
| Ing articles, as void of truth as a hog
Is OF religion,
And yet we are told through your
! association, which is headquarters for
the liquor business, that the Holy
! Bible" substantiates your claims. The
same organization which has branded
our minister's and the W. c. T. L. as
as hypocrites! Now / must say that
you must consider the citizens on the
outside OF Richmond set of men
absolutely not capable of thinking for
themselves. Do you suppose we think
the liquor people capable of instruct
Ing ministers of the gospel. Your
organization which is absolutely op-
posed to ali that Is pure and holy.
and whose business is absolutely con-
/ trary TO the teachings Of the Bible
dares to present the Bible to the
church. If your works are OF the Lord
do you open your meetings with songs
and prayers and do you dismiss with
i the benediction? OH / am SO sorry
! TO think that such big hearted, gen.
/ erous man like you. could allow your
I self to act for these people. / am
sending you a few questions. Please
answer them
Questions to Mr. Ben P. Owen.
secretary l. s. A.
+ @ Do you consider this a political
or a moral issue?
I Q. why have your papers all
claimed North Carolina. Kansas.
: dry States ha2e- proven a failure, when
/ you all know the facts prove alb
solutely opposite?
Q, Does Richmond get her license
from Richmond or from the State :?
! @. If she gets 1T from the state
then how is 1T local matter?
@. Does a personal privilege give
any person a right to do anything that
I Interferes with The rights and priv
ileges of other persons?
! @. II It cost Virginia s454,4o5.37
more money than II received as rev.
enue from the liquor business. where
T Is your argument: I'VE need the
liquor business for the revenue?
@ What about the $4,000 last
winter we had to appropriate for the
deficit in criminal expenses OF our
State, SIS per cent chargeable directly
/ to the liquor business, which amount
( the legislature had to take from our
treasury TO pay?
@. Tell us where all OF this rev.
enue goes If we are unable to pay
our expenses from 1t, your argument
does not agree with your statements?
! @. How about the 5000 persons in
our State prisons. epileptic colonies.
iasylums and such places? What
caused the greatest per cent of these
/ 10 be there?
@ According to our bill of rights,
do you consider the liquor business a
/ legitimate one? If SO, how can they
| engage in it without interfering with
| the rights and privileges Of others?
Q. What are all the officers of your
association going to do after the 22nd
/ Are you going to nurse the editors
| of your wet papers?
/ @. why do you allow the state
ments 10 go out that our taxes will
/ be increased when the contrary is
shown III all other dry territories?
| A
! @ Isn't 1t fact that every dollar
I Virginia has ever gotten from the
/ liquor traffic 1t has cost the State
| two?
I A
o. II you knew the judgment Day
would come on the card how would
/ you vote on the 22nd?
A.
oh brother, this Is a great moral
issue and you cannot escape 1T. We
must ask ourselves this question when
we go into mark our ticket. Is 1t
| right or is 1t wrong? This is fight
! between the Lord and the devil Where
do you stand? Will you cast your bal