Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1914-09-18

VIRGINIA SkL00NkEEPERS
HEAVILY ASSESSED:
WHAT FOR?

The following extracts are from let
tiers written by Paul Garrett, chair
man of the executive committee OF the
Brewers, Wine and Spirit Merchants
of Virginia, and from f. A. Stumpt,
president of the Virginia Retail Ii
quor Dealers association, respectively.
The extracts follow:
From time to time you will be kept
advised by this office of the progress
being made, and probabilities OF the
election. While the amount OF work to
be done is appalling, yet the situation
is very encouraging, especially in the
reports coming in from the dry coun'
ties. Our advice Is to sit steady In the
boat do your duty first by paying
the assessments necessary to proper
conduct of the campaign, and rest as
sured that we are going to give you a
good account of ourselves, and good
run for your money For the present,
keep quiet but confident, but hold
yourselves ready to respond whenever
we call on you for work.
"Our most telling work. however, is
to be done henceforth. While we have
every reason to believe that II every
voter in the state would poll, our ma
jority would be amazingly large. But
here is just the trouble. We must get
out the vote, and it is an exceedingly
expensive proposition. When you con-
slider there are 1900 precincts in the
state, at each we must have one or
two automobiles, besides several paid
workers, that 1t is absolutely neces'
sary to have the funds in hand now so
we can plan our campaign"
The above extracts show that the
saloonkeepers and liquor dealers OF
the state have contributed large sum
of money for this campaign. 1t has
been estimated that the first assess
ment amounted to over quarter of a
million of dollars. For what purpose
has this money been spent? A great
effort has been made to impress the
voters of the state that the Virginia
Local Self Government association is
running the campaign against state
wide prohibition. Circular letters sent
to voters, running in number into the
millions, have been signed by officers
of the Local Self Government asso'
citation. The leaflets and pamphlets
have been signed by the Local Self
Government association. The adVert1s-
ing In the newspapers, spreading
broadcast the speeches of DR.. Nc,
CURE, Judge Christian, Messrs. Cabeil,
Taylor and Tucker, accompanied by
the photographs Of these gentlemen,
have apparently all been sent out by
the Local Self Government associa-
ton. The expensive Offices In the
chamber of commerce building, and
the scores of clerks are all supposed
to be under the auspices of the Local
Self Government association.
The cost of the campaign of the Lo-
cal Self Government association has
been exceedingly heavy. The Virginia
Pilot, of Norfolk, printed in Its news
letter. from Richmond shat there new
er was so much money at the disposal
of any party in any other political
fight in Virginia" Has this great. sum
of money, which has been used as In
dictated above, been contributed by
the gentlemen of the Virginia Self
Government association, who so en-
phatically declared that not single
liquor dealer was associated with
their movement? Certainly the people
of Virginia have been led to believe
that such Is the case, but as a ques-
ton of fact: Who has furnished the
money which has paid the tremendous
expenses indicated above?" If the VIZ
ginia Local Self Government associa-
tion has paid these expenses, what mas
been done with the money called for
ny CHAIRMAN GdTTelC. INC pSOptS ~
Virginia would like to hear what ex-
PLANTATION the gentlemen composing
the Virginia Self Government assocla-
ton have to make on this subject.
Mr.. stumpf fatty declares In his let
ter that there will be several PAID
Workers" and automobiles at each OF
the 1900 precincts in Virginia, which
means a total of over five thousand
paid workers on election day. FROM
correspondence received in the ONCE OF
the Virginia Issue $25 per day ana
free liquor is being offered in certain
sections to any one who Will be pre-
pared to make affidavit that he was IN
formed by a saloonkeeper that tney
were paying one thousand dollars Tor
men to represent them in various cit
les and counties. In line with this a