The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-09-21

munity in Virginia. including all of
the wet communities IL you could get
an expression from all tho people who
have reached their ma jnrtsy you
would find a majority for Statewide
prohibition. prolonged applause
'The most delicate of the members
nf the Local Self-tiovernuenf league
ought not to fear such a test. and in
accordance with that test the state of
Virginia IS not invading any right ~
local Self Government but is merely
giving TO Richmond what the major
ity of residents of Richmond want
The State Of Virginia consists of all
her citizens. and she ia merely be-
Slowing on NIeyanrr IN, for INSTANCE,
what the ma jorify ~ the people Of
Alexandra want.
Tho Wet Alliance.
THE alliance we are confronting
has two members First Of people
who arc directly interested In the
honor traffic. and second al those who
have no sach interest.
The first member opposes prohibit
ton because the people composing this
mem her know perfectly well that pro-
hibition will bring about actual mohf~
hition i'm Virginia, and they know per
fectiy well that II Virginia goes dry,
because she has always been A leader,
the cry will 60 ont all over tho iand
and that other States. and after a wl1IIe
the nation. viii follow her example
fApplause We, i'm Virginia, have
never stood for ourselves alone. hut
for all the country. and lf We do his
and other States fnIsw us. after
while there will come "A time when
from ocean TO ocean the principle pro
hfhifton Will be established Sxh
prospect Is the most dreaded of all by
those aliens tapplaose). aud local
members ns the alliance who have an
interest in the liquor business, The
former Of whom have folded their
tents like the Arab and silently SIP
ped away.
7 can understand that member OF
the alliance. Everything iiauor
man may do may not he perfectly
legitimate. hut II is always perfectly
logical, daughter and applause)
The Issue They Raise.
but the other member of the psIt ~
nership ] do not understand. lhcSe
gentlemen give several reasons why
they cannot come out and support
rrohib,tton The fgst liz that they
are concerned about local liberty. t'tn
same cry that WAS used in my county
against local option when we had thaf.
This argument is overworked only IN
fiquor campaigns. tt takes long
holiday between liquor elections and
only comes out ON election days.
cisngs very closely To the old tax rails
ing argument j saw following the
speeeh of an ex-commissioner OF the
Internal revenue In this city that peo-
pie were saying that cities are so
heavily taxed that they would not
have to pay an Increased TAX rate'
but that the counties would have 10
bear the increase. tLaughter.) Wen
HAT arg,2ysseras-iAi-t ~, ont In ms
county nor having much influence.
We don't weigh very heavily what a
registered liquor lobbyist from Mary
lard and another from Illinois and a
man from Florida. who wa. allied
with bad negroes, say against the tes-
tymony OF Ex-Governor Mann ana
Senator Buchanan and ex-Auditor
Donohoc and other we'll known Nir
rinians We don't entertain the
slightest fear that the amount of our
taxes will he Increased, but II we
did We wouldn't pat two or three dol
lars In the scale against the welfare
OF men and women and children. II
we eid we couldn't look you people
In the face. and when we came to die
ii would be Il burden on our con-
science.
..It is favorite device to appeal
to our cupidity, and It is a success
full appeal sometimes, for We all haye
a little too much cupidity. TEia a
the rneanest and saddest argument
that ss presented to sway the 1udg-
men, Of people or public questions.
This member of the alliance does
not appeal any more to the tobacco
argument because they have found
osfy that the people of Virginia have
rome sense They don't argue any
more that prohibition people are IN
high-handed conspiracy to keep
their maH from being delivered 10
people. because In my section We
have had more OF the stuff than we
know what 10 do with and II is 80
wet some Of us feel almost saturated
after reading il"
Made Investigation in Maine.
Taking lin the recent letter written
by Major w. \. Anderson concerning
the enforcement Of prohibition in
Maine. Mr. Moore declared that hs
preferred to take the testimony OF
Special Master Littlefeld on this point
He declared that Major Anderson was
d good friend of his but he reminded
him Of a saying about some lang
isshmen that they, in defense OF q
principle for which they stood, woulc
willingly go 10 the stake in perfcc.
ignorance Of the facts. This provok-
ed long applause. Mr.. Moore took NJ
Major Anderson's statements as 10 inc
enforcement of the law in Portland
and related his experience this sum
Yner In a motor trip through Maine
on which, out Of desire TO prove thu
law, he had, with a party OF friends
asked for liquor in Portland and had
been assured that he couldn't GET any
In the cafe In which he was and tha
waiter didn't think any could be
gotten anywhere in Portland. He
quoted Portland paper ON the day
Of his stay there as having said,
.sWhatevcr may he said To the contra
~, let us tell the world that prohibit
tion prohibits In Maine.' Mr.. Moore
related further experiences of his
party in proving the law and added
that they had found out thar prohihi-
!, ton prohibits in Maine Said ne: -
could take mine and Mr.. Littief1eld's
testimony against that brought hy
Major Anderson before any jury IN
Virginia and get verdict in favor ot
prohibition prohibiting in Maine" Mr.
Moore spoke of trips to Tennessee on
which he had found that prohibition
was enforced there. He quoted let
ter from Hon. Louis NJ. Coleman,
United States district attorney. which
letter was published in The Eireinian
telling OF the effective enforcement ot
The law In that State,
Closing he said: II earnestly hope
49, Ss.aA., e-f,.