The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-08-07
SOME OBSERVATIONS

L have been speaking in different
parts Of the State for the last six
weeks. and / find the battle between
the church and the saloon is waxing
warmer as the days go by. The SPLEEN
did country people are being aroused
| md many Of the boys and girls are
going TO the cities for positions. hence
parents are much concerned about
conditions there, The vets are max
Ing hard fight, but il seems to me
they should have a better understand
ing among themselves as to the line OF
argument hnl the vets in the coun-
Try are going TO vote wet because they
say they want their dram. and If the
State goes dry they can't get il. Hence
the country wet man says prohibition
does prohibit. beyond all question, and
the city wet may says it certainly
does not prohibit The country wet
man knows beyond doubt that pro-
hihiton does prohibit in his com
munity, and they are frank to say SO.
If judge Christian and other local self
government men who are fighting SO
hard for the saloon would go with me
from place to place In dry territory
and see conditions as they are, they
would say the wet countryman Is right
in saying that prohibition does pro-
hibit At the great mass meetings that
have attended, no drunken people
were seen unless the local self-gov-
ernment league machine broke down
and whiskey got beyond their local
self control | find that the magnificent
citizenship in dry territory think the
local selfgovernment league is a huge
joke. as the quietude OF their COM
munities is disturbed now ana then by
the whiskey which got beyond local
self government in the cities
Just prior to my gong out into
this campaign. | went down to our
city Jail in Norfolk and asked the taller
how many people he had in Jail that
day. He said there were sol. A few
days after that l was in Knoxville
Tenn. That city, with its suburbs, is
nearly as large as Norfolk. and has
been dry for seven years. I asked the
police Judge how many people they
had In jail that day. and his answer
WAS Seven said; Marvellous
voted out, judging by such records,
and he said. The changes are great
and blessed
II have lived In dry and wet towns.
have lived in dry and wet cities, and
absolutely know that prohibition does
prohibit Never in the history of the
saloon has 1t had as hard time to live
as now. Just look at the agencies
at work for its overthrow, Aside
from the church of Jesus Christ the
great railways, the wholesale houses,
the steamship companies, the scientific
medical world. nearly all secret orders,
the public schools, colleges, universe
ties, the insurance companies, the sun
day schools. the pulpit, the Christian
homes and common decency have all
turned their batteries loose upon the
saloon. 1t is like some huge monster.
writhlng. bowling. grooming and dying
in awful agony, Look. will you. at the
lineup of those who are trying to
save Ii from destruction, The gamb-
ling bells. the bomb-throwers, the
white slave traffic the anarchists. the
dive keepers. the dancehall the
hlasphemer, the cut-throat. the dead
heat the liar, the drunkard, the red
light districts and the local se'f-gov-
eminent league. These have all Join
ed hands and pocketbooks 10 save the
life OF the saloon. / am glad to see
that the noble people OF the Old Do
minion. are being aroused as never
before. as they behold the ravages of