The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-21

4
| Record OF Senator A. n, Hobbs in
the Virginia State Senate on the En-
abling Act.
The Anti Saloon League of Virginia
upon request of voters in the Twenty
seventh Senatorial District (compris-
| ing the counties of Greensyille, Prince
George. Surry and Sussex hereby pre-
sents the record of Senator A. r..
| Hobbs In the Virginia Senate upon
prohibition legislation.
/. In the session of the General As
sembly in 1919. Mr.. Hobbs was Pc
titioned by the voters of his senatorial
district to cast mis- vote In favor of the
Enabling Act, but ignoring all of his
petitioners he voted persistently
against 1t.
2. In 1914 this bill to allow the peo-
Pile to vote on the question OF prohi-
bition was again presented in the Gen.
| eral Assembly, and since he had ig-
nored petitions sent him by his con-
stituents in 1912, the Anti-Saloon
League decided that it was useless to
present any further petitions to him.
When the bill was presented in the
Senate 1t was referred to the Com
mittee on Privileges and Elections, of
which Senator Hobbs was member
which committee five days later Con
January 2S) reported the bill back to
the Senate with many objectionable
These amendments were
so Objectionable to the temperance
people of the State, and the bill so
| inadequate to meet their requests, that
Senator Mapp arose in his seat and
protested against the bill in the name
| of the temperance people of Virginia.
hat lncC oh
tionable amendments were removed
by the House, the Temperance peo-
| pie would not accept or act upon such
| bill.
On January 20 Senator Mapp, the
| temperance leader. moved to take up
this bill and make 1t the special and
| continuing order for January 80. Sem
ator Hobbs voted against this mo-
ton (See Senate Journal page 1917.
On February 4, 1914, the bill was
| taken up by the Senate with the OBJ
| jectionable Senate amendments for
consideration. One of these amend
| ments was to hold the prohibition
election on the fourth Thursday in
June. 1914. This amendment was de-
| signed to kill the bill, as the date fixed
did not allow sufficient time for no.
| tees required in other sections of the
bill. Senator Hobbs voted for this
amendment tSee Senate Journal.
page 217.)
Another Objectionable committee
amendment was In the event the State
voted dry to extend the time during
which the liquor business might be
continued In Virginia to May 1917, in
stead of May 1915. as provided in the
bill passed by the House of Delegates
| by vote of seven to one. Senator
| Hobbs voted for this extension of time
to the liquor traffic. (See Senate
| Journal, page 218.o
| On February 5, 1914. when the bill
was on its third reading with these
objectionable amendments attached,
Mr.. Hobbs voted for 1t (See Senate
| journal. page 229), and the bill passed
| by vAte of 20 to IL. 1t Is to be noted
that Senator Lesner, the leader of the
| ''wet" forces, also voted for the bill in
this form. as 1t gave great advantage
| to the "wets" Temperance people
would not accept or act upon such a
bill. Senator Mapp, the leader of the
| dry" forces, declared at once that
the dry" people would not accept
| the bill in the form in which 1t passed
the Senate. and as a matter of fact.
the House of Delegates overwhelming
| ly rejected these amendments and re-
! quested the Senate to appoint a Com
mittee of Conference between the two
bodies on these Questionable amend
ments The Senate argeed to this
committee of conference, and on Feb
ruary IS, 1914. the Committee of Con-
! ference struck out several of these OBJ
| jectionable amendments, and reported
a bill back to both the House of Del
egates and the Senate. The House of
Delegates passed 1t overwhelmingly;
in hn a xxy0r ctA1 Hxr<a ia
of 10 for. to ~ against. Lieutenant
Governor j. Taylor Ellyson. the
presiding officer, casting the de-
cisive vote in its favor This
was the crucial test and the
significant vote on the Enabling
Act, and on 1t Senator Hobbs voted
no (See Senate Journal pages 29s
and 294), as did also Senator Lesner.
the leader of the wet" forces in the
| Senate.
! 3. In the Statewide election, held
Statewide Prohibition, Senator Hobbs
Is recorded as having voted Against
! Statewide Prohibition"
| From the above record it Is seen
that Senator Hobbs voted with. Sena-
tor Lesner and the opponents of pro-
hibition on every important issue. and
| Statewide Prohibition would not have
prevailed in Virginia II Mr.. Hobbs
could have prevented 1t by his vote.
Mr.. Hobbs is again a candidate
for the State Senate from the Twenty
seventh Senatorial District, which dis
trict gave a dry majority Of 525 on
September %. The voters of the dis
trict now have the record before them
4 and must decide whether they think
Mr.. Hobbs will properly represent
them. in the framing of an effective
prohibition law for Virginia.