The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-03-18
HISTORY Of FIGHT FOR
LOCAL OPTION SYSTEM
Opposition OF Strong liquor
.4s. Eicmcnt.
EILYSoN TELLS Thu STORY
LrutcnSnt-G Governor Recalls in Ad-
dress Ia the -Anti-~aloou LcaS uc
Convention Stirring Episode az the
Eighties.

Eighties.
Norfolk. Va. March I7.--pe.yins
tack into the early days VI temper
anee legislation ln NIreiu.a, lAeut"n-
ant-ttpAttavr g. laSpur E,a4 son N an
auufcS~ 10 me S,atr Convention cI lne
-Auti-N8tUon IL aEuc OF Vagina to-
day t.,A tue story OF the uGht Jor
local ppuon in the eIsutc~. Gov
pruor r..ysrrs address follows.
- am Bouotru Wltn an 4hg.taton t.
talk 10 Hua ii it,e N ME tuis IuUthins
bout the local option ieb,s.atiou OF
t$se-s6
An! review oi the growth ot tenn
ptranue sentiment tn Virginia dul1ns
the past .or,S years wouIu pe "a mos,
interesting s,uuy. 1 w.sn / had ulue
10 mANc It, must noJ apasc the
(.rtuete you nave so klnu.y slHrteJ
,.Fne. however. so / WI stup CnIy Iuns
enough o. rciate an Inc4dent wnIcn
,paS not without it's influence IN
STRENGTHENING the already srowlng
sentiment 40 impose some RESTRAINT
q uEou tae too tree sac Of liquor II
$ aAs IN t,ilAmuud IL happened,
81 MAS IN the fan Oil the year 1879,
There mad been a growing res. ess-
hess at tue increasingly frequent NIo-
4. ,lations of the sunday liquor laws.
3. Was IL member OF the common Doun-
". 81 and chairman OF ne Committee
. .84 Ordinances. The Pouce Court and
the Hastings Court had aeggeeateo
s-t4TIs44ct4ou IN all cases OF viola-
tloa ut the sunday Liquor laws. The
ttollcc court had been so lenient in
It's imposition at fines that In Sky
~Ax cases ,he fines aggregated only
ST6U. Dr J. littie more than Sll for
= each oifensv, uhe rtas nine cases IN
the Husctings Court had aggregated
$3.50 al more than $loO for caGh
effense.
Il Waited Exclusive Jurisdiction
IN lie In terest OF Aquor dealers
"a movement was made I" give eN-
-t.u*4ve Jurisdiction 10 the Police
court An amendment 10 the ordi-
nance to accomplish this end was
s.gt poseG and was referred 10 the
committee of which ] wac chairman
\ majority OF that committee favored
tIts amendment ! prepared a minor
81. its report recommending that eNc'"-
@.ye jurisdiction he given to the Hust-
tnGS Court This was signed by w II.
Williams and myself The discussions
ia the Council awakened great IN
terest in the coi..munity. Friends OF
the better observance of Saba h
q. called a mass meeting which was hello
ln Mozart Han. IN which IA NUMBER
rttv took part. including the Catho-
lie bishop uf Richmond. Bishop keane.
always a great friend OF temperance
Hon. J. l.. NJ. Curry. DIR. Moses ID.
Hoge. Hon. Robert Old. and many
nthers equally influential. A better
sentiment with respect to the enforce
ment OF the sunday law was created,
and for the time being these laws
were more generally observed
bishop keane cannot be too highly
praised for his work at this time. In
hts pastoral letter TO the pastors OF
lis diocese giving instructions for the
observance Of Lent. he directed that
the last sacrament OF church should
not lie administered to any Cathoiie
uauur dealer who sold liquor on sun
days This agitation for the more
general observance of tho Sunday
laws had "a fine effect in the fostering
ii a wholesome public sentiment
which has In more recent years BORNE
rich fruitage in the laws which finally
eliminated in the splendid Work &C
rompiished last year. We had In the
conduct If the liquor dealers aurihs
This fight to close the saloone on sun
eav A striking Illustration Of the truth
90 inc saying that there are none IS
nltud az those who will not see
MANY Of the barkeepers were just IA
violent III their opposition to SUNDAY
closing as they have been to am
~ the efforts made since to put re
sstrhint upon the conduct OF their bnsl'
mesa. failing TO see tnat their refusa
f., close on sunday could only resul
u, the growth OF "a public opinion tha'
would ultimately drive them out OF
business.
-s-... but ! must now take up the sub
iect assigned me. ! was surprised &c
= lshd SO little either In the journals OF
the House and Senate or In the news
papers that would furnish those de-
Tails. which always make story
(. more interesting, So 1 must content
myself with giving the results OF this
=, movement rather than the successive
steps by which the local option Law
i. was finally secured.
\ Notable Year for Temperance.
-, Thu wear 1856 was notable In the
ANNALS Of the temperance forces tr
NlrEinia There were men and wo'
men with brave hearts ia those day'
. who believed the time had come
when d forward movement should
8,e inauEurated. The two grea'
1,arties In the Commonwealth would
coon hold TheTr STATE C0nvEHrtuHF TJ
nominate their candidates for GOV.
@tnor and ether State officers, and
10 adopt their platforms Of principles
upon which the campaign should be
onnducted / was a delegate 10 thf
Democratic state Convention, whicf
va avld IA the old Marshall Tneater
in the city OF Richmond, AT which
G.et4r. al r4tzhugh Lee was nominated
fer Governor Ths Independent Drdei
~ GOOD TemIlars were very active
IN their efforts TO secure favorable
action by the convention, and theh
representatives appeared before th'
Committee on Resolutions and IL Il
414 > aue to their Intelligent ana
: rorcetuI endeavor that the committed
presented the following, which wa
unanimously adopted
Reafirning the traditional oppo'
sition OF the Democratic party to al
; sum ptuary laws or laws Unduty inter-
fering with individual liberty. We rec
omruend that the General Assembly
pass such Avs as wili permit each
EQUITY or district al special election
held for the purpose under proper
regulations for ascertainin9 the popu
iar viii. 10 determine tor itself whetnol
The sale Of spirituous liquors shall b'
legally be permitted within It's limits.
The Republican convention took sml
lar action. The liquor dealers evi
dent.y did not take these resolu
items very seriously, for was noms
mated and elected to the state senate
yand took an active part In the cam