The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-03-10
ALL THE PROHIBITION POSSIBLE
FOR ALL THE PEOPLE POSSIBLE

IN ALL THE TERRITORY POSSIBLE.
The Newport News Press wants to know what
The Virgintan has to say about the new prohi-
biton law adopted in North Carolina. The vfr-
ginian discussed this matter In full two or three
days ago, but If the Press wants more light We
viii gladly supply It,
We think what any reasonable man will think.
that the State Of North Carolina ia making its
prohibition law effective as possible and as
rapidly possible. Now instead of there be
ing free rein given to every to ship In all
the liquor be wants, the law Of the State def
nitely forbids him to ship in more than Ger.
tain amount 1t docs not state that he must
ship In this amount. but declares that he must
not ship in more than that which the laws per
nits, Certainly that is IA great advice. We think
better law could have been framed. We think
that the Law introduced by the North Carolina
Antl-Saloon League In a far better law than
the law which was finally passed. z The tenn
perance people of North Carolina thought so
majority Of 100 to seven In the North Caro-
lima House thought so and hundred thousand
petitioners through the State thought so How
ever, n majority OF the North Carolina Senate
did not htink so, and would not pass the law
Instead of giving the temperance people what
they wanted the Senate gave them something
else, and then when the temperance people re-
fused to stultity themselves BIZ declaring that
white black the Senate majority and the
liquor people, supported, We are sorry to say by
come papers in Virginia that should have known
better because of the history Of prohibition in
this State, attempt TO make people believe that
! the temperance people OF North Carolina are
! hypocrites. For ourselves. we propose to de-
nounce such tactics long as they are con-
tnued. There is a limit beyond which no man
or paper should be allowed Ito go When the
plain record shows that the temperance people
OF North Carolina wanted TO take full advantage
Of the WebbKenyon law, when they wanted to
shut off all shipments OF liquor and introduced
their bills and made their fight to that effect
and were refused their bill then we say that It
is criminal for people and papers to be allowed
To go about detaming the name of honest sin
cere. Christian men and women in the hope
Of making their own friends believe that they
have been insincere, That sort Of thing was
tried in Virginia, 1t was tried for many years
Every defect in the Virginia Enabling Act that
was put there ting opposition and against
the VIII of the Virginia temperance leaders af-
ter they had introduced q bill as they wanted
/ 1t passed and had been refused that bill by
friends of the liquor traffic, was blamed on them
/ by their enemies. thirty-thuosand majority
| is Vrginia's answer to such tactics And yet the
Lynchburg Netcs brings forward an argument
that
Advocates OF local option consistently
and persstently insist that prohibition does
not prohibit; that prohibition cannot be
! made to prohibit, Why meet them on
this issue? Why not put the question to ac-
tuai test? North Carolina sidesteps the
question. So does Tennessee. so does West
Virginia. Why! What ia the matter? Are
their prohibition forces afraid to make the
night?
! North Carolina "sidesteps the ISSUE" says the
|cWS. What element in North Carolina side
stepped? The temperance forces led by the
AntSaloon League presented a bill fatty pro
hibting any importation of liquor into the State
Did that measure sidestep the issue? The House
of Delegates, acting on thousands of petitions
presented by the Anti-saoon League by ma.
Jority of fo3 to seven, voted. for the absolute
prohibition bill. Was that sidestepping? Then
the Senate asked the Anti-Saloon League to shut
its eyes and take what the Senate had for it.
The league. OF course refused The Senate
wanted the responsibility taken from it and ar
gued that the people ought TO vote again on the
question when a majority Of over forty thou
sand of them had declared their desire to abolish
the liquor traffic. Who was sidestepping in that
instance?
=! The issue in North Carolina should burn into
the minds OF virgnians the fact that we have
brought before them time after time The max.
4 ing Of he prohibition iop n rirqinia nspst be
IN he hands Of its friends aud not 81 its