The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-11
DR.. CANNON TELLS Of
GREAT DRY VICTORY
Tells Convention That Nirginian Was
Most Effective Weapon in
Notable Conflict.
REcoUNTs STATES STRUGGLE:
Shows How, step by Step, Temper
ance Workers Fought Their Way
From State All Wet to Dry
Virginia.

DIR. James Cannon, Jr,. superinten-
dent Of the Anti-aioon League of Viz
ginia, in addressing the National Anti
saloon League convention on the sub
1ect of prohibition in Virginia, gave
q summary of prohibition work in the
Stat. from its earliest inception to
the Statewide campaign and victory
! last fail In that address he paid
! tribute 10 the work of the various
temperance organization of the State.
declaring that there never had been
a. more harmonious group OF workers
in any temperance canvass. He stated
that without the work OF The Rich
mond Nirginian the temperance VIC
tory could not have been won. say
ing that ii was admitted by friend
and foe that The Nirginian was the
most effective weapon of the temper
Ance cause in the campaign.
How Prohibition Won in Virginia.
To attempt TO tell the story Of
How Prohibition Won in Virginia"
in the short time allotted to this ad-
dress would be as absurd az to at
tempt to drain the mighty ocean with
n fifty-foot canal. The story be"
gins thirty-five years ago. almost inn
mediately after the close of the aW
ful days of the period of reconstruc-
ton Before the War Between the
States there was. properly speaking,
no Nuuor traffic in y lrglnia. The
law OF the Commonwealth made il
crime to sell Intoxicating liquor to
slave without "A permit from his mas
ter The master knew full well that
the value OF the slave depended upon
his efficiency: that intoxicating liquor
} destroyed the efficiency OF the slave.
and that drunken negro was u
worthless negro. Our present-day
charts simply put into scientific form
facts which were we'll known and act
ed upon by the Southern planters.
But after the war the liquor law
co,rld not discriminate In favor of
the negro. The blanket amend
ment'' To the United States. Constitu
ton. which gave To the negroes the
right TO vote, resulted in the chaos
and horrors Of the reconstruction
period. The Legislature of Virginia
vas dominated by ma jority of igno-
rant and irresponsible men, who in
turn were dominated by covetons and
interruptions men, and during those
days the city saloon and the country
cross roads barroom entered az a new
And banefui factor in the political,
social and moral life of Virginia The
4 horrors Of reconstruction rule dur
ting the time II lasted were very great,
but that rule did not long continue.
But the power secured 'by the liquor
ss4ranic during that period has stood
u for nearly fifty years
Dens al Every Crossroads.
Rarrooms sprung up al every cross
roads and multiplied in The villages.
tpwns and cities. Drunkenness be-
Eame common, abor inefficient,
crimes Of all Kinds greatly increased
md the awful possibility OF criminal
nssanits fell like a nightmare upon
the women Of the stale Before the
EAr a crazy negro vas as rare as
white crow After the war physical
s<egeneracy and insanity increased at
ssAn alarming rate. and to-day the
1ArEeat insane ASYLUM In Virginia is
that for the negroes in the city of
Yeterabmrg
Churches Organized
2 The Christian leaders of the Com
GBonwealth speedily recognized the
A0enace of the saloon to the welfare
~ the state but for many years were
4 0Dweriess 10 interfere. In 1880.
koweyer. the leaders Of the churches
&ekan TO organize. realizing that they
& Inuet DESTROY the saloon or IL would
Il 1&nfroy the Christian life OF the State.
X&4tafinn continued public sentiment
Eae stirred and five wears later, IN
E481b, both political parties were com
E41led 10 yield to the demand of the
y opie and grant a general local OPP
j I'm law. which law gave TO counties,
s 0wnE and cities the right 10 vote
MON the question OF the granting OF
I$30uor license.
Advantage was taken of this local
SSS43on law until the liquor traffic had
&e5s driven out OF over fhree-fourths
The counties. niue-tenths of the
~ add aus-halE of Eiae- afsies Of
- Akmfe. and thus the menace Of the
Fxuon was removed from the
~ 49, nesssCn az HjERsna@