The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-09-12
SAME OLD STORY.

anu Is mere iS HoIninS new unuer
the sun" In South Carolina, where
a prohibition fight is on which will
come to a head next Tuesday when
the people vote for or against state
wide prohibition. the same tactic. are
being employed that were used in yir-
prominent South Carolina paper comes
to us with the usual page advertise
ment OF the liquor crowd 1t recites
a list of states which in generations
gone tried and abandoned state wide
prohibition for reasons already set
forth by this paper to its readers The
advertisement is strangely silent on
the long list of states which now nave
! fact that today there is a larger area
and population Of prohibition terri
tory in the United States than ever
before
! The press which opposes prohibition
I Is printing long editorials and other
articles picturing a woeful condition
| Of lawlessness which 1t predicts for
South Carolina. The advertiser ent
above referred to asks the people if
they want the same condition In
South Carolina that prevails in Ten
nessee and West Virginia. a Now we
have II on the word of the editor of
the Richmond Evening Journal that in
Tennessee, although prohibition does
ard, II is nevertheless effective, and
the Richmond Times-Dispatch only
Saturday declared of West Virginia:
1.-THE West virginia) statutes have
been regarded as the most stringent
enacted by any Legislature. in the
country and the State authorities
were given power to remove county
and city officers who failed TO en-
force the law" -------------.-~--
/ We have it therefore from prohI-
bitlon enemies that these two states
seem, even from their viewpoint, to be
moving on the road to something vast
lily better than South Carolina has
From the Columbia state, which is
fighting prohibition for South Caro-
lima on the claim that ITS state will
not put into office men who will en-
force the law after it is adopted. the
following Is quoted:
although there are more than COO
900 negroes in Virginia and more than
twenty counties having negro major
tiles, not lynching has occurred In
that State in twenty years
! Some years ago the wealthy Mayor
or ex- Mayor Of a Virginia city was
accused OF murder He was tried.
convicted and executed. A wealthy
young man, son of a banker, II. an
other city, killed his young Wife. He
Twas connected and executed. A party
Inf mourtairetrs. well-to- do shot TIP
a court and killed the judg, and two
or three ether officers. 'fwJ of them
We're :Ntt afed, after trial, and 9TH
ers were st mt to the penitent.ary.
"In Virginia there is one law for
rich and poor Is any man in South
Carolina fool enough to say that wo-
manhood in Virginia is not protected
who is fool enough to set up tle
South Carollnians as people supe-
rior to the people of Virginia in
chivalry or courage or other virtues
Not in Virginia 'aas lynching &C.
} CURED In twenty years"
These things are true Of Virginia
today and will be continued to be
true of Virginia when prohibition goes
into effect. The people OF the State
must be watchful and alert, however.
They must select and put In office
men who will enforce all the laws
for all the people. Men who will en-
force here in Richmond the liquor laws
against rich and poor alike; men who
will enforce without fear or favor the
laws against vice. Virginia expects
to do these things when prohibition
is In force as we'll as or better than
she does now. South Carolina need
not hesitate to take her position with
,he prohibition States for fear that
her laws cannot be enforced. They
can be enforced II her people demand
lit--and they cannot be better instruct
ed to demand law enforcement than
by the press telling them that the laws
can and must be enforced-not muir
murring with fear that they may not
be.
! -. :. ---s--
KING WILLIAM HAS