The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-05-14


opportunity to test the strictness Of the Harrison
Drug Act IT was impossible to get any sort of
cpiate except on PHYSICIANS prescription end
the druggist could not -estll the prescription.
hut required TO have new prescription
each time. There seems to be a general agree
ment that the law is enforced.
The enforcement OF the law has shown the
great necessity for the law. All over the coun-
try the law hes shown that there are hundreds
and thousands OF people who have become slaves
to drugs. and had the passage of IT been pest
poned 1t would simply have put off the day of
reckoning little longer
The Advantage of National Law
There is criticism against the law on the
ground that It is national legislation 1t realized
that state legislation would be powerless to
cope with the evil There has been no clamor
against the law the ground of the violation
OF State sovereignty. and yet 1t would seem
that every argument which could be used against
national prohibition liquor law would apply
equally to national prohibition drug law. The
real difference lies in the fact that there are
tremendous vested interests in the liquor traffic
which have for years combined together and
have bought individuals city councils and state
legislatures, and have not hesitated TO go into
the halls Of Congress to prevent a prohibition
law which would be really effective
Effectiveness the ISSUE
! In all liquor legislation local, State and ma
ticnaI the real work is to pass q law which will
be effective. Time and agaln in liquor elections
the anti p-ohibitionists have conferred their chief
as fact, namely. Prohibition won't prohfbit'
therefore, as prohibition will not prohibit 1t is
better to havo good license law with strict
regulations and rigid restrictions Every COM
munity, therefore after It has voted ''dry" faces
the most important question, How can get
an effective law"
Effective Lawmakers.
The matter of chief concern in the election
Of men to the next General Assembly is to select
men to make tho prohibition law who honestly
believe in the wisdom Of the law. and who are
not only anxious for It to succeed, but who be-
Iieve that II be made TO succeed: VINO have
done everything possible to secure the passage
OF such a law in the past and are committed
to the prohfbitlon principles for tho future How
utterly illogical not to Esy foolish, It would be
to elect men to draft legislation to make effec-
tive a law to which they are personally opposed,
and against which they spoke and worked and
/ voted.
u Times Dispatch Competent?
| There would be just much consistency IN
/ that ms there would be in asking the Richmond
Times Dispatch to prepare the draft for the new
! law. The rmes-Dtspatch fought the passage
/ Of the Mann law 1t fought the passage of the
BYRD law 1t fought the passage Of the enabling
act Il fought Statewide prohibition az the polls,
and II declared the morning after the election
that the people had adopted bad law" 1t
represented in its ntterances the and-prohbi-
tion sentiment of the State 1t now demands
that shall DO elected to the General As
sembly without regard to their past record on
donce and arrogance OF newspapers which pub
! lish columns OF liquor advertising at from
seventy cents to dollar per inch. IL talks about
the paid asdtators' of the Anti Saloon League
as unworthy of future leadership Of the proz
hfbition forces of Virginia
Result OF Such Leadership
Does any one imagine that the Tfr1es-Dfs-
patch would draft thoroughly effective pro-
hthition law fer our State? Would any con-
vention of temperance workers In Virginia be
willing TO commit such a work TO such a paper
WOULD not be the laughing stock Of the ma :
ton were to propose to do such thfngT
And yet that lis practically what Ia proposed by
some persons including the Times Dispatch
Eject a General Assembly without regard to
the prohibition issae; trust 10 the General As
sembiy to prepare bin to pat the Law into
effect: trust to the Tines Dispatch and the
other wet newspaper to stir public sentiment
to enforce tina law thus enacted and have as
a result REP EAL. OF THE PROHIBITION
STATES WITHIN FIVE YEARS."
Some one aRserts that this Is extreme po-
sition. cannot see it that way If the proh!-
bition record of men is not to be regarded In
every case, why should II be regarded In any
cqse? IF clever man. with many friends
among temperance people. hut who himself
voted against the enabling act now comes for
ward and SAYS that he believes that the question
was settled on September a. and that he will
vote fer effective prohibition law, shall the
temperance people of his district ignore his
rast record and support him for the next Ees-
+ the great Importance Of the Issue to be de-
tsrmined and Notwithstanding the fact that an
other man is running for the position who ia
] vored the enayling act, and who voted ana
worked for 1t q fiae polls7
Prohi5tuen Workers Needed,
4 Personally. ST. king for myself alone. 90
not believe that any man who voted against
! the enabling act at the last session of the Cen
eral Assembly or who voted against Statewide
or obi bition on September %. ought to be sent
to the next General Assembly. X any man OF
ability and prohibition convictions can be elect
ed TO fill the place. well understand that there
arc some districts in which no candidate has
announced himself except the men who were
IN the General Assembly OF 1914, and that a
4 number of these men have announced that they
will in the future cooperate with the prohi-
bition leaders effective laws, and l
have no doubt that some Of these men will be
\ en- tirelv honest in their effort But that does
rot change the fact that in every district where
/ a man opposed Statewide prohibition. and has
no personal neal for 1t now. that the cause OF
temperance legislation would in nine cases out
of ten be greatly advanced by the election of
I the man who has always been dry" rather than
/ bv the election OF the man who has always votes
wet" but who agrees that he will vote
dry because the people want him to do So
I Possible Condition.
/ It Is easily possible to conceive of the election