The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-12
Legislature Is to Be Asked to
Pass Several Laws Making
Liquor Harder to Get.
DRYS ARE LIKELY TO
GET WHAT THEY SEEK
Will Insist That Office of Com
missioner of Prohibition Be
Created and That Jail Terms
Be Added to Fines.

i Denver, Col Dec. when the
! twentyfirst General Assembly con-
venes in January the Anti-Saloon
League of Colorado. backed by all of
/ its branches and members through
/ the State. will demand the, following
! strengthening of the present prohibit
( ton statutes:
A State commissioner of prohibi-
1 ton appointed by the Governor
/ Liquor shipments into Colorado to
/ be only after consignee has received
from an authorized county official a
permit to send for and receive same.
Permit must state kind and quantity
! Of liquor to he sent for
Permit must be mailed with liquor
order, must be returned with liquor
by foreign concern making shipment,
else consignee cannot receive goods;
must be then countersigned by con-
/ signee and handed to authorized coun-
" official to become matter of public
record for two years.
Only one such permit each month
! to any one person or family.
Absolute restriction of amount
each month for one person or family
10 one quart of whiskey or wine and
eighteen quarts OF beer
A crime to take alcoholic liquors
into any hotel, rooming house. public
dining room. restaurant or other place
Of pnblic resort.
viii Ask For the AND.
Both fine AND imprisonment for
first offenders under prohibition law
: instead or fine OR imprisonment.
An annual State fund of $50. 900 to
provide rigid enforcement OF prohibit
ton.
; There is the legislative program Of
the Arti-Saloon League, There may
he some giving and taking on the
propositions. but the league. it's off,
/ GERS and members want all OF those
] propositions embodied into law, and
they are likely to get a good many
of them
For almost a year Rev. A. J. Finch
superintendent of the league. has
watched pr, sent prohibition and its
! effects. The program has been rather
laboriousiy worked out by Finch and
+ his assistants. He thinks there is
nothing asked for which is not de-
mandcd by conditions and he earn
/ estly believes the legislators will
. listen to his every appeal.
In this connection members of the
, league point out that legislative cam
didates. many of them. came to the
league in the last campaign soliciting
endorsement because they realized the
leagues political power. These law
makers. say the league members, will
. likely heed any league requests.
VIII Res; With Governor.
The Office of commissioner OF pro-
! hibition would be created. the ap-
/ pointment to rest with the Governor.
/ The officer would be empowered with
general enforcement of the law. He
would not take the place of sheriffs or
district attorneys. but would lend
/ friendly aid to such officials. How
, ever. II the regular officers were found
not to be enforcing the laws, the COM
| missioner would have power to go
7 into the counties and start custer pro-
I ceedings. He would also gather and
! promulgaie data on prohibition
Under the leagues program, any
/ one wanting liquor would have to go
| to some county officer designated by
/ the Legislature. That officer would
! issue permit, giving name OF con-
signee and what quantity and kind OF
+ liquor was desired. The permit would
; be mailed with the liquor order. and
/ would have to be returned by the
! express company or railroad with the
| bill of lading for the wet goods Elk
| press companies and railroads would
| be prevented from delivering wet
| goods unless the permit accompanied
/ same.
| The consignee. on receiving his
goods, would be compelled to sign the
j permit. which would then go into the
public records. But there would be.
under the new law. only one permit
! n month to any one person or family.
and the amount OF liquor per month
! to any one person or family would be
! limited TO one quart of whiskey or
wine and eighteen quarts of beer.
fhr amount -of-beer- fixed upon r.
what the league regards as about
half a case" This limitation gives
only. bit over a pint day to one
dry for large families. The single
person will have better wet luck
Absolute Essential.
Mr. Finch regards II as absolutely
essential that the Legislature make
IL crime to take alcoholic liquors
into hotels. rooming houses. dance
halls, restaurants and other places of
public resort. He points to the recent
troubles with the road houses at Sand
Creek. Petersburg and other suburban
places to prove his point that this
rigid feature Of the new law is neces-
| sary.
been too much leniency shown in
courts for offenders against prohibit
ton. The present law sets a penalty
for first offense at thirty to ninety days
In Jail of a fine OF 500 to $500. The
league wants "or" changed to and
thus nning and imprisoninE FIRST Of
tenders. Tho second offense would be
q felony with = penitentiary term.
The annual fund for the enforcement
Of prohibition IL something the league
| thinks the State should provide. The
amount 10 not definitely nxed At $780,
coo. but an adequate fund will be de-
| manded. Tho league points out that
prohibition has saved vast sums to the
! State: 1t claims that bank deposits
and general prosperity have increased.
and It believes the State should pay
for tho continuation OF such things.
The members contend that prohibition
! 10, no longer . theory but hxed con-
dillon and that. while they have long
, paid for its coming and the present
enforcement, they should now be re-
lieved Of some Of this burden.
Officers Of the league are planning
for many meetings and conferences
with State officials and legislators
within the next few weeks. and they
houe that nv thA TINA thu T.ariala fupn