The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-07-31
RINGING REPORT ON
TEMPERANCE ADOPTED
cent Session at buchanan
Stands BY Its Guns.

buchanan. Va. July 30.--At the re-
cent session OF the Methodist District
Conference, held here, a ringing tenn
perance report and memorial was
adopted and Professor S. II. Pritchard,
of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
was named to present the memorial to
the next annual convention of the An
tf-Saloon League of Virginia
on motion OF RCv. D. NJ. Brown the
, report of the committee on temper
ance was ordered sent TO the press or
the district for publication. The re-
port in full follows:
Report on Temperance.
Your committee believes this re-
port should contain;
Ftrst--An expression OF rejoicing;
Sacond-~An element Of compari-
son;
Thfrd-A note of warning;
Fonrth-A promise of reconsecra-
ton and cooperation.
Fifth-A section of education, in
yitation, commentator and memoir
ial
An Expression of Rejoicing.
1t is a. source Of profound gratitude
and thankfulness to. Almighty God.
that. after fight for more than a
hundred years with ever increasing
intensity. the State Of Virginia Is on
the eve of deliverance from the curse
of the legalzed liquor traffic.
November first will record the death
and burial Of John Barleycorn in our
beloved Commonwealth.
We rejoice in the leadership of the
Anti Saloon League of Virginia.
which, for nearly score of years,
has so successfully concentrated the
ombined forces of the Church Of
God in its effort against the gigantic
liquor evil.
We rejoice in the action OF the late
General Assembly of Virginia which
put upon the statute books of Virginia
the greatest Statewide prohibition
law ever enacted.
We rejoice in the election of a
commissioner of prohibition charged
with the specific duty of enforcing
the prohibition law. and that the said
commissioner is a man who has been
in the front rank of temperance
fighters for a quarter of century.
We rejoice that prohibition has
made such strides in the nation since
last we met. Nineteen States have
already adopted Statewide prohibition
and half dozen others will vote on
this issue during this year. The fight
has been carried to Washington with
such tremendous viRor. that Congress
must soon yield 10 the demands Of the
people for a constitutional amend
ment providing nation wide prohibit
ton.
Finally we rejoice in the worldwide
progress in prohibition legislation
during the past year-an achieve
ment that Is big and bright with
promise for the early abolition of
the beverage liquor traffic from the
whole earth
Han Element OF Comparison.
Comparing conditions today with
conditions before the notable victory
of September %, 1914, we are driven
to the conclusion that the oft asserted
contention Of temperance leaders of
the State--"The legalized liquor traf-
fC is the mother of yice"--is more
than borne out by the facts The late
General Assembly of Virginia. elect
ed by the people in pursuance of
their determination to destroy the
beverage liquor traffic in Virginia,
not only enacted the prohibition law
above referred to, but il also enact
ed anti-gambling and anti-vice leg
islation, which had been repeatedly
defeated in former Legislatures, and
an custer law. which insures the bet
ter enforcement OF all laws. 1t also
enacted or strengthened laws safe
guarding the public health, prohibit
ing child labor. giving better protec-
ton to schools and religious assem-
hlies, providing for the treatment of
inehriates and drug fends at the ex-
pense Of Tie Common wealth, etc
In fact, your committee believes,
the late General Assembly will go
down in history as having done more
for the social and moral welfare of
the people than any other session
within generation.
Can II be doubted that these splen-
did results are very largely, if not
entirely. the by-products of our great
prohibition victory?
III--A Note OF Warning