Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-01-22
Keep the Governor In Power

NJ OF only is there no valid and adequate
y reason why the enforcement OF the pro-
hibition laws should be taken from tho inn
mediate direction of the Governor Of the
State. hut there arc controlling reasons why
this duty and responsibility. with the accom-
panyinC authority, should not be separated
from the executive Office.
One OF thc weaknesses of State govern
mcnts in this country. as we'll OF city gov
crnments. is decentralization All the Con-
stituions provide that the Governor shall
500 that the laws faithfully executed"
but most of them-includng that OF Virginia
fail Ia equip him with the necessary power.
Governor Stuart. doubtless. has had frequent
occasion to lament his inability to cure some
evil situation. Probably he has had to tenn
porizc and even to paliate. when, had his
authority cquaed his constitutional duty he
would have acted with certainty and fnality.
Al any rate. the enforcement of the pro-
hibition laws will be of immediate concern
to the people of the whole State. When
they are enacted. unless some newly created
official is interposed. it will become automati-
cally the duty Of the Governor TO see that
they are faithfully executed" Under the
plan favored by the Anti-Saloon League, how
ever. there would be Commissioner of Moral
Welfare, elected by and responsible to the
General Assembly. and the duty OF enforce
ment would be committed primarily to him.
Every member Of the General Assembly
success
full candidate for this Office. If his election
had heen close. it is at least conceivable that
among the Senators and Delegates he would
have seventy-one political friends and sixty
nine political enemies; some division is in
cvtablc.
Now the enforcement Of prohibition is not
going Ia be chld's play. nor a pleasant
pastime for any one. There will be crit-
cisms of whomsoever may undertake it. If
Commissioner of Moral Welfare is to be
chosen. antiprohibition Democrats would have
an equal vote with prohibition Democrats if
not in joint session. then In the caucus OF
the party. There will he sections OF the
State whore the new laws will be unpopular
and rigid enforcement yet more unpopular
The Commissioner OF Moral Welfare would
have 10 withstand the appeals of some Of
those TO whom he owes his Office and forget
that in particular communities reside some
of those who sought TO defeat his ambition
Even though he should succeed in al this. it
will not be 10 the satisfaction of his critics
He will hoe difficult row.
Nor is this all. Above him and to some
limited extent in authority over him would
be the Governor OF Virginia. bearing part Of
the responsibility. but without direct super
vision Of the Office and its subordinate Of
fcials. We would have again the old curse
OF divided power. If the Governor kept
hands off and things went wrong il would
he said that he had failed TO do his duty If
he interfcred and things went wrong he
would he charged with obstructinG law en-
forcemcnt. In either event, if there we're a
failure OF efficiency, he and the Commissioner
OF Moral Welfare would be i'm n position TO
shift responsibility back and forth
How much better it would be to keep re-
sponsibiliiy where the Constitution places il,
and TO supplement il with adequate appropria-
tions and sufficient authority DO this and
il the prohibition statutes are not faithfully
executed, the people of Virginia will know
whom to blame And who says, or dare say
that there is q man In the State who would
discharge this trust with more fidelity than
Henry G.. Stuart?