The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-02-01
THE CONVENTION

cur readers will expect to find In
the Herald the pith and marrow OF
the recent convention of the Anti-Sa-
saloon League of Virginia IT be-
gan on wednesday night, January -.
and continued through Friday eve-
ming. 1t lis not possible ana. we judge
1t Ia not necessary. TO give any de-
tailed account of the proceedings, All
the secular papers gave generous
space and, in the main, very fair ana
accurate reports. Many OF the Herald
family are already familiar with
these. We content ourselves, there
| fore, with giving some OF the great
outstanding features.
we were apprehenaive, OF course,
| concerning the attendance. The tasks
| of the convention, as everybody knew
beforehand, were grave and serious
but they were not exciting or spec
| tacular as they had been a year or
1.-TWO ago So we suppose that the
attendance would be relatively small.
LIT was not AS large as r. had been IN
inYher wears, but II was agTeeahiy dis
iappointing In this respect The spirit
Of the meeting was fine. The dele
gates came for work and addressed
| themselves TO their duties with u
deity intelligence and constancy we
had a number of inspiring and inform
ling addresses from noted leaders ana
workers. The interest centeyed In the
legislative Committees report We
cannot find room for that report In
| full, but we can give our readers
very fair synopsis of IT,
4 The report takes pains at some
length and with perfect candor and
lclearness to point out that the policy
Iof the league from its inception has
been that of practical idealism, that
lis. that the league has had before II
laH the time the complete abolition
tof the beverage use of intoxicants, but
has proceeded to its goal by practical
stages. This has been source OF
strength with 1t. and this continuous
lpotiey is due in no small measure not
lonIy the past achievements in which
i we all rejoice, but also the place
which the league now holds in the
support and confidence of sensible
land reasonable people.
4 One OF the first matters discussed
lin the report concerns the. limit to
be put upon importations. from be-
lyond the state Of liquor for personal
inse 1t was pointed out that the ideal,
of course. was to prohibit entirely all
such shipments, and that the members
OF the committees were In thorough
iSympathy with the sdeA. 6ut thefs
was reason to believe that the peo-
pie, or at any rate large number Of
them. who had voted for the Enabling
Act. had expected that some privilege
1 of this kind would be continued. And
j the committee, therefore, came re-
Iinctantly. slowly. but at length quite
isurely. TO the Judgment that very small
shipments of this kind ought to be
provided for IN the bill, expressing
lat the same time the opinion that II
/ the ebb-Kenyon bill. whose CON
istitutionnlity is now being tested IN
the Supreme Court Of the United
j States, should be upheld. and II ths
Limitations on personal shipments 10
be prescribed In the Virginia bill
4 should be found inadequate ana the
law should prove satisfactory. we can
easily so on two years hence to com
piete prohibition of such ehipments
\, Another item on great Importance
which the Legislaf3vs Committee re-
recommended concerned the appoint
Iment of special commissioner 10 be
charged with the duty OF enforcing
1.-THE prohibition laws. This important
4 feature was not adopted without care