The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-11-01

loon ia far worse, yes. Il is a glorious |
liberty to be free from the shackles
OF the saloon. How glad we arc that
Virginia, tho birthplace OF George |
Washington, Thomas jefferson. James !
Monroe. James Madison, John Mar
shall. Robert E. Lee and Woodrow
Wilson, Ia free from the curse OF the !
whisioey saloon. II the redeemed
spirits Of those who are safe in heaven !
be permitted to look over It's battle /
r1ents and view earthly events. In
which they are Interested, then we
quite sure that the spirits OF Rev John
Il. Moffitt- who fell q martyr TO the
nssassin's bullet Rev. F NJ Edwards,
the old temperance war~horse: DIR.
w. ". Bennett. Or. J. l. Spencer and
Rev. l. A. Cutler will look down with
Joy upon dry Virginia. Side by eide
and shoulder 10 shoulder with these
heroic pioneers in the fight to FREQ
our beloved old State from the domi-
nation OF the accused saloon stood
n" venerable tro~e Rev Richard
erguson. who is still alive.
We believe. too. that Gods angels
re5nlce ~ our great victory. Twenty
five or thirty years ago Virginia was
wet from the mountains - the sea.
The prohibition OF the liquor traffic
&. the State looked then like an iri-
joke Bat there were earnest,
faithful true men and women in the
State who prayed and trusted God
and worked for the overthrow of the
saloon They had caught the vision
and they never relaxed their efforts
as long as they lived TO save our be-
loved state from the curse. 1t will
never he known this side OF the judR-
ment what splendid work the good
women have accomplished in their
temperance organizations. The pro-
hibtlon party with it's good intentions
and worthy motives. but mistaken po-
litical ideos, did work no DOUBT good
as did the temperance organizations
and other aFnnCies: but tho entering
wedge was driven In when the Mann
bill, the author Of Which is ex-Gov
ernor William Hodges Mann. whose
home IS i'm our midst, became a law
and the rural sections and small
towns were freed from the licensed
harrooms Some or us hoped that the
prohihjtlor aartv. political orRani-
Zstlou, would prove 10 he a Moses 10
lead he dry forces into the promie-
Cd land Of a saloonless state; hut this
dclusion was soon dlsDclleI. Put help
was near Mt hand. and in the Anti
saloon League we found an ideal or
r. AVIATION. whose slogan uumixo6
with politics was .'thc saloon must
go and. thank God. u has gone! A
The risk Of being perhaps a little
tedious mention must I've made Of the
splendid work Of Dr. James Cannoa
the able and resourceful superin-
tendenl or the league, who was ably
ttded ~ Rev. Il. J Richardson Rev
David hepburn, DR.. w. A. Christian
Rev. !. s. Peters, DR.. s. G. Hatcher
and others None of us will forget
that vi sely planned and splendidly
conducted temperance campaign in
tn" course Of which The Richmond
Firrinlan, reinforced by religions pa
pers like the Religious Herald and
Baltimore and Richmond Christian
Advocate, performed yeoman service
for dry Virginia. Nor can We
forget the excellent work done by the
ministers and churches of the state
In this memorable struggle Above all
we recognize the Hand OF God in the
movement for the overthrow OF the
great curse.
In conclusion, II is we'll to remind
the reader OF the dramatic scene In
the Academy Of Music In this CITY
near the close OF the ternneranc
campaign at a great Temperance rally.
when prominent lawyer OF this CITY.
VINO, up to that time. had been idontt-
fled with the whiskey saloon got M
and publicly recounted his views on
me subject and became a convert to
prohibition on the ground that Il wa
not safe for hts boy 10 he rnenacea
ny such an evil ns the whiskev saloon.
me conversion of that LAWYER that
night had magical effect and II
no doubt turned tho tide in Peters
burg for the safety Of the home for
civic Righteousness and clean CITY
rather than for an institution that
corrupts, dehauches and ruins our
people
At the funeral and burial OF the
miserable old rotten corpse Of the
LeRanzed whiskev saloon in Virginia
lhefe -"efe- no HfeHrncrs,- not a tear
was shed but everybody present was
JuhlIant IN spirit Yes. the whissev
saloon is dead In Virginia and buried
so deep that there Is no possibility of
It's resurrection
r. p. PARHAM
Petersburg, Va.