The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-10-23

same number of violations you will
md in some papers glazing headlines
and statements that the law is a fall
ure.
Do not imagine because that is true
our law Is a failure. What about the
license law? Have they called that
failure? No, the very people who will
tell you that the reason they are OPP
posed to prohibition is because you
cannot enforce II. do not say word
about the fact that you cannot en-
force the license law. But during the
next year you look out for articles
saying that prohibition is a failure
because somebody is selling liquor IL
legally. OF course. men are going to
| try to evade the law.
: But we have tried to provide for It
as well as any State in this Union.
We are the first State in the Union
that has requested the General Assem-
bly, to appoint a man whose sole duty
is to see that this law is enforced.
They have man in West Virginia
who has II as part of his duty. but he
has other things to do. But here in
Virginia the General Assembly has
said that we are going to give this
law the best possible chance Of en-
forcement We are going to put man
in office who will have II as his
enforced. That was one OF the things
the liquor people tried in every pos
sible way to defeat. It took nine days
TO get this bill through a prohibition
Senate because of the law enforce
ment measures we had In 1t. whereas
we ought to have passed this law
through both houses in little over
week, and 1t was the last night of the
General Assembly when the $4,000
fund was finally and safely incorporat-
ed in the bill.
The laws Enforcement.
That appropriation of $4,000 is one
Of the special features OF our bill. We
said that 1t was not fair for the pro-
htbition people of this Commonwealth
to pay for the enforcement OF this
law. It is not the duty of the men
who believe In prohibition to put UP
the money for these prosecutions.
That burden has been borne by them
in the past, and 1t has been unfair.
No other men have been obliged to
put up money to enforce law. Now
$4,000 for the next eighteen months
has been put in the hands OF our Pro-
hibition Commissioner to use to see
that the law Is respected and obeyed.
and. furthermore we have Cheerfully
put another weapon In his hands, That
weapon was that we said to him: "You
must see to It that the officers OF this
Commonwealth enforce this law" II
you will notice the wording of that
paragraph, 1t does not simply say that
this man is to enforce the law. 1t
says: He must see that other officers
enforce the law also.
And the Legislature passed q COM
panion bill. which makes 1t the duty
Of every officer, every constable and
policeman TO see that the law il en-
forced. That companion bill says: III
YOU do not enforce this law, then you
will be brought before the Judge of the
Corporation or Circuit Court. and
show cause why you should not be re-
moved from Office" That is the sweep
Of our law. We have felt that the
people of Virginia meant what they
said, and that this law must be en-
forced just as every other law is en-
forced. But. my friends, that implies
this, and this Is one of the things that
you ought TO observe
No Winking at Violations.
Suppose some man was to rent a
house right by yours, and he was to
run his sewer pipe right out in
the street. that the sewerage from
all his property ran out into the gut
ter. What do you think would hap
pen. l suppose you would just go
along every morning and simply hold
your nose. You would be disturbed
i perhaps, but you would say that Is
none of my business" Well. II would
not be so in our little town Of Black
stone The first thing I would do,
would call up the Mayor and I would
inform him of the fact and ask him
to send for the owner of the prop
erty and say That Is against the
law" Take the quarantine law, for
instance Here Is a man who has
smallpox, or has been IN contact with
!, smallpox, and walks to his place of
} business Suppose his place of bust
ness is right next to yours I suppose
you would jst say, Il do not like
that, but it is none of my business"
Would you act that way? I don't
think so
Now, all we ask IN reference to this
prohibition law is that if you expect
J it to be enforced that you take the
| same attitude toward 1t that you do
to all the other laws of the Common
wealth. How can you expect this law
to be enforced il you are going to
wink at every violation of it?
We must understand the point that
this is the law of Virginia, that 1t is
a reasonable law, that 1t Is a law that
is passed for the protection Of So
ciety. for child. for son. for daughter.
for family, and that 1t is our business
as patriotic citizens of the Common
wealth to see to 1t that this law Is
enforced just as any other laws are
enforced, not simply because we have
policemen. but because we have a
citizenship which will not tolerate Its
open, fragrant violation when the po-
lice are not around.
We want this law to be what II
ought to be. We must recognize the
purpose of the law First. that 1t is
an effort to elevate the conditions
surrounding society in Virginia. Sec
ond, that it Is it's purpose to protect
both the individual and society from
appetite and covetousness. We do not
think in attempting to do this that
the law is unreasonable. There may
be some provisions which seem to be
unnecessary, but a careful examina-
ton will show that they are intended
to prevent evasions and make the law
effective.
Perhaps you will ask me why I read
the passage from the Epistle to the
Romans at the beginning of my ad-
dress. | read that passage because IT
contains the real underlying purpose
IN the passage of this law. We then
that are strong ought to bear the in
firmities of the weak and not to
please ourselves" The best citizen