Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-01-20
WANTS LEGISLATIVE
TO NAME COMMISSIONER
Legislative Committee OF Anti
Saloon League Files Report OH
Prohibition Measures.
TAKES WORK FROM GOVERNOR
Would Have New Official Chosen by
Observation-Disclosures Antishlpping
and Custer Laws and RccitcS His
tory of Prohibition Measures.


assembly Of a commissioner OF morals.
WI" VIII be independent Of the Cover
nor. declaring against ovcr-drastic anti
shippinE provisions. and for tho custer
'"i officials who fail 10 take steps to
enf"rc. prohibition laws. the report OF
the l.cgislativ. Committee Of the Anti-
Saloon League of Virginia was pre-
schted last nipht At the opening session
OF tn" League.
The report follows in fun:
IN" history Of tho Antf-Sa loon
League movement is that Of "A body of
men scattered throughout the length,
ana breadth of the United States who
nave set as their goal the determination
of the beverage liquor traffic in this
country by both state ana national
| legislation. In ,ii, accomplishment Of
TINS great purpos. the leaGucrs have
shown themselves to be practical Ideal
ists Indeed. practical idcalisrn in ref
erencc TO the determination OF the
liquor trafilc fairly and properly de
scribes the policy and methods OF the
| Anti-Saloon League of America. and Of
The several States
The national executive committee of
the Ant-Saloon League of America in
calling for II nation wide movement to
extcrIninate the drink traf'c declared
IN inc opening sentence Of the call the
! historic attitude OF the LEAGUE II
said: The policy OF the Anti-Saloou
! League since it's inception has b.cn to
go just az fast ana just as far ruh-
lie sentiment would justify. II con
mes it's efforts TO law enforcement
and sentiment building where tha, is
the only policy public 81, ;imcnt win
sustain. 1t Is for local prohibition
whore that policy meets the require
mcnts OF the most advanced public de
mands II always has favored the
adoption OF state and national PROM
Ia fiT.yN .s.r
pubic conscience warrants"
Practical Idcniirt..
Tho Anti-Saloon League or Virginia
has from It's foundlnR-tiftccn years
ngo-be"n body " practical idcalts,s.
mere has never been any doubt as to
the final aim OF our state League. From
inc very beginning the eXtcrm!nation
~ the beverage liquor traffic IN vir
gin!a has been our declared PURPOSE
Tho saloon Must Co" has been our
great battle CRY. the word saloon in
gliding cvery form and method ot Sa!o
and distribution .! intoxicating liquor.
III" league has fuliy agreed with Gods
word as get forth IN the Prophet IIa-
hakkuk over tw 'nty-iiv" Kindred Years
ago. that Woe is unto him that givcth
his nciChbor drink"
But the league has followed lcacu.
policies, and while 1t has not !; any
tim" lost sight OF its great ideal pUr-
y D'N's' - - 1'S btcI i.Ieiscly p!Hr-
Itc:h IN IN, methods BY which i, has
end.ar"rcd 70 attain its ideal \ brief
summary OF the work OF ne past af-
teen years viii show h.. what practical
steps the icaeuc has advanced toward
its iinal goal
First work-NInnn LAW.
The first great work OF tho league
was tn. Endorsement OF the bill intro
duccd into the General Assembly OF
Virginia by william hodges Iiain.
which required that in granting liquor
| licenses the moral as we'll ms the ma
tcrial welfare or th* community should
he considered hy the Judge before whom
III. application for Teens. was made.
| The league was fuliy convinced AT that
time tina, no licenses should he granted
for the sal "f Intoxicating liquors FOR
beverage purposes. but /, was :ccor-
nigcd thnt no bin could nc passou
which would absolutely prohibit such
licenses. Tho League, therefore. went
Just as fdr rs II thought that public
,sentim"n; would Justify. and demanded
the passag" Of the Mann law. And it
secured IFS FIRST great triumph BY the
passaE. Of that law. which closed up
hundreds OF bar-rooms in the country
districts OF N!reinia.
Second Step-Byrd Inv.
Four years later the league took an
advanced step. Public sentiment had
been educated 10 the point that the
! league felt justified III demanding that
the beverage liquor traffic should he
: cNtcrm!nated absolutely in the country
districts and In NIL towns in less than
50o population. and that tho sale Of
i liquor In social clubs on SUNDAY should
be prohibited. The hacuc was full,.
con WINGED 1T that time that no license
| should be granted 10 sell Intoxicating
} liquors for beverage purposes in either
town or city. or in social clubs on nu,.
In nS 10 l,tte
that the sale OF liquor should he pro
hibitcd In towns of less than 500 ana
In social clubs sunday. Again tn.
league showed that Il had correctly
EauEed the public sentiment Of the
state, and the Byrd law was nassed
which law is n prohihtory statute for
the communities to which IL applics
In 1909 the question arose whether
the time was ripe to ask for a State
wide prohbitory law. and thee was
much division OF opinion on that matter
among the league forces owing prjn
! cipallr TO the fact that Congress had
not passed law restraining in any
way tho interstate shipment of liarors
the Legislative committee Of the league
decided that II was better to continue
an aggressive campaign In the towns
and cities of tho Commonwealth under
the local option law until ii was clear
~ evident that no further procrcss
could lie made in that way Tho league
at that time believed firmly I'm state
Il wide prohibition as the proper policy
Of the state Of Virginia towards the
liquor traffic, but it did not consider
II cxrcdirnt or opportune to demand
such action ut that time.
Third Stcp--EnnbIinS Act.
Whom tho convention Of 1910 mot i,
. became apparent that Congress would
very shortly pass a bill giving to the
states control over the interstate shin
ment OF liquor. Moreover. IL was also
apparent that the liquor traffic had
thoroughly cntrcnchcd itself in certain
cities IF the Commonwealth and was
using those cities as dcpots Of supply
from which to dclugc the surrounding
dry territory with Intoxicating
liquors.
Your Legislative committee therefore
decided that the time had come to give
to the people Of Virginia an oppor-
tunity to vote upon the question OF Il