The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-01-13

i grades. tnc1uG1nx erhccIc Tor the nor
NAL sreihlaG 81 psn s94 -womfn. g
dsticns aad facilities - state institu-
tons Of an kt16s have bean greatly
enlA-Eed;s n98 ana much needed
sphsrss Of ussfuyn4ne have been added
TO some of eur departments; large
annual appsoprsatf0ns have been MADE
| to the supery1nton aEd construction
OF public highyaya and substantial,
| though tardy, xecoenition has been
given to the sacred claims Of confed-
crate veterans IN the form of PEN
sfons. = All this stands to the credit
| OF the state Notwithstanding the fact
that 81 In evory seven of our State
! revenue goes to the payment OF ante
/ bellum debt.
From this experience we may be
| sure that with . wise and economical
administration OF our financial af-
fairs, including continued policy
OF discovery OF property hitherto un-
| taxed. our annual tar receipts under
tina new law win be increased grad
uaily year by year by geason of the
natural growth Of subjects OF taxation
segregated to the State, thus provid-
ing an annually increasing income
without imposing new burdens upon
taxpayers.
Applyjns- further the tesspns OF ex-
periepce to~the facts before-us, we can
well AFFORD to measure the increasing
of our expense blythe natural increase
of our income.
Considering the fact that the pres
enf tax law has been In force less
than q year, ana that It's operations
have been hindered by circumstances
already mentioned, deem 1t unwise
and, indeed, hazardous IN the extreme
to increase at this session the annual
appropriations to an amount above
those OF the last two years.
| And now I come to the next ques-
ton for eiscusgion In this MESSAGE.
To Enact Proper Prohibition Laws
Under tho provisions of an enabling
act passed by the last General AS
sembly at its regular session an cleo
ton was called and held upon the
question OF prohibiting the manufac-
ts,re for sale ana the sale OF fntox1-
eating liquors In the State OF Vir-
! gtnia.
The peopfe by an Overwhelming
majority voted FOR Statewide prohibit
| to this policy. No adequate legtsla-
ton, however, hay been enacted for
putting into effect the will Of the
| people as thus expressed. 1t remains.
| therefore for your honorable body 10
draft and enact such legislation as
! may be responsive in the highest
| degree to the declared sentiment of
the Virginia people. and thus translate
| that sentiment into definite, vigorous
and unmistaleAb1e action.
| The constitution. under which we
| live, -declzfes In express terms the
chief executive power of the state
shall he vested In q Governor
The Governor shall take care that the
laws are faithfully executed"
Here we md the chief executive
power -of- the state vested in the Gov
ernor and coupled with 1t the com
mand that this power shall be used 10
tho iced that tho laws be faithfully
executed
Need to strengthen Hand OF Execu-
TIVE. 49,
Two years of my term OF once have
now almost expired and during that
time. I'm seeking 20 obey this mandate
OF the constitution. I>have been Inn
pressed with the absence OF legislation
means for the effective performance
| Of the duty Thus imposed. The alb
sence Of such means will become moro
apparent when prohibition goes into
ing declared that prohibition shall
prevail throughout the- Eante In every
community, regardless Of the will OF
that community. II follows as a mat
ter Of necessity, that the state must
step I'm and enforce the law where
the local authorities fail tn do so
\ To sssufne that the local officers car
and wiIls I'm all cases, perform fheiI
duties in this respoct is to shut ouI
selves virtues superior to those pos
been enacted, and to arrOgate to our
selves virtues superior to thfse pos
sesscd by the people OF our sister
States.
General disregard OF the law, lack
of respect for the courts. and FOL
public officials is an evil as great al
intemperance itself. and II we In
crease the former evil without de-
creasing the latter prohibition will
prove calamity and not blessing. /
therefore, call your attention to the
!, fact that the strengthening Of the cen,
trail executive power Of the State i:
absolutely essential to the proper en-
forcement of prohibition. 1t Is true
that the Governor may now furnish
funds In very limited amounts to bt
used in the detection or crime and ar
rest OF criminals, yet his representa-
tiyss cannot even 40 much as make ar
. arrest without first having been au'
thorized to do SO by the local courts
application 10 which in times Of emer'
,, geney is impracticabie, to say nothint
or that fact that publicity which must
!, more or less. attend the application
for such authority often defeats the
very purpose for which the authority
In sought.
Now Dependent On Local Of6ciais
Il Furthermore, the success of tho eff
!, forts OF the Governor in law enforce
! ment is largely dependent upon the
ability and willingness to cooperate
ON the part of local Officers, over
, whom the Governor III given no ex-
pressed authority. The Governor Is
therefore, put in the position of hav'
hing IT responsibility placed upon hin
in the exercise of which he Is Target,
Z dependent on local authorities. This
condition brings the central authority
of the State, and its chief executive
in position of dependency rather
than OF authority and renders thf
local government superior to the STATE
! government, and makes Virginia. ~
far as the enforcement OF the cr1uii
. nal laws liz concerned, helpless ag'
gregation OF independent counties and
cities. instead Of a sovereign State re-
| eponsible for the execution OF her laws
throughout her entire borders.
In making the suggestions here con
tanned, / am mindful OF the fact that
under our present system of govern
men- the efforts of the executives de-
partment of the State in such matters
liAre end necessarily must be OF little
avail unless courts and 5uries vii
- - ~ ia he <sSSS]rrfrtAnn NJ thf