The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-02-28
TELLS HOW PROHIBITION
WORKS IN WEST VIRGINIA
DR. John Roach Straon Tells Norfolk Baptist Congregation
How Sister State Enforces Her Laws-Virgnia will Be
Greater Commonwealth If Officers Do Their Duty

and mining center. but now everything
was as steady and quiet and decent
as could be desired. II was certainly
refreshing to be able to walk the
beautiful streets of that ehterprisins
city and not see crowds of young men
with besotted faces hanging around
the doors of barrooms. A visitor can.
not fail to be impressed with the good
order and cleanliness OF the city, In
such marked contrast with the condi-
tions that formerly prevailed when
rum was running the town.
my friend, DR.. Mabie, the pastor
of the First Baptist Church. where
was conducting a revival meeting. and
I stroiled up one morning to the City
Hall ana Jail. We went by to shake
hands with the Chief of Police and
to see II we could give a word of cheer
and helpfulness TO the prisoners; but
we found the door of the jail wide
open and a melancholy solemnity and
silence brooding over 1t all. There
was not a soul in the jail. SO Mabie
and I went in and nosed around IN
some OF the steel cages to see IL we
could not stir at least one prisoner
out of some dark corner. But not
one could we find. When we shook
hands with the Chief of Police and
asked him to attend the revival SER
vices which we were conducting. he
yawned languidly behind his hand. as
much as to say: Well, / might as well
come: / haven't got anything else to
do since the booze was banished. Then
he remarked that we two preachers
were the only folks he had had in jail
in a coon's age
"she Shore DO Prohibit"
TN taking a number of automobile
trips through the country. I observed
several gangs OF convicts working on
the roads, and upon inquiry, learn
ed that most OF them were convicted
'bootleggers' They certainly enforce
the law in West Virginia. Al first
they got large numbers of bootleggers
but the ranks are thinning out, az
they find that the officers will not be
trified with. and that the laws &C
tually mean what they say. / talked
to the foreman of one of the gangs
and he said: DO you see that little
fellow over there at the end of the
row. said, Yes Wen he said
that's Shorty. Shorty was convicted
first and given a short term, as II was
his first offense. Soon after he got
out, however, he went back to boot
logging again. He sold Just one drink
when he was detected and sent up for
hand. because ne can crack up more
rocks than any man in the gang. and
Shorty is now thoroughly convinced
on the prohibition question. When
the campaign for prohibition was on,
Shorty argued to a friend of his, who
was a Justice of the peace, that pro-
hibition would not prohibit After
his first conviction, this friend asked
him how about 1t, and he still sneered
at the law. But during his second
term. when he had been cracking
rocks for seven months. the friend
happened by again. and said: Shorty
how about it---does she prohibit?
whereupon Shorty set down his
sledgehammer. took off his cap. wiped
the Precipitation from his brow. looked
at his friend with a twinkle In his eye
and said Judge. she shore do pro-
hibit,'
III our officers are al faithful II
this State as those over in West Vir'
ginia have been. and public sentiment
backs up our prohibition law a:
strongly as 1t does in West Virginia
we are going TO see the Old Dominion
transformed into an even more giori'
GUS Commonwealth than she has ever
been in the past"