The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-16

lsfStt''tDhu WI Eihins
An Honor Wisely and wortiny
Bestowed.
1 Editor virginian:
Sir.---The election of Rev. j. Sidney
Peters to the office of Commissioners
of Prohibition. by the Legislature, is
an honor worthily and wisely bestow-
| ed,
After the vnporings or the wet
| newspapers have spent themselves
1 and the business of organizing for
! the enforcement of the new prohibit
! ton laws has been regularly under
/ taken, the wisdom of the Legislature
| will be apparanet
| In the first place great body OF
| new untried laws has been written
! into the statutes of the state. There
! are few, IL any. men more familiar
with that great body of new laws
| than DIR. Peters. He starts in with
! first hand knowledge of the whole
law to its minutest detail. He assist
ed and counselied at the inception
| He sat by and heard every word of
discussion on every point. He knows
| precisely every point of attack by the
enemies and every point of defense
by the friends OF the measure.
There ia scarcely a lawyer In the
State, outside the Legislature itself
from the Acknowledgement M. or
down, who is an familiar. or could
ever become as familiar with the ms
and outs OF this whole body OF pro-
hibition law to be administered ny
this office. as the man who was elect
ed to perform that difficult feat.
Other lawyers might In course of time
become familiar with its form. but no
man could ever become as familiar
with the spirit and meaning IS HE
man who was present at every sta ge
OF its progress through the commit
tees and the houses of the Legislature.
More than that. he Is familiar with
the whole processes of notification,
practtced by an INSCRIPTIONS traffic
to carry on it's trade and break down
the effect OF prohibition wherever
1t has been tried.
Being minister Of the gospel he
has peculiar fitness for the office. He
is imbued with the tremendous moral
issues involved In the working Of his
office, He Ia not logalist merely
He will know the Law and the intent
and meaning of it. He will bring to
back his knowledge of the law a moral
consciousness of the hideous evil he
will have constantly to combat.
This whole business liz born in the
consciousness OF the people Ii owes
its life to the moral stir that comes
with the preaching OF the gospel
Business and law and medicine have
all come with their potent contribu-l
tons TO the final success Of the move
ment. But II was born In the moral
and religious consciousness of the
people awakened by the Christian
pulpit. And let II never he forgotten
that II fhH ma f, ma f1t ai i,
Its vitality 1t must be vitalized by a
constant appeal TO the consciences of
men. The considerations of business
and health. all bound UP so Intimately
with the movement are at the best.
but subsidiary to the considerations
OF morals and religion that belong TO
1t
The fact that an earnest and devout
Christian minister is charged with the
administration of this office. which
pre-eminently related to moral well
fare. is a guarantees TO the people in
the State, who put morals against
money and conscience infinitely be-
Nond law. as forte for righteous
ness
We were afraid that tins great Of
flee might go 10 a mere iegalist. who
would DO bound by the narrow limits
of legal technicaiity and administer
its affairs on the plane of mere for
mai respect for the law. We have
q law with teeth in II" We wan
II administered by man who will
put conscience in IT,
The very hatred manifested by the
wet press of the city against the pos
sble candidacy Of DR.. Peters was an
index to ALI of us who followed anxi-
otsly the trend OF events. He was
the man they feared above all others.
They knew his ability and his intee-
rity They knew there would be q
conscience behind the law as well ~
teeth" in it. They hated him ard
feared him accordingly.
Let nobody be troubled about TAX.
ing strong man out of the ministry
A strong man trained IN the ministry.
to assess moral values at their true
worth. is the very man 70 administer
a public Office which relates, itself,
by Its very terms. TO the moral well
fare Of the people.
Neither let the Anti Saloon League
be perturhed by the animated YER
sions of the wet papers OF the city.
They hate the league and its leaders.