The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-08-06
TORTTOrS REASONING BY A
TORTURED EDITOR
.(Danville Rec.

The Norfolk Ledger Dispatch In It's
issue of Tuesday prints as Its leading
editorial three-quarter of a column
expression headed Davis for Cover
nor" This is by no means surpris-
ing The city of Norfolk has always
been the ''wettest" spot in Virginia
and the most vehement protestant
against statewide prohibition. the only
type save national prohibition that
would ever affect that city.
! 1t is interesting and even amusing
to note the artful basis upon which
the Ledger Dispatch predicates its
support of Mr.. Davis. First it Is as
serted that even If prohibition were
in reality Still a dominant issue in
Virginia 1as it insists II Is noD, Mr.
Fllyson neither would nor could &C
complish more for the real cause oil
prohibition than either Mr.. Pollard
or Mr. Davis. Then our contempt
rary gets down to the basis of its de-
cision to support Mr.. Davis, decis-
ion that we would have anticipated
anyhow from that newspaper in that
city In this connection 1t says:
But as we have also said, this
. (meaning the Democratic primary of
next Tuesday, is no longer question
Of candidates. 1t narrows down to
this: Marrow is a most fit and apt
word in this connectlon) rs Virginia
to be free, or is it to be delivered over
into the hands Of the political leaders
Of the Anti-Saloon league? And that
brings again the question, what are
we going to do about it2'
! or course, the unacceptable II not
the logical answer TO this self pro-
pounded question is the announcement
Of the support OF Mr.. Davis by the
Ledger Dispatch. Surely, this is an
heroic role for which the LedgerDis-
-patch so courageously volunteers~-the
| role OF savior of the people! Our
liberties are menaced. We are about
to be delivered into the hands of the
political leaders OF the Anti-Saloon
league. this valiant voluntary cham
+ pion of our liberties would have us
sane, normal. unterrified citizens be-
lieve Perhaps it may persuade itself
that somebody's liberties are at stake
| because forsoothf the Anti-Saloon de-
| cided to endorse one of the two pro-
/ fessed prohibition candidates, in order.
/ AS 1t asserts. to make doubly sure the
I defeat of Mr.. Davis. whom it regards
4 as n wet" man. Yet the spirited
! Ledger Dispatch will have none of
this. 1t rehearses the old personal
liberty nonsense which we fancied had
been discarded with the 1914 cam
paign for state prohibition.
Apparently the Ledger Dispatch
finds difficulty in finding a leg on
which to stand, but 1t ingeniously, II
somewhat speciously, argues itself into
"A belief that ii has found a footing
10 do what it desired to do all along.
;, OF course, that paper had the indis-
putahle right to declare for Mr. Davis.
with or without reason. But we were
struck with another paragraph in the
pronouncemcnt editorial OF our Nor
. folk contemporaries;
Tho Ledger Dispatch stands and
xxrff3 oil, rt1 yHi 81
ment of the prohibition laws. But RS
l 1t has asserted more than once, pro-
+. hihjtion liz no longer an, issue in Nlr-
> g1nia, wherefore its injection into this
4 campaign raises n false banner to
? which the chiefs arc seeking to sum
mon their followers by equally false
b cries Of I9anEer''"
This sort of nub-dub may do very
r well to scare children. but when it is
1 addressed 10 intelligent adults it seems
&, a waste of good space and printer g
: ink We are pleased that the Ledger
] Dispatch stands for prohibition and
twst, *jN|1>~ stand for stris. Il u !ss u l
ment Of the laws on that subject. n
fact. We have never before discovcre 4.
, what Is asserted as patent fact
though We have been reading the, pa
,, per since It's hyphenation and many
years before il adopted the btfurcated
: title. Perhaps our contemporary
speaks exactly In saying that it
Stands" for the strict enforcement of
the prohibition laws: we do not re
call that 1t has ever moved for strict
enforcement Of the prohibition laws.
II seems to us that the Ledger-Dis-
patch speaks a bit arbitrarily or dog
ratically in asserting that prohibition
IL no longer an issue in Virginia In
the next breath it accepts it as an
issue and predicates its support of Mr.,
Davis upon this very fact The Anti
Saloon league has made it an issue
without even consulting the editor OF
the Ledger Dispatch or SO much as
Il by your leave" Because Virginia
has prohibitory statutes with respect
10 the liquors IL by no means follows
that those statutes viii be perpetuatcd
What one legislature has done, another
legislature, with the approval of the
governor. can undo. AS we appre-
bend the attitude of the Anti Saloon
league, il is "A precaution against such
u n possibility that it has sought 70
make sure the defeat OF a candidate
who is admittedly not In favor of state
prohibition, or who at least has not
publicly so declared
The announcement by the Norfolk
paper marks the waning Of the Pol
lard cause and ia tantamount To \
, call to the Pollard supporters to unite
. on Davis as the best prospect of de-
feating Ellyson's nomination Yet nc
. criticism Of Mr., Eliyson is made. no
ground alleged for opposition to him
save that the Anti-Saloon league favors
his election In a word, the Norfolk
paper would defeat his candidacy, II
il could. for no other reason than that
= tho Anu-Saloon lea que favors him.
< Isn't this rather an unjust attitude to
assume toward Mr.. Ellyson? 1t seems