Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-06
PUT PROHIBITION
IN CONSTITUTION
Amendment Urged by DR.. Can
non in Report to Anti
Saloon League.
TO PRESS NATIONWIDE FIGHT
Mapp Would Give Officers Right
to Search Personal
Baggage.
Especial to The Times Dispatch. ]

NORFOLK, VA. July 5-Advocacy
State Constitution and Of national pro-
hibition. and clause urging all tenn
perance people to support prohibition
candidates for such State Offices as
have to do with making and enforcing
laws were the high lights of the report
OF the legislative committee of the
State Anti-Saloon League made to the
last session of the league convention
this morning by DIR. James Cannon. Jr.
chairman.
Not embodied in the report, but sug-
gested by State Senator Walter Mapp
and apparently received with great
favor, was an amendment giving Off
GERS Of the law the right to search
baggage on trains and in automobiles
and another increasing the penalty for
drunkenness. The legislative commit
tees report merely urged that the Cen
eral Assembly take whatever action
may be found necessary to strengthen
and perfect the Mapp prohibition law"
The declaration in favor of pressing
war prohibition came in the form Of a
report by the legislative committee
which was read to the assemblage by
Dr. Cannon.
TO PRESS FOR NATIONAL
WAR PROHIBITION
The Anti-Saloon League Of America.
representing AS 1t does the prohibition
sentiment of the nation. while re-
spending to the appeal of the Prcsi-
dent of the United States, the report
read, ito prevent the delay of the food
conservation bill in declaring that IL
will not be a party TO any obstruction
of that legislation. also declares that
II Will press for national war prohibit
tion at the earliest possible time. either
by separate bill or in connection with
some other war legislation"
Among the resolutions appended to
the report was the following apper-
tanning to legislative provisions:
we favor the adoption of a con-
stitutional prohibition amendment in
order that prohibition may be written
into the organic law of the State and
be recognized as n fixed policy which
the people OF Virginia do not expect
to change"
And again: I'VE insist that Congress
shall speedily pass the resolution sub
mitting to the several States the con-
stitutional amendment"
In his address. President r. H. Pitt
told OF the steps upward in the fight
from local option to Statewide pro-
hibition.
And now" he announced. "our vision
broadens to take In the whole land
And he furthermore said that 1t might
be the providence of the United States,
setting the example to the world, TO
lead the collective nations into line
with this idea. In other words. he
outlined a worldwide prohibition plan.
SURRENDER VANTAGE GROUND
GAINED AFTER MANY YEARS
1T was a hard task" said Presi-
dent Pitt. that the President OF the
United States set for the men OF the
league who had put their immortal
souls into this work when he made
the request that they desist from the
fight But 1t rebounds to their ever
lasting honor that they granted this
request. surrendering-a vantage ground
! which they had gained after hard years
Of struggle"
THE objective of the Mapp law" he
continued. lis not the enactment Of a
State wide law. Our main purpose now
as always is educative, and the present
position of the State is vantage
ground for this great movement"
The officers OF the league were con-
tinued in ONCE by unanimous vote, the
nominating committees report being
read by DR.. r. H. Bennett. Of Atlanta
These include president. Rev. r. n.
Pitt. D. D.. of Richmond: secretary.
Rev. John a. Taylor, of Roanoke; treas
urer, S. j. Jones. of Richmond.
Among the speakers was State Sen
ator Walter G. Mapp, who told Of the
passage Of the Mapp act and OF what
has been accomplished under 1t. He
recognized. however. that it is not per-
feet and urged several amendments
Prohibition Commissioner Peters also
spoke. telling of the activities of his
department and of tho reduction OF ar
rests not only for drunkenness. but
for other crimes. He gave figures to
show great decreases In the mum Der
Of inmates OF the jails and the peni-
tentiary.