The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-02-27

what We could get. We had our laws
prohibiting the saloons in the country
uistricts. and then we had our laws
prohibiting the saloons In our small
villages ana towns; and then We took
the other step and swept them out
OF our. cities: and now for ninety days
In virginia we have had no liquor
trafflc. and the wettest newspapers in
the state, the Richmond and Norfolk
daiiies, and the Petersburg dailies
nave been Obliged to admit in their
editorial columns that Virginia will
never turn back. but that all must
admit that prohibition has been a
great success. not only morally but
economically.
Now. we believe in that policy here
in the District. We do not ask for
everything at one time. We say close
the saloon. IT Is public nuisance.
1t Is OF no profit. 1t is a great dam.
age to every citizen who comes under
Its influence.
And We feel that We have some
right In the matter. 1t is our capital.
The southern senator's, the Southern
representatives, come here and live
/ Thousands of our young people, and
older people, are here as employees Of
the government and connected with
the work here. Thousands more
travel here for public business. We
do not want them subjected to the
public annoyance Of the saloon. We
! think II ought to be closed. The state
or Virginia. right across the border.
has many. many citizens doing bust
ness In this District They would have
no votes, but they turn to congress
for relief. and congress must give the
relief II we have any.
Gentlemen, We say that II this
house of representatives Is repre-
sentative body of the nation. 1t stands
here to put into execution the will
of the people they represent, and we
have in our Office letters, telegram<,
petitions, from all over this country.
from the prohibition people, who state
that they think that they have rights
in the government of this District
which cannot be ignored. and they con-
ffdently expect their representatives,
here in congress to represent them
and although there may be 500, 900
people In this District. yet there are
100000 people In Virginia; there are
100000 people in North Carolina.
and all through our states there are
not only few hundred thousands. but
millions OF people, who turn to the
government and say: 1t is our capital,
and the law in our capital ought to
conform itself to the law in which we
believe
I'm the brief time / have, I am not
going to take up the discussion OF the
law as It stands happened to assist
in framing very largely the pr7hoi
ton law for Virginia. and have had
much to do with the framing OF pro
hibition laws IN several states IT Il
very easy to pick faws--sutall flaws
in law. It is very easy to becloud
the situation In that way. But this
bill which you have before you Is the
result Of the careful work and study
Of experienced prohibition workers
who have studied the laws In all the
other states and have tried to adjust
this law to special conditions obtain
Ing in this District, and the possibili.
ty that somebody may be oppressed by
some section of the law always exists
in any law, but We are obliged to
pass n law which will do the greatest
amount of good and we who have
had experience with the liquor traffic
know that there is no traffic in the
world that is more on the alert to find
loopholes in n law ana opportunities
for evasion: and after we have made
1t as tight as we can, even then the
ingenuity Of their attorneys the very
| brightest minds that can be secured
IN this country, the attorneys for the
liquor traffic, II you leave a loophole
| will find way through"