The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-04-10

hdu heeh working on this case in CO.
operation with Hon. Fred Blue. pro-
hteition commissioner of West viz
GINA. FOR two years. On January 3,
the United States senate passed the
District prohibition bill; on January
ii the measure to take liquor advertise
ments out of the United States mails
destined to dry" states prohibiting
such advertiserp ents passed the SEN
ate by an overwhelming ma jority. 1t
went over to the house and had been
pending in the house committee on
postoflces and post roads when the
senate suspended its rules upon the
motion of Senator Jones, who had been
leading the fight for this amendment
since last June, In which he was sec
onded by written appeal made by
the league officials, February is. 1917.
ana added 1t TO the postof7ice appror
priation bill
Senator Reed, recognized leader
81 the vets, proposed the so-called
"bone-dry' amendment No dry work
er had any part In its introduction
It originally consisted OF two parts
the first of which was finally adopted,
and the second part which was de-
feated, prohibited drink or use of
hanor imported into the states
In addition TO the support given ny
many dry senator's. n number OF other
senator's who almost Invariably oppose
temperance propositions voted for the
FIRST part Of the amendment offered
by Senator Reed
This division of support also OBJ
tanned largely in the house vote. The
dry senators and representatives and
temperance wor&ers thought the fed
erai government should not force a
higher standard of prohibition upon
states than the states themselves had
thought wise TO enact or until amend
ment to the constitution could be sub
m!tted and all the = ates could pass
upon 1t. the league could do moth
ing else than give the facts to its
friends in the house and appeal to
them TO save the nti-liquor advertis-
ing act at all hazards In short. the
"bone-erE act was started by the
vets, changed or perfected by the drys
and adopted By tho votes OF senators
and represcnt@ ives who favored pro-
hihition legislation as well as the votes
81 others who come from brewing cen
ters and generally line up against pro
hibi'ton measures Party lines as we'll
as wet" and dry lines were COM
plotply broken in the senate and house
votes on tho so-Cailed bone dry"
amendment The passage Of this act
is simply an illustration Of how God
may make the wrath Of man to praise
Him.
The District prohibition hill would
never have reached a vote in the house
had It not been for special prepara-
tory WORK done by the officers OF the
Anti loon league. the W. c. T. L.
and allied organizations over a year
GO, In fact. all Of these legislative
victories are Won not in Il week or
month. but by systematic organized
effort reaching back sometimes sew
eral years in the past Legislation In
congress would be an impossibility
but for The hard work done by the
league and allied organizations which
co-onerated in It's plans Back of il
and IN the end responsible for this
organized effort is the support and
ha cking of the churches Themselves
How the People Were Informed and
Aroused.
{ Knowing how difficult II would he
10 get the attention of congress for
prohibition legislation in the closing
days Of the session. with the war
clouds lowering. the An.i- Saloon
League Of America on February
sent ESQ 900 letters under two-cent
stamps % dry ~aders in the United
States asking them 10 send petitions
kilograms and letters, urging congress
to take Immediate favorab BILE action
on the PRINCIPAL measures then pend
F'G IN aTG)ftOn to THIS the state
lea %ues themselves sent out about as
many more Every edition Of the
American Issue. srdte and national,
kept the appeal before the people
every week for Immediate action
THROUGH the nnhlicity department OF
the league millions of people were
sohed through friendly daily and
weekly papers. The liquor crowd
seem To have no doubt IN their minds
rs tn who is responsible for their
defeat.
Occasionally a shifty politician a
radical or d new convert 10 the cause
becomes greatly disturbed because
the league is not going fast enough.
Slowly but persistent'y and success
fully during the past twenty four
voars the league has built the organ
ization and wrought out and vital7ed
THE methods which have been applied
to educate the sentiment and crvs-
ta''i7e 1t into advancing prohibition
legislation. The league will move
forward just as randy as the moral
forces of the United States and its
I