The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-02-09

our cities, and now for ninety days
in Virginia we have had no liquor
traffic. and the wettest newspapers In
the state, the Richmond, Norfolk and
, Petersburg dailies, have been obliged
to admit in their editorial columns
that Virginia will never turn back,
but that all must admit that prohibit
ton has been a great success, not only
morally but economically.
"CL,OSE THE SALOON"
SAYS DIR. CANNON
Now, we believe in that policy
here in the District. We do not ask
for everything at one time. We say,
close the saloon. 1t is public nuis-
ance 1t is OF no profit. 1t is "a great
damage to every citizen who comes
under its influence
| And we feel that we have some
rights in the matter. 1t is our capital
! The Southern senators. the Southern
| representatives, come here and live.
Thousands of our young people. and
older people, are here as employees OF
/ this government and connected with
the work here. Thousands more
travel here for public business. We
| do Not want them subjected to the
public annoyance and menace of the
saloon. We think II ought to he
closed The state of Virginia. right
/ across I1le bpI utI. IloS MANY h'oiiJ
citizens doing business in this Dis
| trict They would have no votes
| here. but they turn to congress for
relief. and congress must give the
relief. If we have any.
HOUSE MUST ACT FAVORABLY
IL REPRESENTS PUBLIC WILL
| Gentlemen. we say that If this
| house of representatives is a repre-
| sentative hody of the nation that it
| stands here to put into execution the
! will Of the people they represent. and
we have in our office letters. tele-
grams. petitions from all over this
country, from the prohibition peo-
pie. who state that they think that
they have rights in the government
| of this District which cannot be ig-
| nored, and they confidently expect
| their representatives here In con-
| gress to represent them and al
| though there may be 100000 people
| In this District, yet there are c,000.-
GOO people in Virginia. there are
.. 900. 900 people in North Carolina
and all through our states there are
not only a few hundred thousands,
but millions of people who turn to
I the government ana say, TT 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 I have I am not
going to take up the discussion of
| the law as il stands. 1t happened to
assisi in framing the prohibition law
! for Virginia and have had much to
do with the framing of prohibition
/ laws In several states. 1t is very easy
to pick flaws. small flaws, IN law.
| It il very easy to becloud the situa
! ton in that way. But this bill which
| YOU have before you is the result
/ of the careful work and study of en-
/ perienCed prohibition work ors, who
have studied the laws in all the other
states, and have tried to adjust this
! law to special conditions obtaining
/ in THE District and the possibility
: that somebody may be oppressed by
some section of the law always exists
. in any law. but we are obliged to pass
a law which will do tho greatest
amount OF good, and we who have
/ had experience with the liquor traf-
/ fie know that there is no traffic In
! the world that is more on the alert
to find loopholes in a law and oppor-
! tunities for evasion. and after we
have made il as tight as we can. even
then the ingenuity OF their attorneys
tthe very brightest minds that can
be secured in this country, the at
torneys for the liquor traffic II YOU
leave - loophoie will find a way 10
yet through