The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-30

ton wide prohibition for the period
of the war Is absolutely essential in
the opinion of the National Coal as
ISOLATION representing bituminous coal
operators, with an annual production
! of nearly 1000. 900 tons
| These coal operators are "unscru-
pulous persons" according to Mr.
| cambridge Colby.
| The board OF bishops of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church, the largest
Protestant denomination in America
/ Is urging the passage of nation wide
prohibition. They are ''unscrupulous
persons according to Mr.. cambridge
Colby. The general conference of the
Methodist Episcopal church, South. in
session at Atlanta last May, by q
unanimous rising vote asked for war
time nation wide prohibition. These
are some. more of Mr.. Colby's "un-
scrurulous persons" The Southern
Baptist convention, in session at Hot
1 Springs. also passed similar resolu-
lions They also come in the class
or Mr. Colby's some INSCRIPTIONS
persons" The federal council of
churches of Christ in America, rep
resenting thirty-two Protestant de-
nominations, has demanded wartime
prohibiuon--another bunch OF "un-
scrupulous persons"
But the utterances OF none OF these
persons would have disturbed Mr.
Colby very seriously. The thing that
distnrhs Mr. Colby Is that the senate
committee on agriculture, after hear
ing him express and then a week later
rciterate his opinion" by a vote of
practically two to one, recommended
to the senate the passage of the amend
ment for wartime nationwide prohi-
oition of the manufacture and sale of
all KINDS or into&icantS, including both
wine and beer. and when the presid-
ing officer of the senate ruled the
amendment out, as not properly be-
fore the senate for consideration. the
senate actually overruled the decision
of the presiding officer!-"more I'M
scrupulous persons"
The fact that dsturbs Mr. Colby
and that causes him to take an on
portunity to vent his discourteou
SANDERS is that his ''unecrupulous"
attack upon the prohibition amend
ment produced no effect upon the sen
ate committee or the senate itself. but
simply brought to the witness stand
men like Secretary Daniels. w. j.
Bryan, s. S. kresge and others TO
support the value of prohibition as
a stimulus and a help to all bust
ness-except the liquor traffic
Nhen man takes advantage of an
invitation to deliver an address in a
prohibition state, in which state the
managers of four shipyards have testi-
ned that Mr.. Colby's opinion" con-
corning the necessity for beer to in
crease shipbuilding. was directly CON
trary to the facts and when a man
denounces as "unscrupulous persons
the great body of college presidents.
professors. bishops, clergymen. and
leading men in every kind of bust
nesS--when a man does that, he Is not
SIMPLY discourteous person, but he
1s himself an 'unscrupulous" person
, so carried away with his personal
pique at the rejection of his "opin-
ions to be willing to take advantage
of an invitation to speak upon Pa.
troitism, to make an attack upon those
who had defeated him In a fair hear
: ing before a representative commit
tee. knowing full well that Virginia
courtesy would protect him from the
rebuke which his discourteous sian.
ders so richly merited.
- Mr.. Colby is too small a man &c
:, address representative body of vir.
ginians. and after the miserable spec.
tacle he made of himself before the
senate committee, he should never
! have been invited to do So But IL he
was invited by the mayor of Rich.