The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-04-04

fic.
II Mr. Bryan on Prohibition.
This brings US down TO Nr. Bryan.
1 the president of the new Dry federa-
ton. We were glad to have Mr.. Bryan
come out and espouse the cause or
prohibition, even though he was as
late in connecting himself up with
this great moral movement as he was
in taking the American side of our
controversy with Germany. He was
even worse than q pacifist on prohibi-
:. ton, for It has been only little over
I four years since Mr. Bryan stumped
| the state of Maryland and threw the
entire weight Of his influence in be-
/ half Of the election as United States
/ senator of a man who was backed by
/ the unspeaka bic liquor ring of Baltt-
more city in return for services he had
rendered that ring in betraying the
] temperanNe forces and blocking the
/ passage of local option law in that
state, after we had the fight already
won--a man who has since been
repudiated by the people of Maryland
as soon as they got at him on his
merits without interference from
! Washington.
He Cannot Use Anti-Saloon League
tn Boost Himself.
We do not know why Mr.. Bryan
saw 1T to accept the presidency of
this Dry federation after he had as
sured the Anti Saloon league that he
would not do so unless the league and
! tho ". c. T. L. were part of It. Wheth-
err his action is due to previous
promise made on the assumption that
he could personally deliver the Anti
Saloon league into this federation and
which ne had to keep even though he
failed TO handle the league, or wheth-
err II Is solely due to the fact that he
found that il was impossible even for
| him to swerve the Anti-Saloon leagu
| from It's inf1exible adherence to nom
partisanship. and impossible 10 use It
to advance his political fortunes in
another try for the presidency on the
prohibition issue, we do not presume
| to say.
However, while the And-Saloou
league will hail with JOY any service
that Mr.. Bryan may be willing to rem
der Is n late-comer in the prohibition
ranks. She league viii not allow him
or any other man to utilize it's stand
| ing and the confidence reposed in It
by 1ts constituency, to further any
personal political ambition
The best evidence that we have no
personal feeling against Mr.. Bryan
IS found in the fact that he was one
OF the speakers at the great New
\ ork prea cheers meeting under the
auspices Of the Anti Saloon league on
the last Monday in January and also
was by arrangement of the league
the main speaker at the hearing In
favor Of ratification at Albany on Feb
lruary %, and that the Anti Saloon
league also made the arrangements
for Mr. Bryan TO speak at other
places IN New York on his way to
Canada.
As an eloquent speaker in behalf
of the prohibition movement, a man
who can bring out n crowd and who |
can persuade and convince n great
many members of that crowd. Mr. |
Bryan is a most highly desirable ad- |
dftton to the temperance ranks.
But as a leader. as a supposed |
strategist, as a general, as one charged |
with responsibility for planning, Mr. /
Bryan is frankly a Joke so far az the /
prohibition movement is concerned. (
Real Purpose Behind New So-CalIed
Federation.
In our Judgment the purpose be |
hind the new Dry federation is two |
foldx % TO help Professor Seaman /
and a few others like him TO strike |
at the Anti Saloon league because it /
has been inconsiderate enough to sue I
coed in srite of them: and (2) to get |
some kind of 4 national prohibition !
organization behind Mr.. Bryan in !
ample time before 1920
Mr., Bryan did not have time 70 |
come back TO help in the dry city |
fights. but he found time to come Il at |
Sunday TO Rochester to mix into a |
situation with political possibilities
and complications, Enough said II
is announced that this new fedora
ton Is to cover New York where, by
the way. the Republican party Is in
danger or ultimately putting over rati- |
fcation nv itself II omebody doesn't |
hurry and stick an oar in
Unless we very greatly mistake the
Intelligence IF the prohibition sup
porters in The state of New York they
are not going 10 stop real business in
order to make room for a concern
that was not called into being until
after the fight was practically won, |
and which is open to the suspicion
that attach to this new concern.
We would not be discharging our
duty to our constituency II we aid
not give the facts fairly and frankly. |
Mr., Anderson supplen ented the ar
tirle by the following statement:
There are a number OF reasons |
Fhy this new so-calIed Dry fedora ton |
cannot lead the fight. Passing over
entirely the question OF motive, and !,
the IA ct that the inspiration of this |
To~called Dry federation was in sore
hesdedness." and also ignoring the |
time required to build any new or
gsuization into practical effectiveness |
the fundamental reason is that the |
liquor traffic has not been killed thus |
far, and cannot be put entirely out OF |
business by any partisan movement. |
"Tt Is partisan prohihitionists who |
have fought the Anti-Saloon league |
because OF It's omni- partisanship who |
are the sponsors for the main pillars |
Of this new so-called Dry Federation. |
And no man known throughout the |
country partisan mo matter what /
the partly and as an offce-seeker, can |
hope to lead the movement which de-
stroys the liquor traffic No matter
how pure his motives, 1t becomes
necessary to prove his dlsinterested-
ness. and this Is a handicap which |
no prohibition movement can afford |
to carry II 1t hopes TO be successful
THE Anti Saloon league has rigidly |
followed the policy OF not allowing |
any of it's staff workers to run for or
accept ONCE, and in the very few
cases where men holding minor po.
SitIonS in state leagues have done az