The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-07-25

son for its continuance: third. the
office is paying one. |. e., for tho
I state. The annual report of the COM
missioner for year ending November
1, 1918. showed that this department.
after paying all expenses put into the
treasury of the state the sum OF $s5.-
262. The same report also shows that
the criminal expenses of the state Tor
the last dry year were $96.s35 less than
for the last wet year. And II dollar
saved is dollar made. then the de-
partment of prohibition made for the
, state from November l, 1917. to mo-
veS1ber 1.~191s, almost 100000 or 20
speak accurately s1S2.097.
Again. the office should not be abol-
/ ished because the United States by it
self Is not able to enforce the law all
over the United States. 1t Is. reported
that congress has appropriated or will
appropriate s3,500.000 for the enforce
ment OF the dry. law IAN Inadequate
amount when the magnitude of the
country and Of the problems to be met
Is considered: fifth, as matters now
stand, II person is tried and con-
Nicted OF breaking the dry law In
state court, then the fines and for
FIXTURES OF the convicted party go to
the state treasury. If this conviction
Is secured in a federal court then the
money all goes to the federal govern
ment. Now IL the office of commits
sioner Is abolished. and the enforce
ment of the law Is put In the hands OF
the federal government then all the
money which our state has been get
ting from fines and forfeitures will
&c to the treasury of the United States
Also according to the code of vir-
ginia all fines and forfeitures due to
conviction Of breaking the dry law go
to the school fund Last year as have
just pointed out the school fund of
( Virginia received over $4,000 from
that source. Now abolish the office
of prohibition commissioner and all
those fines instead of meeting the fund
for educating the children of Virginia
will go into the treasury OF the United
States
In conclusion. may I venture to sug-
Fest' what seems to use to be wise
course for all good people to pursue
at this time relative to the enforce
ment of the law
First: Let us not believe every
thing we read In the papers derogatorv
to Or. Peters and to his men Let us
remember that telling lies with intent
! 10 deceive has always been n part OF
the program of the liquor propag nda
Neither let us be too quick to believe
all we hear. Its the easiest thing
in the world for a false report to he
( started about a man or institution
and when once started II spread
! everywhere, Let us not be such easy
victims to the methods of the liquor
! folk.
Second Let us remember that Dr.
Teters and his men have a very dis
] tasteful, but very necessary task &c
Z perform, and they are thoroughly cen
/ WINGED OF its distastefulness and Of its
! necessity All that they are doing Is
10 try to carry out the VIII of the peo-
pie OF Virginia as expressed at the
poils by a majority of 10000 votes.
/ Third: II an officer Of the law want.
to insnect your baggage. let him in
spect H. II he makes mistake re-
member that all Of us. even the wisest
end best. are not infallible in our
/ Judgment
Fourth, Now is the time OF all timer
for the people OF America to stand firm
for law enforcement. The one very
disturbing factor in European. and
American life today is the desire or
( the part of thousands, yea tens and
/ hundreds of thousands of people te
I disregard all law and inaugurate ar
! ira OF lawlessness such az the Bolshe.
y Wiki have introduced in parts of Eu-
rope and have attempted to Introduce
in America, AS Americans and
+ Christians we must stand for law en-
forcement. through officers make mis-
/ takes and we be put to inconvenience
when few months ago two of our
I hravest officers in the discharge OF
/ their duty were shot down and killed
by hootieggers. the wet papers hae
little TO say about II. perhaps they
thought 1t was all right, But when in
Woodstock, Va. two of our officers In
the discharge OF their duty killed two
I armed bootleggers. chorus of con-
demnation Of the officers went up all
over the state as IL IL were small
1 thing for hootlegEers to kill brave
k.xs
kill bootleEgers.