The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-03-15


noke, Bedford City, Danville, Lynch
burg, Chatham. Crave and Black
stone on the subject OF prohibition.
And at no place was l treated as
an outsider but as. d citizen OF Viz
ginia.
/ fatty deny the statement that I
am the bishop Of Texas in the sense
| indicated in your paper or that 1 am
an outside lobbyist" | am citizen
my official responsibility az cnairma n
of the commissions named above If
was not interested in prohibition
and matters ell over the country, cs-
pecially in my own state.
Third: l did not make long
journey to throw my support to the
commissioner" At special iaectinG
church held at Nashville February
IS joined in proposing a resolution
to appropriate 100000 of century
funds for European reconstruction
work. with special reference TO
starving Poland. This resolution was
thereby adopted and February
IS was appointed by the board as
once to Poland to investigate condi-
tons and to make recommendations
for expenditure of funds.
February 81 left Nashville, wherr
my family are passing the winter
| mot in Texasl, to obtain my passport
and make definite arrangements,
and promised the leaders of the In
/ terchurch Movement that / would
preside at the Methodist drnomina
tional meeting in Richmond Wednes-
day morning. March 8 l found it
, impossible to make passports and
! sailing arrangements by that time
| and called UP the league office IN
| Richmond to notify DIR. Cram that L
could not get there in time for the
! meeting, but that / would be there
later, as the law requires receipt
! taxes had been arranged for before
sailing for Europe. and had bust
ness matters to arrange before sail
/ ing ! then learned for the first
/ time that the caucus would be held
Thursday night
l fatty deny that l made trip TO
| Richmond to say nothing of a long
trip" for the purpose OF throwing
my support to the commissioner l
/ had planned to be in Richmond
Wednesday before / heard Of the
| caucus. to attend to personal and
, offici~i business. necessitated by my
! European trip.
TRIP TO EUROPE
Furthermore, the statement on
your front page. under black head
| line, that his (my) departure Tor
Europe) at this time is deemed ex-
pedient in the interest of party har-
mony' is as absurd a statement as
/ l have ever seen in print. 1t had
Rbeen arranged weeks ago that
would go to Europe this spring in my
capacity of chairman of the execu-
tive committee of the World League
against Alcoholism TO assist in ar
ranging for the world conference tc
be held in Scotland, and to respond tc
an invitation to preach in Londof
April Is under the auspices of the
Interna tional Woman's Christian
Temperance Union. The appoint
ment by the mission board as chair
man of Polish relief work neccssi-
tated my departure at least two
!, weeks earlier than arranged for be
cause of the urgent need of the Pol
. ish people. But the imaginations o
, The journal reporter now present &
fantastic idea, that my trip to Europe
. which had been, by his own state
ment, publicly known weeks ago.
! and which had been fastened by The
: actions of the board of missions il
! being taken at this time because il
is deemed expedient in the interes
of party harmony" The reporter
| does not enlighten us in the interest
VI pal joi uotN Lac lsIi dS VIVA
party has issued the orders which
have sent Methodist bishop out OF
the country What nonsense, 1t il
not conceivable that the editor OF
Tho Journal saw and approved sucf
crude. absurd stuff before it wa
published. but 1t should have beer
publicly repudiated
But 1 think it would be inconeeiv
able to the people of Virginia that
should not be interested in the selee
ton by the Democratic caucus OF tn,
nominee for commissioner of prohibi
ton. Certainly. was interested VIVA
citizen of the state had more natura
interest in that question? i had giver
thought, time and money to the ad
vsncement of prohibition in Virgins
, and not for salary. but for the pro
lection and uplift and betterment o
the children of Virginia, AS a either
OF the state ! had q right to a vsi"'
in the selection of that nominee. ant
I endeavorcd to exercise that rigat
Any statement. by whomsoever made
THAT in nearly twenty years of activ,
work for prohibition legislation il
the general assembly of Virginia I eve
used any improper means to influence
legislation is absolutely false. Thu
reference in your paper to me as "th'
former boss OF the house" il IT implies
that I ever tried to do more than tina
to obtain the passage of moral lcgisla