The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-04-13
LEEDY, ET Ais.

Euitir richmond vitginian:
IN your issue OF the 9th there APP
pears a very full account of the ad-
aress on Mr.. Leedt, who Is a candi-
GATE tor congress in opposition to Mr..
harrison, present incumbent Mr.
beedy makes 1t very clear that ne II
making his fight principally on his
views In advocacy OF permitting the
manufacture and sale OF light vines
| beer and alcoholic cider.
Know neither of thesN gentlemen
and have no special interest in the
candidacy OF either. but do HAYS
= great interest In the proposal OF Mr..
Leedy and others who ara co opera :
! ting with him throughout this state
in breaking down our prob ibition laws
as they now stand
II had been hoped By the prohibi-
ton people, now that ths state hat
declared itself 30 strongly for effec-
tive prohibition and that the natton
had adopted tho eighteenth amend
fnent. that fl1is question would ~
allowed to rest ~ political au6sttcf, !.
but IT In clear now that this cannot
be done and that wet peopie hnye
thrown down the gauntlet ana are In
Wiling another contest over this mat.
ter.
/ Prohibition people know fun we'll
that Mr. Leedy represents, prohibition
Will In short time BIO wiped out:
but IL 1t gets no worse than tfle manu-
Gaeture and sale OF winA- beer ana
alcoholic cider. those of IN who have
had experience with them and will
talk frankly will tell you that they
are capable OF great harm; that the
moral tone Of man Is lowered who
INDUCES in them; that he II not SO
capable OF putting up resistance
against evil and his efficiency Is lor :
cred; that he Is not the safe man un-
der their influence as the same man is
who does not indulge.
Under the present conditions we
have made It easier to do right. Are
we going 10 undo what we have done
for the benefit Of mankind ana eat /, =,
temptation again?
The advocate Of the iaee of beer
wine etc, backs his arkument bv
passages In the Bible. IT la true
there are passages that indicate this,
but there "a many that warn one
against the use of strong drink. But
there are things or rules in life laid
down In the Bible which we should
attempt to live up to dc to which the
use of strong drink is i great barrier.
There are rules laid in that Bible
that Mr. Leedy refers to against la
boring on the Sabbath, against trade
on that day. / wonder II Mr.. Ieedy
practices what he breaches ana stops
his cook on that day. | wonder how
MFR. Leedy voted In the legislature
for Sunday observance
! do not know, and he may have
voted In accordance with the Bible
Instructions but / wonder
There are evils enough now pre-
stnted to our young people. even the
children, in the iicentious dance OF
the present day, the indeceneies of
the movies; the vuigArity Of the
vaudeville, the risqukness OF the stage
and In our fiction, encouraged by our
daily papers and our magazines by
the character OF the advertising per-
mitted. 1t Ia to be hoped that these
will be lessened as time passes on.
but II we use wine, beer, etc, we are
getting farther away from rigfting
those evils.
Let IFS hold to what we have gained
and minimize the evil to ourselves
in systems free from alcohol and the
faint OF alcoholized blood in our OF
spring. ~
As nation we have taken d great
stride forward for our bstterment
and have set AN example that other
nations are wisely considering as
worthy Of emulation, and who will
In time follow if we are true to the
cause.
Lct not this cry of personal liberty
and of states rights, OF which we are
~ hear O good deal In the near flu
turc. deceive us. We heard this Sd mo
cry few years back, made by the
same people who will make II In the
future; but we sat down on the APP
peal in our hadsensed way to the
handsome majority Of over thirty
thousand votes.
For this cry Of personal liberty and
states rights We must make due al
iowance TOR political intrigue and
very much to personal appetite--two
things those people are not willing to
sacrifice for the good Of the land
And you voters must remember
that many Of the cellars that were
well Stocked with liquors when the
drought WAS seen to be approaching
are now running low and their own
ers are wondering where they are to
get more from when they begin to
get thirsty for the alcohol that their
systems. fed up on that drug, de-
mand
That is at least part OF The line
up that is demanding light wines
beer and hard cider"
c. e. JONES.