Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 39, Number 112, 21 March 1914 — Page 3

FAGETHBES EMEW IF TME Willi Bias FirtMlliincsd FaMs aumcffl Win Has IPffMnncM Ffeflfam

THE RICHMOND PALLADIUM AND SUN-TELEGRAM, SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 1914

CAMPM(SRJ

When the "Citizens' Committee", which still remains anonymous, began this campaign they hoisted the motto "Vote Dry and Boom Richmond" at the head of their advertising and they printed columns of "private" letters from "dry" cities to prove that "dry" cities are better for business than 'wet" ones. We met them on that issue. We showed where tax rates went up in "dry" towns, where business houses were emptied and remained empty. We showed what an economic loss to Richmond voting "dry" would mean. Last night they raised the white flag and said this is not a business issue, that the question of higher taxes and empty buildings are "scarecrows, nightmares and subterfuges invented to obscure the issue". When the campaign began and for weeks before the agitators of the AntiSaloon League poured a torrent of villification upon the saloon men of Richmond,

calling them murderers, thieves, thugs, licensed burglars, enemies of society, a menace to the community, and law violators. That issue was met by asserting the saloon keepers of this city are law-abiding both as individuals and proprietors. Immediately the "Citizens' Committee asked If we were willing to stake our case upon the "absence from Richmond's saloons of wine rooms, houses -of assignation, selling out of hours, false returns as to taxes and evasion of the law as to brewery owned saloons." The public Is aware that we agreed to do so, and twice called upon this "Citizens' Committee" to produce the affidavits which It claimed a week ago to have. Yesterday they produced their "proof. It exposed them to the contempt of this community. It plainly showed who has been guilty of unrestrained lying in this campaign. It plainly showed who has been dealing in fiction.

Asked to Produce Affidavits Which a Week Ago They Claimed They Already Had, They Couldn't Produce One. More Correctly Speaking, They Couldn't Print One. They produced the Affidavit of a

E

y W33i wne Me 'Saw WmniHm

MMdl

BffSmMimcgj finn tffite Ssiflnn fi a eadl Mama? It was so palpably false that no respectable newspaper would print it. They didn't name a single brewery owned saloon. They merely stated the same men who own Minck's Brewery own other real estate, some of which is rented by saloons. Is it a crime to own real estate in Richmond? Don't other real estate owners rent to saloons? Is that a crime? They didn't name a single saloon keeper who violates any law. ' They didn't name a single saloon keeper who is even remotely connected with an assignation house.

What do the voters of Richmond think of a gang of men who hide behind an anonymous name and make such charges, dare saloon proorietors to stake their case on the issue of being law abiding, and then when called upon to produce the proof, which they themselves said they had, get caught in such a miserable, contemptible lie. In what light does that place the rest of their so-called "proof"? In what light does that place all of their argument? They said last week they had the affidavits: Then where are they? When this campaign began we said it was going to be based on "facts not fiction" insofar as we were concerned. When we called upon this anonymous "Citizens' Commit

tee" for facts, for affidavits, this is their whine in Thursday's paper. "Gordon is afraid to leave the matter where it started, as an election discussion, but wants evidence for the courts." In other words I am afraid because I want facts that will stand the acid test, instead of fiction for election discussion. I am a coward because I insist the "drys" live up to their word. I am a poltroon because I demand the truth. I am a knave and a liar because I demand members of the "Citizens' Committee daddy their own children and come out in the open and attach their real names to any criminal charges they make.

No wonder after their miserable failure to make good on their own proposition do they weep and waii In their ad. last night that "Whether the saloons are obeying the law or notl has nothing to do with this election." And only a short seven days ago they wanted to know il we would stake our entire case upon that issue.

So that's Two Issues the "Citizens' Committee" representing the "drys" have made and then abandoned, when they got caught with their fingers in the buzz saw the issue of "Vote Dry and Boom Richmond" and the issue of Richmond's law abiding saloons. We wouldn't call that a "Hell of a Parade"! It's more like a retreat, a rout, a panic! Looking back over the two weeks, what is your opinion of the fight, Mr. Voter? Who has produced the facts and backed them up; Who has been whipped out of every

position they took and had every argument they advanced literally kicked to pieces by themselves? We have produced facts from government records, the office of the state statistician, the books of the Internal revenue office. We have produced the records ol the Richmond city court and the Wayne circuit court. They have answered them how? By "private" letters written at their own request, maybe by some one in their own office. They have answered them by yelling "liar". They have not discussed the merits of this issue because they were so busy denouncing me.

They haven't explained why "dry" territory increased the sale of whiskey by over 40,000,000 gallons in four years. They haven't explained why all large, prosperous cities are wet. They haven't explained how throwing 250 men on the labor market is to benefit the city. They haven't even attempted to deny that losing the $14,000 revenue would mean an increase in taxes. They haven't denied that vacating 56 business rooms would depreciate property and injure the city's business. Ett Hag Beeiro si Caumpalgn oil Facte epoe umr pan8! amdl oil Mystteria anudl Unsiappofffedl Ficflfioin om fflhKsnF pairtto