The Ohio organ, of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, [Ohio]) 1853-1854, 1853-12-09
'IT Va Fhsg Rosalt,H III u i

AS our reaueIS knoWl wv tNSN
the late election in Ohio, is Leglsla- II
ture opposed, BY a large majority, to
ANYTHING ike the Maine Law This,
to many good friends Of Temperance, Il
we have no doubt, was unexpected.
If, however, we take into consideras
ton the peculiar circumstances under
which the question Of legal prOhibi-
ton came before the people Of this
State, we think the result which fol-
lowed the recent campaign should not
have been unlocked for. We have
been battling giant, ofwhose strength
we have not had an adequate concep-
ton. Men of wealth and influence
are identified with the manufacture Of
and traffic in intoxicating liquors.
Millions of dollars are invested in the
business, and avarice and appetite
unite to sustain it. Against such an
enemy, how could temperance men
expect, undisciplined as they are in
this kind Of warfare, to carry every
thing before them in the very first en-
gagement. 1t seems to us little less
than presumption. Indeed, we may
rejoice that We have succeede d as well
as we have. The result furnishes us
great ground Of encouragement. 1t
has demonstrated the fact that ma
iority of the people of Ohio desire
that the liquor traffic should come to
an end. Many men who Would have
voted for the law, could the question
have been presented untrameled by
party politics, voted with their party
against it, while no one really unfavor-
able to prohibitory statute deserted
his principles in this respect for the
sake of his party predictions. Again,
we believe that all the Free Soil con-
ventions have passed resolutions in
favor of the Maine Law, making it a
plank in their platforms. 1t is fair,
then, to count the Free Soil vote on
the side of the law. In almost every
county in the State there were two
Maine Law candidates in the field,
and had the votes received by the two
been united upon one, the result would
have been, in a majority of cases, the
election of men in favor Of the law.
In this county, for instance, the Free
Soil vote, had it been cast for Mr..
Ford, would have secured his cleo
ton. We do not make these remarks
in any spirit of fault-fnding. For
aught we have now to say, the Free
Sellers of this and other counties have,
by the course they have pursued, Sc
cured results immeasurably more i'm
portant that thesweepiLg Of the liquor
traffic and its attendant evils from our
State of this, let them judge. We
only refer to this matter in proof of
the assertion that the result of the
election shows a majority of Maine
Law men in Ohio, and that could they
have been united, our triumph would
have been complete, so far as the pas
sage of a prohibitory law is con-
cerned.
Nor are we to suppose that what we
have achieved in this campaign will
be of no avail for the time to come.
What we have accomplished is neces-
sary to make for future operations and
future success. This was the first
time that the people Of this Sta.e had
been called upon to vote on this ques-
ton. No wonder there should be
some nervous shrinking. But the ice
is broken now, and this can no longer
be regarded as a new issue. Again,
this campaign has mapped out the
work for temperance men. They now
know just where their labors are
needed, and will be able to give a
more judicious direction to them than
heretofore. In many respects will we
derive profit from the late contest.
The difficulties we have to encounter
in obtaining the desired law will but
serve to give it more value when we
get it-they will strengthen our hearts