The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-05-25
THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION
LIQUOR LAW PARTITION.
Ed. HoLToN's LETTER.

that total abstinence from intoxicating
liquors as beverage was the safest and
best for all. And for many years total
except for medicinl purposes,
has been the rule of our action And du-
ring these many years we have given
some thought TO the best means of pro-
noting the cause of temperance and
intemperance. Temperance
societies of many kinds have had trial
and, though they may have done much to-
restrain intemperance, they have failed
to remove it, Prohibition by law has
had a trial for time in some Of the
States, but the laws have failed to accom-
piish their purpose or the people have
failed to continue and sustain the laws
And to-day intempcrsnce is prevailing toI
q very great extent through the length
and breadth four country Under such
it is great question and
one worthy of due consideration: What
can be done to restrain, to remove, so
widespread an evil? And it is not I'm.
natural for those who contemplate the
evil and consider the means of removing
it to think Of the restraining influence Of
law, and to invoke its aid And It il
natural for their first efforts to be made
to carry State laws in favor Of its sup
preston. Whether intemperance can be
restrained and removed by legislation is
an open question. That it cannot be, by
State legislation, is becoming every day
more and more apparent to US. No leg
isation, in our opinion, short Of Ma
tional law, prohibiting the importation
Of Intoxicating liquors, and their manu-
facture, except perhaps for scientific
medicinal, artistic and mechanical pur.
poses, will ever remove or, to very
great extent, restrain intemperance.
The organization Of q Temperance OF
third party in this State is now being
agitated. The milwaukee Sentinel OF
! the22d INST publishes, o, letter written by
! J. D. Goodrich to E. ID. Holton Of Mil
waukee, inquiring Of him if he would
allow his name to be used by the TEN
perance party as a candidate for Govern.
or, and Mr. Holton's answer Accord
ling to Mr.. Goodrich, There will be q
Temperance ticket put in the field in this
state, and if We cannot get those we want,
VIC shall do the next best" Mr.. Holton
says that he is now, as be was two years
ago, opposed to taking distinctive polit-
ical action by temperance men, One oil
the reasons he assigns is: "That great
and consequential as was the cause OF
temperance, it was included, and bound
up, in the national life; and that if the
temperance men Of Wisconsin should act
upon that issue alone it would lose the
StatezCo the Republican party, and its
example might be instrumental in pro
ducing like consequences in other states
and even throw absolutely the National
! Government into the hands Of the Demo
cratic party. The friends of temperance
must confront this phase of the subject.
Mr. Holton, believing that the good o
the country requires the continuance o
the Republican party IN the ascendancy
and being in favor Of the reelection O
General Grant, is not in favor of organ
izing temperance party. Besides, the
Governor is temperance man, and MI
Holton thinks that the last Legislature
if properly approached on the subject
would have passed any law likely to b,
successful in restraining intemperance.
Mr.. Holton continues: Again. I stand
for the continuance of the Republican
party, not that I think its Theoretical
political principles are so much better
than those of the Democratic party. On
the contrary, upon the questions Of free
trade and state rights find myself thee
retically more with the Democrat than
with the Republican party. But here is
the difficulty. What has become of that
old system and association of the Demo.
cratic party with the slave holders and
rebels of the South? Where is that
shameful history of apology for the
South, and non-support of the govern
ment during the war? And now is there
not positive proof of its utilization with
the present dismal and most horrible Ku-
klux association It is no time for the
dis;ntigration of the Republican party,
but, on the contrary every true man must
stand firmly to his post, and for its sup
port.
Mr.. Holton's reasons for the support
Of the Ran1hlican ma rtu ora sound nnd