The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1873-08-14
VOL. 20.
THE REER QUESTION.

cons undertakings, the grand State Con
vention of the Brewers as well as the so
called American constitutional Union
Convention Gf they had called it Afff
Anaey5eoa they would have hit it,, have
ended in Foam, FizZle, a Farce. Noi
! only that the great majority OF the brew
ers of the State did not come, but the
vast number of delegates to the Union
Conyentiol, which was relied On in con-
| sequence of the tremendous preparatory
p! efforts OF the anti-temperance men
| throughout the State, amounted IN reai-
| ty To only 296 outeide OF Milwaukee and
including the Brewer delegates who stay
| ed over from their meeting on the day
previous The manufacturers, the ven
ders and the consumers of intoxicating
drinks at the latter convention We're all
gobhled up by the Democratic wire-pul-
lers in the vain hope of obtaining some
new vigor to reanimate their decaying
organization Messrs. Deuster and Shpf-
fer, the old German Democratic wheel
ly for the sake of appearance appointed
Konrad I<rez, who became a Liberal
Democrat last fall through the promise
of an Office, the President and some other
office-seekers for Vice Presidents and
Secretaries
Hon. F. W. Cotzhausen, the three
thousand dollar attorney OF the Brewers
and Saloon keepers Union and also Dem
ocratic candidate for Congress, presented
the platform and resolutions.
The first artiele of the platform con-
tains only generalities yet We leave it to
their constituents TO judge whether the
authors did not stab themselves when
they said ''we deem integrity of charac-
ter and general fitness of candidates for
Office TO lie considerations higher than
party dictates" The I'd article lets the
cat ont of the bag, for it is solely for the
while the Democratic party, which
is now in the last throes of death on ac-
count of it's political sins in rebellion,
corrupt administrations and unparalleled
robbery and swindling, is not mentioned
at all. Still the rest of the platform
seems to be copied from some Repubh-
can Newspaper, for we are ready TO en-
dorse it cheerfully; the only trouble we
find is to convince ourselves Of the eff
cheney of the remedy proposed by that
august convention against the evils they
claim to be suffering under. For while
these reformers ''deeply deplore the evils
of habitual and excessive drinking, as
well as intemperate habits and excess in
any other mode of life' the whole object
abolish the holiday set apart especially
for moral instruction, and to eradicate
every restraint that now exists to keep
men sober and prevent drunkarls from
obtaining the insidious cause of their
mental and physical ruin.
The Milwaukee Wisconsin of the 11th,
inst, in an article on the S'Constitional-
lists and Law" says very truthfully and
pointedly: ''This kind of proceeding
viii not tend to make converts to the pc
culiar views OF the Constitutional Un-
ionists,' but rather convince thoughtful
people that, so far from being up
holders of law and order, they intend to
defy, law when it does not coincide with
their views. As the constitution conten-
plates that all good citizens will obey
laws, whether good or bad, until they
are repealed in constitutional manner,
we submit that the liquor men have small
right to the namc of Constitutional IN
ion for their organization. They have a
right to their views, but if their views
| are contrary to existing laws they have
no right to demand that those laws shall
be ignored and to deEounce officials Tor
enforcing those laws, or citizens for in
sisting that those laws shall be enforced
is not only species of intolerance far
more offensive than any of which they
can complain, but it is an exhibition
of lawlessness of which any good citizen
ought to be ashamed.
| This whole question of an enforced
observance of Sunday resolves itself into
this, that the laws prohibiting unneces-
sary work, public amusements and open
saloons on Sunday were placed upon the
statute books by those who thought that
! they were calculated to promote the true
Welfare of society, and like any other
laws they ought to be enforcee.. so long
as they exist, If those who do not be-
heve that such laws are right or benef-
claI can not conver6 the majority of the
people to their views on the question and
thus secure the repeal OF the laws, then
they should eheerfully submit obedience
to them. This is a government of the
majority, and the moment a minority de-
mands thatlaws should be ignored in their
| behalf which the majority refuse to re-
| peal, they strike at the main principle in
our civil policy, and deserve the name of
reyolutionists. A man who can not yield
obedience to law has no business to claim
citizenship under this government. -
From the Milwaukee Sentinel.
/ The mighty host of brewers, liquor
/ dealers, turner's, saarp-shooters Catholic
! association leaders, free-thinkers, free
/ singers, and free-lovers of lager assem-
! bled at the Academy of Music yesterday
/ forenoon 10 consumate an American Con
stitutional Union. whose grand precepts
/ would rayolutiQni2e the world, and be
+ heraided from generation 10 generation
with the name of the glorious body from
which they cmanated.
The IIerold. Seebote and Banner had
inflated the anticipations of their readers
by high fown editorials of a general
movement of the Germans of the State.
Thousands were expected. but only sew
eral hundred appeared, and in spite of the
inviting strains of a brass band that had
been engaged for the occasion, there
were no more coming Father Abraham
RETROSPECTIVE
The failure of the Convention is not
subject of wonder among those acqua;nt
ed with its inception. Early in Spring
Immediately before the charter election
several of the leading liquor dealers O
the Personal Liberty League were haunt
ed by q grave suspicion that their candi