, 1873-11-06
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: THURSDAY NOVEMBER g. 1873

lily SAkkSJl1NTNJ OA
=
likely I'd happon without tho agoucy Of anybod,
In particular. Tho financial crisln will Tilt, 1T
coulter inexorably through rotton political pnr
tios, and It bohoovoa ovory man in public ltf
WHO thinkoth le alnntloth to tako heed lost lt
fall.
| eE[[.ee-e...@1---.--..
THE SUNDAY QUESTION In CITY POLITICS
1t is fortunate that lilo majority Of lii
"Pooplo's Party" haB boon largo enough tx
lcavo no doubt as to tho condition of tho public
mind In Chicago on tho main isnuo involved
Had tho rosult boon moro sorntch, bari
majority OIL either hide, It might have boo1
| nacossary to try conclusions on tho eamo iBs,,t
again. Tho enormous majority rollcd up by tlt
"PoopleR" candidates is conclusive at once ol
tho ip,posaibllity aud inoxpcdioncy Of attempt.
Ing, in large city OF eouglomorato and
cosmopolitan population, to put q straight
jacket, as regards personal md social
habits, upon the people. There Ia ono point on
Which both tle victors md tho yanquishod nov
agreos It was tho Impress loft by tho Commit
teo Of soventy upon tho public mind which nc.
counts for tho result that has astonishod both
partios. It waB their formal and repeated de-
mand that all tlls people who live in Ollioago
should conform to their ideas Of Sunday obsory-
anco that led to the resentment 40 emphatically
Expressed ut tho polls on Tuosday. In tho light
Of 10000 majority for AIr, Colyin, It would bo
both foolish and unjust to maintain that ho llas
been elected by tho vicious nddangeroua cassos
alono. Il would be an admission that these
clnsscs sro In largo MAJ jority in Chicago, which
is sufficiently disprovod by tho quiet and orderly
condition Of tho city, particularly noticeable on
elcction-day. Tho vote Of 10000 citizens for
tho Peoples ticket WAS protest against tho mis-
guided effort to impose certain regime for tho
first day OF tho week. without regard to diverse
traditions, customs, or personal habits. Tho
vote Of last Tuesday must hayo convinced nll
intelligent people TINT such q regime is utterly
impracticablo, mud that tho attempt to enforce it
In large communiticH is both undesirable and i'm
practicab1e.'
Behind this unsuccessful effort to break up
tho Hocial customs Of u large community was a
suspicion that. tho Committee Of Seventy, and
tho people they represented, looked forward In
the future to suppression Of the uao Of atim-
ulants altogether. Their opponcnts baliovod
that thoy dlscorned tho doctrine Of prohibition
as their ultimate design, and certainly ,rocog-
nized an indiBcrimnato aud uncompromiBing
warfare against nll spirituous, viuous, and malt
liquors nike, 30 far rs they went. Tho Com
mittoc Of Seventy refused to admit that there
was any distinction botweon vino and bocr
on ono side, aud brandy and whisky on tho
other, utterly rcgardloss Of tho organic differ
onces in their composition. All alcohol is poison,
thoy say, and 5>1 por cent of it il just as bad in
principle ~ 81 pcr cent. This is not truo in
chemistry any more than it is in politics or gov
ernmont. We have reforred boforo to tho report
of the State Board Of uealtA in Massachusettso
tho use ofintoxicatng drinks. This roportie avail
uablo analytical document, whether stin,ulantB
arc regarded from sanitary, moral or social point
of view. It iH there hold broadly that tho lovo
Of Bti1nulants is one Of the strongest of tho h,-
man instincts, and cannot bo annihi!ated, but
only regulated by low when it encroaolos upon
tho rights Of othora. The ground ia taken that
tho cause Of temperance can be best promoted
by encouraging tho uso Of beer and
Light wines. Tho theory is entirely reasonable
that, if these beverages can 10 made to d6placo
the stronger alcoholic drinks, to that extent will
tho yices consequent upon intemperanco bo di-
There is physical aud moral truth in
this, susceptible Of demonstration by science,
experience, aud daily compariaons Tho COM
milton OF Seventy refused to recognize this, and
insisted upon their crusade against all or moth
ing. In spite of oil concessions and compro-
misea, the spirit Of forcible sabbatariansm and
coorciye temperance waa recognized by tue null
titude aB tho issue, and this spirit VIVA voted
down with such emphaais as to leave not tho ro-
motest doubt Of tho sentiment Of tho people.
The TRIBUNE was conscious Of Ill tlis boforo
tho election, and it cndearored to modify tie
issue to accord With common seuae, scientific
and the experience OF other
It's oounaols did not prevail, and
It was constrained at last to support the ticket
which, in it's judgment, best represented
tho Taxpayers Of tho community. Tho
result will, not have boon without avail il
it shall teach certain extremists and impracti-
cables never again to force these issuos upon
tho people.
As for Mr. Colvin and the gentlemen who
have been elected with him, it ia their duty to
regard their election in the light by which VIC
havo defined t,-as a popular protest against
lntolerauce and not as tho Endorsement Of
icenHe. Tho German element, which was the
most prominent in securing the result, consists
mainly. Of orderly aud peacoable citizons.
It s now certain also that largo
number OF conservative and respectable Ameri-
,an-born oitlzons yotod with them. Wo bolieve
hat largo majority Of the voters arc IN favor
of good government. n1r. Colyln is man