The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-07-03
OHIO REPUBLICANIsM AND TIE
PEFCRH MCVENLZ:yT.


IL" H''.i'jrsH. Of BellrfsutaiiIr. and
/ tie krrr"n EeyHbiirda. havin. made.
/ an expressions IN behalf Of a decided
/ TrHpefsr;:ce plank in the platform of
/ tiie Republican party. 10 be- adopted ar
! the coming State Convention, We take
/ occasion TO express our approval of
| what the editors of these Journals have.
/ said. and To add our own suggestions
/ concerning the matter. We would be
/ glad To haze the Republicans of Ohio
make au Official and square declaration
! of what We know to be the sentiments
| Of niue-tenIlIS Of their number. on the
! Temperance question. The Republican
| party was organized aS a party Of reform,
5 and itS members have prufe>-.d from the
I first To be men of principle. They ad-
| Vucated emancipation because they
| knew it to be right and necessary. and
/ liot a. Il IIere matter Of party policy.
and in order to maintain rhe integrity of
| the party it must still remain a party Of
| I.riucipIe-and Il party of right princi-
| pies Ii should De-, also, what it has
| always claimed 10 be. a party OF reform,
| and no reform has greater and more
| pressing claims Just now than the Tenn
| pcFaHcc reform.
II may De that the party would lose
! votes by adopting such Il Temperance
| plank i'll its platform as is demanded by
the eNigencies of the times; vet RepUbli-
cans have not been accustomed TO count
votes in taking their position on great
questions of the day. The only question
admissible is-Is it rightl and that is
the question which should shape the ac-
ton TO be taken at our nominating con
ventiOn.
One great fact is well-known to all
namely. that the Just and wholesome
laws of Ohio, intended to regulate and
restrain the retail traffic in intoxicating
drinks. and to mitigate the evils growing
ont OF it, have been defied by Il very
large class Of persons, and broke daily
and hourly by scores of men in nearly
every T.cigibOrhoOd in Ohio, for series
of years. until there has grown up an
organized system OF great power and in
iiuence, the purpose of which is TO defy
and break the laws. We submit that
it is the duty of good and true men, of
good citizens everywhere. to take Il firm
and bold stand, and TO give a decided
expression of their views against such an
Infamous system as this.
Shall not the Republicans of Ohio de
mand that the laws OF the State shall be
enforced? Can we do anything less than
this. and not to be rccreant to our duty
as citizens, 1t is certainly asking very
little of political OrganizatiOn-Of Ell
ther party-that il shall, in its public
declaration of principles, demand that
the laws adopted by the legislature of
the State shall not lie inactive or dead
upon the statute book, or that il these
laws are defective in any respect, so that
they fail ofaccOmplishing their purpose,
they DE so amended as that they shall
protect society from the ravages Of in
temperance, as promoted by the unre-
strained traffic in intoxicating drinks.
As pertaining TO this general subject
we append Il paper sent us by an e.
teemed friend, living in another portion
of the State, and commend it to the Sc
rious consideration of the Republicans
of Ohio:
Twenty years ago n political party was
organized in this country upon the plat
form of opposition TO the extension of
great moral evil-tlat of slavery 1t was
founded upon Il sentiment which had
existed for years in the minds of few,
who had been clasSed as fools and fanat-
les, but which had at last grown strong
tuotl-ll 10 tt-iilfillAl ItNai8lilllOIl even
from those who sought for place and
power.
The first great battle of this party was
fought in Ohio, and resulted in the So
lection of Salmon j. Chase as Republi-
can Governor of our State. From that
this party of principle went on from
victory To- victory until American slavery
was made a hated memory.
To-day we see both of the great pO-
Iitical parties of our country disinteg-
rating for the want of some adhesive
principle. Opposition is the life Of par
ty, and no opposition compeis to unity
more than that offered to II moral move
ueHt There exists today a great evil
t. combat There exists in Ohio. as
throughout most of our land, Il .ntiment
against that evil far more widespread
and deeper rooted than was that which
made the Republican party an Organi-
zntiOn. There stands wealth. influence,
intellect. religious conviction, and the
great earnest force of wonIanly faith,
ready To- embrace any party, old or new,
which throws down the gage of battle
against the evil of fintemperance. Shall
the Democratic party seize upon this
plank To save itself from utter deStTuc-
tionl Its organs, its traditions, are
against such action. Its organs and
leaders have taken their stand in too
many cases against it. The mass Of its
members. it cannot be denied, are iden-
titled with the opposite interest. In
short. there is not a shadow of a hope
that this great party will adopt this
great platform.
Will the Republican party then take
hold Of this Temperance movement and
engraft its issues into its declaration Of
principles. 1t is essentially the party of
progress. 1t is the party to which the
reforIner naturally looks for political
help. 1t if already looked upon by the
opposition as 1.-THE Temperance party
and has to bear the name. willing or
not VIII her leaders seize upon the
golden opportunity for once more rally
ing the morality and conscience of the
country around a concrete, vital princi-
pie. and with this invincible power
march to further victories in her war
for humanity!
1t not. what next. In the name Of
God let the brave, true men of Ohio,
dash from them their old party fetters
and stand forth free and ready to throw
their aid for right, wherever right may
be found.-FfOm the Springfield RcyUJ-
lie