The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-11-18

declaring itself in favor of repeating
the present law and enacting license
law in its stead.
Had this question come fairly and
squarely before the people, untram-
meled by any other issue, we are of
the opinion that the present temper
ance law would have been sustained.
But through combination of other
questions and circumstances the lat
ter party was successful. Some IN
considerate members of the former
party, smarting under defeat, declared
in hot haste that it was the temper
ance question which defeated their
party, whereas in point Of fact it was
the adoption of this question in their
platform which saved them from a tar
more disastrous defeat If the Repub-
lican party had failed to take hold of
that issue, the State would have gone
nearer $4,000 than Is, 900 Democratic.
Inside the Republican party are thou
sands of voters who believe that the
drink traffic is the great curse OF So
ciety-that it is the direct cause (by
| the pauperism, crime and insanity 1t
produces) of half our taxes; and that
| society has the right, and ought to
have the power by law, to protect
itself from traffic which works such
terrible dessolation, and so believing,
if the Republican convention had not
embodied this question in their plat
| form, thousands of earnest temperance
voters, who stood with the party,
would have left the ranks.
THE QUESTION OF DEFEAT
IF, however, as some assert, this
question did defeat the Republican
party, then we reply that the fault, to
a very great extent, rests with many
of the leaders of that party; for. with
two or three honorable exceptions,
the Republican orators ignored the
temperance issue entirely in their
speeches. They reasoned long and
vehemently about railroad monopoly,
the currency and bank questions,
tariff and free trade, but not word
did they utter in vindication Of the
temperance resolution in their plat
form. They certainly ought to have
known that the very presence of that
resolution in the platform would drive
away some whisky Republicans; and,
therefore, that the best way to COM
pensate for such loss was to have used
strong arguments and facts sustaining
the resolution, whereby they might
i convert over to their side voters in
side the ranks of the opposition who
were in favor of temperance. But,
instead of familiarizing themselves
with such facts and arguments, they
ignored the question altogether So
that they virtually assumed all the
disadvantages of the resolution with
out striving to reap the benefit result
ing from using strong arguments in
its favor. We incline to the belief
ment far more than the temperance
question that defeated the party in
power. Disguised with the salary
grab, the Credit Mobilier and many
imaginary extravagances, the people
were resolved, right or wrong, to have
change. Temperance or free whisky,
the people were determined, however
disastrous the experime mt might prove,
to place some other party in power.
This, We believe, was the real cause
of their defeat.
Now we take this occasion to ex-
press the opinion, in all fairness and
candor. that if the Republican party
expects to maintain its position as a
party Of reform in the future, it must
stand boldly and manfully by this
temperance question. Without doing
this We cannot see how it is to main
) tain its prestage and power. 1t has
already lost from its folds all those
who are in favor of free whisky, ant
6 who in this respect, clogged the whee
of progress. so that now the only way
i, by which it can retain the earnes
temperance voters inside its ranks
:. aud at the same time secure an acces
sion of those of like conviction from
the opposite forces, is hy openly ant
uncompromisingly making the tenn
q perance question one of its grand OBJ
jects of reform.
! The question whether the grog- -shol
: and corruption shall take possession
of and rule our country is now agitat
:, ing the public mind as it never dit
before. 1t can no longer be kept IL
! the background. The interests in
y volved are too momentous. 1t is tn
great question of the age. and mus
! form the battle-cry of contending par
ties for years to come. We therefor
:. exhort temperance people everywher
to be faithful, and inside their differ
:, ent political organization to press thi
= question with unwearied energy an
o perseverance.
IS THE TEMPERANCE LAW.
e The party who will soon assum
:; power in our State stands pledged i
y its platform to repeal the present ten
y perance law and to substitute licens
law. Such an attempt should arous
e the strongest opposition of every love
u of temperance and good governmen
Il for nothing could be more disastrou
u to the best interests of society. l
u every instance, without solitary ez
1; ception, where a license law has SUI
>, planted prohibition, or local optic
a and civil damage, the result has bee
n disastrous in the extreme. TAX
N Connecticut for instance, the late
l, example oi this kind. In 1866 the,
a = were 1876 commitments to prison
u. that State. In 1873 there were 2,98
At But in 1874 there were 4,4S1, being a
y y increase Of l ,496 in one year, MOI
ie ! than in the seven previous years.
q, And why was this? Because tt
ig prohibitory law. which had been
{. operation twenty years, was repeale
IN and license law enacted in its stea
le What is true Of Connecticut is trr
& of every other State where license b;
/ i taken the place of prohibition. Judl
n Pitman of the Superior Court of Mas
e; achusetts, writes of New Bedfor
~ that in eight months after prohibitic
a a. had been superseded in that city,
Z compared with eight months befor
te an increase of 6S per cent. of erin
~ and over 12O per cent. of drunkene
le was the result.
Il TEMPERANCE STATISTICS.