Smyrna times., 1874-05-20
The WHISKY QUESTION IN MARYLAND

Our neighbors lover the line are Just now
excited over the temperance question. There
Is to be an election held in four of the Eastern
Shore counties, viz: Queen Anue's, Caroline,
Talbot and Dorchester, on the local option
question, in July, and hence the temperance
advocates are making strenuous efforts TO carry
the majority with them in abolishing the sale
of whisky. Ten temperance mass meetings
are announced for Talbot alone, and the other
counties are preparing for quite as vigorous a
campaign. Rev. Pennel Combe and young
Welsh woman, Miss Susanna Evans, are the
principal speakers. Miss Evans draws large
crowds to hear her. She has been making
speeches out West, among the crusaders,
and has won a good reputation there. AT
Easton, last week, she was listened to with
great interest. She is decribed as quite fine
looking young lady, apparently about 25 years
of age, with a voice clear, sweet and distinct
She was born in Wales, and came to this
country when about l6 years of age.
Local option is surely the most democratic
way Of getting at the rum question. 1t a
majority of the citizens of county who pay
as to be willing to suffer the evils it entails all
they have to do is to say so at the ballot box.
and the privilege is secured to them. When
women, who reap so much of the whirlwind
that whisky sows, can have the same right to
vote for rum as men have to drink it we are
rather inclined to the opinion that We would
then have as near the right thing in the shape
of liquor Law as we could realize.
THE REPUBLICANS of New Castle county
have nominated JAS Martin, of Wilmington,
as their candidate for Sheriff and P B. Ayers
for Coroner, as we notice elsewhere more fully.
The result has created much surprise, so far
as the Sherifalty is concerned 1t was gen
orally supposed that VIM. A. Hukill, most
worthy citizen of Odessa, would be elected tc
the nomination for that Office That majority
of the Republican voters of the county voted
for another man is attributed to ring" oppo
sition 1t was given out, before the nomina
ton election, that Mr.. Hukill had cast his ot
with the Pickles Gallagher ring, in Whining
ton, and based his hopes of success upon thei
wrepulling, rather than upon the sentiment o.
his party friends. However groundess thi
report may have been, land We do not pretenl
to know whether i. was groundless or not) i
was fatal to Mr. H. s success. There is n,
room to doubt that Messrs. Pickles, Gallagher
and their friends did not vote for Mr.. H.
however much they may have worked for hin
up to the day OF the choice they even voted
for Mr.. Martin, the successful man but tn
announcement had gone forth that they, the
alleged representatives of a Republican ring
had promised him their support, and tn
members of the party, rather than support
ring, defeated a good man. The gentleman
nominated is acknowledged, by men of a
parties who know him, to be man of exceen
character and business qualities, but nc
more so than Mr.. Hukill, yet the ring odiur
was pinned to the latter and it proved to
heavy load.
The sequel to all this is that the Republican
will not tolerate rings. Democratic rings ma
lead Democratic voters like lambs to th
slaughter and sing blessed be the tie tn;
binds " their followers to the party But II
party tie among Republicans is no Gordia
knot.
Rings are obnoxious to the majority of Il
American people, and particularly to Ii
majority of Republicans, who oppose them
their ranks as eagerly as they fight those in Il
ranks of their opponents. Rings thrive
blind partisanship and blindness to publ
interest, hence only those politicians who c;
presume upon the blindness OF their foIIows
will dare to establish them. Republican
however, will not tolerate such presumptio