Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-07-14
state Leader,


Governor lakewood i. for 'prohibi.
ton as strong AZ the people are will
ling to submit to-" This is indefinite
but clearly spoken TO satisfy the pro-
hibitionists.
The Muscstinc Tribune Glib. DEM
on the other hand accuses the journal
of prevsrication and asserts that the
Governor in answer to question put
by Rev. DIR. Robbins. pronounced him.
self squarely in favor of license. So
we have no information yet as to
where he stands. and it remains for
the State Central Committee of the
temperance party to find ont and in
form the public.
The chief end of the Democracy from
the beginning has been to wheedlc the
Republican party into division on
the kind Of statute this state should
have to restrain intemperance. 1t
is simply the cunning of the evil one
displayed in them. The organ of the
party at the Capital in the above para
graph editorial is simply playing the
same old game. The Republican party
has all along been composed in the
main of those people who favored the
best law in their Judgment to stay the
tide of the great curse of intemper.
ance.
The Democratic party on the other
hand (whilc good many of it's mem
bcrs have been temperance men) has
In the main been opposed to anything
like good effective laws upon this sub.
ject. Of this there can be no doubt
For very many years we have had up
on our statute books laws prohibitory
in part but as touching wine and
bear, left to the people of cities to de.
tcrmine. In the last two years very
stringent law was passed in reference
to the sale of spirits by druggists
Still with all this law upon the subjec,
in many portions of the State it il NO,
enforced, and the evil sheds its baleful
| effects all around.
Good mon have come to have some
differences of opinion as to the charac-
ter of our sumptuary laws, while VIC
feel certain none have lost a particle in
their desire or their zeal in behalf oil
the promotion of temperance among
the people. Heretofore with all this
temperance legislation, Republicans
never made the question as to laws
upon this subject part Of its platform
and for tho very best of reasons it does
not change its policy. 1t is unprofit-
able and wholly unnecessary to make
an issue of ii. 1t would be folly to di-
vide the Republican party upon any
such trivial issue, involving simply the
kind of temperance laws we shall have
especially with all the other grand ma.
tional issues pressing upon us. The
history of the two parties shows clear
ly and Enthusiastically with which of
them the cause of temperance will fare
the best. Tho Republican party in no
State in the Union takes sides upon
the question of prohibition or lisence,
but if we understand the party Alright
it is the only eflicacious source from
which to expect wholesome laws
touching the subject of temperance.
Now the Leader desires to force
Gov. Kirkwood to come out either in
favor of prohibition or some other
method of dealing with the question
Of temperance. This is urged in hopes
that which ever way he declares, he
will incur the displeasure of some Re-
publicans. Gov. Kirkwood's lite.
character and acss shows that he is y
decided temperance man, and we have
no question but that he will be found
at all times exercising an honest en-.
lightened judgement to best promote
the cause of temperance, as he sees it.
Actual trial can alone demonstrate
what are the best kind OF enactments
upon this subject and so far as he is
concerned or the office to which he
will be elected, this is all that is neces-
sary. Because the Democratic party
has made fool of itself in declaring
as to what kind of temperance laws
we should have, it by no means fol-
lows that the Republican party should
| follow in their lead.
The Republican party has important
questions in which ii feels deep and
vital interest. A bankrupt party
bankruptcd in treason--has no other
question, but is particularly anxious
to hide its record by swallowing free
whisky under the guise of a stringent
| license law, as 1t used to slavery. Give
to Democracy the power and the State
would soon see what a rope of sand
they would weave into a license law
Gen. Francis 7. Blair Jr., who diei
at his home in st. Louis, at midnigh