The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-02-18
Che Qntelligeurer,
=,... >. and a Tourleen nlh slreel
,n, prohibition Amendment Defeated
IN In the henhle.


As previously indicated in our re re
,no % of the Senate debate on th'
SUM- .noossI amendment prohibiting th'
EDarnracture Ert and sale OF intoIica
,i"g liquors in this State, the mo
,iaa So n, indefinite postponement pre-
".iIod @ Yesterday at the close Of the dis
,nssiou, The amendment proved even
wo,ker in votes than many per
sons supposed. Instead ot having
,roJbjrds in its favor there was
m,ioity for indefinite postPonement To
.sne the matter definitely for this session,
'hs parliamentary usage Of a motion to re-
consdsr and to lay the motion on the Ia-
MA wss made and carried, Thus the mat
IA, sdsposed Of so far as the Senate joint
,ssoln,ion is concerned. II the subject
comes ND again in that body this session,
Il will be in the shape ola joint resolution
t,.m tbe Houae, oil which there Is some
n,ospect, What effect the action Of the
Senate may have on the House Is not Csr'
lain as vet, but it may possibly result in de.
,ermniBv that body to drop the subject as
impncticablo for the present.
Ii was thought that II the proposed
amendment had been limited in its scope,
in accordance with the suggestion made
by Senator Smith, Of Marion, to alcoholic
liquors It might have passed the Senate,
bnt this il by no means certain. I'M
lonbtedly it would have been stronger,
Senator Smith did not himself vote for it
in its Wholesale shape. Hethought II I'M
Draclicahle and declined 10 support it.
Others probably voted against It for the
same reason. They regarded it as too
novel and too sweeping in its wholesale
character. Some seemed TO think thatthe
pubC had not been sufficiently prepared
for such an experiment Others no doubt
looked at it from a political and party
stand point and feared that II might revo.
lulionile party relations. We think that
olr Democratic iriendu particularly mis-.
trusted It on this point. They did not
want to be placed In the same box with
the Republicans OF Ohio. They would
rather wait and see the matter discussed
with reference to the election OF Legis'
alnre two years hence.
Senator Brown is OF the opinion, Demo.
Cnt as he is, that tho people will take hold
Of 1t outside Of politics, and separate
themselves from politics on the issue, and
lie 10 prepared 10 cut loose himself
from politics on such an issue. He
regards 1t rs the question Of
questions in West Virginia and all
other States. The day Of politics, such as
wehaye had, Ia waning 10 a close, and the
people will take up questions that concern
their social well being In lieu OF them,
The question oil temperance he considers
To be the leading question Of this Charac.
ter, inOsmuCh as 1t penetrates to the rootg
Of gOCiety, and involves not only the ma.
terisl bntthe moral veal oil the country.
There is no doubt but there is a great
struggle In the near future on this ques.
tiOn. II does concern society very deeply,
and il will not down any more than the
slavery question at any bodY's bidding. II
must be fought ont to It's logical issue, AS
Mt Seward said before the war, there is
ll "lHepressible conflict" II occurs
daily in the statistics OF the country.
These statistics cannot he discussed with.
out bringing up The main question. They
invariably bring II on. Every newspaper
iaIOFCed 10 notice 1t in some shape. Those
who object to the discussion and are in.
tolerant Of 1t, are not wise, any more than
those who undertook to Btitle Rboli.
liOnism by stgmstizing and ostragcising
it, The thing 10 do is TO seek practical
solution by Wise measures OF statesman.
Ahip. That there Ia something 10 be done
IN this direction no intelligent man will
deny. Free.Soillsm took the place Of ex.
itemo aboltionism Just before the war,
because II was seen to be more practical,
and because ii sswas seen that repression
would gradually lead TO abolition but the
sentiment Of abolition was all the time the
nnderlyins inspiration and impulse OF
iIeeFOism, Progress Is defined y be 20
plant Of slow growth" Progress in all
questions that concern society ia assured
by tue history Of the past. SO IL
Will be with the temperance question