The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-08-27
ARE TEMPERANCE PEOPLE
Idiots AND FANATICS1

i1tuf Sd1ss
The temperance people OF Ohio arc once
more about to illustrate that most singular
pdroiot of American politics, the temper
ance vote aiding the Democratic party OF
course nine Of every ten votes cast for the
Temperance ticket comes from the Republi-
cen party, and every one of them brings
the Democratic candidate nearer to the vic
tory. Are not the temperance people Of
Ohio open TO just imputation OF idiocy and
fanaticism, equally proportioned Certainly
IL they make Democratic victory sure, they
will lose more than they have ever gained,
either in Ohio or elsewhere.
This is a grave charge for the Gazette to
make, and in our opinion shows marked
deficiency of sense and intelligence, idioey
and an extravagant effort to govern-to keep
in control-the temperance republican ele-
ment of the party, not only in Ohio but in
every other State. Does the Gazette imagine
that in this manner the best, the most intelli-
gent element Of the party can be kept in the
ranks2 II so, the Gazette is acting the part
of a fanatic. We demand a better reason
than the Gazette gives for this uncaled for
and insulting assertion. Love OF party is
not love for country-partyism is not patri-
otism. Yet the Gazette makes this grave
charge for no better reason than that the re
publican party-party interests might suffer
through definite, decided temperance work.
Oh, my here is party of great moral ideas
that will suffer if temperance work is being
pushed with energy. How can prohibition.
lists expect relief from party it it Is afraid
to be decided and definite on the question
Why is the republican party afraid to pledge
itself to prohibition
This question is easy of solution. Admit+
ting that the republican party has the tenn
perance element of the country, it is never-
theless true that the tohiskct politician leads
the party. The republican party has beer
brewers, importers Of liquors, hotel and beer
saloon keepers, moderate and immoderaie
drinkers within its fold. This party non-
mates candidates interested in the liquor
traffic; it elects members of congress, State
legislators, presidents and governors that
use more or less liquor as beverage-aud
too many of them get drunk The temper
ance republican by his vote helped to place
them in office ian idiotlc acL), and hopes
(lanaticisrn) to get prohibitory measures
passed by enemies of the cause. The truth
of the matter is, the republican party dare
not insert in its platform plank looking to
prohibition.
Temperance men are marked. The Nas
tional Beer Congress, at Chicago, May 12thj
1881, passed the following resolution
Resolved, That the United States Brewers
Association by the executive, its local or
ganization and its individual members, bring
10 bear most strenuous efforts to define the
true position of the brewing trade, to inform
the general public as to its character, nature
and effect to warn against falsehood and
misrepresentation; to oppose every person
seeking public Office of any kind who holds
| or advocates such adverse views, &c.
The whiskey element in the republican
party is pledged, aud their interests demand
that they oppose every person seeking pub
lie officeIof any, kind who holds or advocates
adverse views to the traffic.
The following is an extract from report
by committee of the National Brewers
Beer Congress:
Where stringent prohibition measures
| have prevailed, they are largely owing to
majorites obtained from those protesting
Republican principles. A careful record Of
Votes given on such measures has been kept
by yodr committee; they, therefore, recon-
mend that future efforts and arguments be
used to convince the party thatthe free use
OF malt beverages is not in opposition to the
cause of true temperance.
This explains why the Ohio legislature re-
fused the people the privilege tr vote on pro-
hibtory measures, and why the republican u
house of representatives of Pennsylvania I've
Litioned by the christian people of the State
asking that the temperance law be submitted
to the people to be voted upon "a very rea-
sonable request) was refused The whiskey
and beer element of the party was at work,
what efforts and arguments they used the
reader may Judge A duck in a walled
well will drown. The temperance element
in the republican party is walled in, and
unless they speedily get out, beer and whis.
key will drown them. The christian peo-
pie of Ohio are simply voting as they pray.
DR.. Curry, in the Methodist, says:
From some knowledge of the state of the
case gained on the ground, and from its
likeness to what we have seen nearer home,
we have good deal of Sympathy with this
Ohio political Temperance affair. If it shall
put the State COY eminent into the hands ul
the Democrats, they will return to power
with wholesome essnn before their eyes
and the Republicans will be gwen mach
needed opportunity to repent at leisure Of
their folly, So that. when restored again. they
will entertain a Wholesome regard for other
PEOPLES cunscenCes, even if they have no
respect for their own. Most likely such a
chastisement would not for the present seem
joyous, but grievOus; nevertheless after
ward it might yield the peaceable fruits OF
| righteousness unto them that are exercised
thereby. AT a venture it may not be amiss
to make the experiment. To the cause OF
temperance there is nothing to be lost by
the change; and it may be the surest, if not
the most direct, road 10 the success of the
right.
According to the Gazette, DIR. CURRY is
open to just imputaton of idiocy and fan
atheism, equally proportloued.
The temperance people of Ohio are al
work. A prohibition ticket was nominated
at the Loveland camp meeting, and has
been endorsed by a State prohibition con-
vention. One of the planks of the platform
reads as follows;
ResoiUed, That our ultimate object shall
be constitutional prohibition Of the liquor
traffic, the manufacture and sale of intcxi-
eating liquors, including wine, ale and bee r
and we demand that our next Legislature
shall submit to the voters of Ohio said con
stitutional amendment.
Governor Foster, Of Ohio, has written tC
Rev. Mr. Hirst, OF Columbus, IN reply to an
interrogation as to his views upon temper.
anee legislation, that he believed that, under
the present constitution, both local option
and license, or taxation of liquor selling
were unconstitutional, and that there was
no opportunity under the present constitu'
tion to enact any laws for regulating the
evils of the liquor traffic, and that the bes
way was to leave the whole subject to the
legislature, as provided in the platform oi