The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-06-01

The lecture on Temperance, at the
| Congregational Church, Sunday night
| by Elder Burt, was we'll attended, and
the general verdict is that it was an
hour well spent. The speaker by his
remarks and earnestness, showed him
self to be Stalwart Temperance man,
and advocated nothing but total pro-
hibition in the traffic and use. His
remarks, politically, may have seemed
to a biased mind to be a trifie partial,
but of that we cannot be assured until
the opening of the coming campaign.
If the Elder is as radical in his views
on prohibition as his remarks indi-
Gated we fear that q simple plank in
the Republican platform will not bs
broad enough for him to stand Oh.
He criticised the Ohio liquor law, was
a friend to the Smith bill, and thought
the effect of the Pond law would be
beneficial, although it was something
out of his line. We feel like criticising
the orators remarks in this respect,
that they were inconsistent. In the
beginning he charged respectable drink
ing as the greatest foe Of temperance,
and speaking of the Pond bill, he
claimed AZ one of its merits. that 1t
Would shut up those saloons where they
could not pay the tax.
He advocated in strong measures.
the adoption of Temperance school
books, and spoke in praise Of the effects
of the crusades.
Take the lecture all in all, we would
pronounce it one worthy Of the subject
and one that every young man should
hear and consider, and while we lis
tened to his eloquent remarks, as they
drifted toward national politics we
who adorn the pulpit could concur in
his arguments. If so, a mighty change
in some will take place during the next
few months, and they cannot simply
hold on to shaky plank which says,
'Party first and Temperance after
wards"
In charging the Democratic party as
standing upon whisky barrel as its
platform, we think the speaker over
stepped the bounds of Temperance in
words. The Democratic party has
never wrapped itself in a cloak Of
hypocrisy and tried o gather roses and
thorns from the same bush. 1t may
do for temperance lecturer to charge
a party, as a party, of intemperancs,
because it does not seek by dishonest
aud deceitful methods, to gather in
saints and sinners under the same
church doctrine and law, but to the
sober, thinking person who has
watched the movements Of the two
parties during the past year, the con-
clusion must be that the Republican
party has tampered with both factions
of society, and while initiating the
''back alley tippler'' Of which the
Elder spoke, attempted by cardamon
seed deception, to preach total absti.
nence.
The effect of the Spring elections, SO
disastrous to the Republicans, was net
on account of the Democratic platform
or temperance, or of the solicitation Of
the anti-temperanceR Republican votes.
1t came simply through the knowl-
edge of the far seeing voters who could
fathom the hypocrisy as practicsd by
the party pretending to be friend Of
prohibition. If the Prohibition party
hope to find any benefit by alliance
with Republican doctrine, it must first
know that party's aims and seek to
advance those aims by gathering in
good, bad and Indifferent ballots. If
the friends of Prohibition will help the
Republicans in grinding its grist it
may expect, if that party is triumphant
to receive nothing but the husks, and
if it fails, not even that.
A LISTENER.