New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-31
OHIO PRONOUNCED SIZE.


Ohio Republicans appear to have emerged
safely once more from what should be called
their annual scare" just previous to the
active work of every campaign the party allows
itself to be put into mild sort of panic by
the professional croakers who go about vOcler-
ously predicting defeat. They are sure that
this time the odds are all in favor of the Dem
ocrats. This performance has just been gone
| through with as usual. The scare this year
was built up on the assertion that the alliance
of the Republicans with the temperance adj
vOcates would cost the Republican ticket the
| vote Of the liquor interests, and the support
of all the Germans This detection, ii was
! argued would he sufficient to defeat the Rcpub-
| icans, as the German vote itself was enough
to give success to the Democrats. In addition
to this it was declared that the liquor dealers
had subscribed $4,000 to the Democratic
campaign fund, and that every man who would
vote the Democratic ticket would have drinks
galore during the campaign. These state
ments set all the crOakers off with unusual
vehemence, and their dismal predictions
alarmed good many Republicans who did not
sop to think for themselves. TIE TRIBUNE
declined to be stampeGed. 1t was confident
that if an alliance between the liquor dealers
and the Democrats was made. the result would
be a decided gain to the Republicans by driv
ing all the friends of law and order to their
support
Precisely this has happened. We are told
now by the cIoaktrs that the Republican pros
poets have greatly improved, and that the
chances for success are much better now than
| they were al this time year ago, when, 1t will
! he remembered, The Republican plurality was
nearly 5000 1t has been discovered that the
German vote will not be given sohdy to the
Democratic ticket. This might have been in
ferred from the outset. 1t does not follow that
because beer is national German beverage
all Germans are in favor of free rum. Then
the liquor dealers have discovered that Dem
ocIatic victory this year would do them no
good Only minor State officers are to be
elected. The present Republican Legislature
has another year to serve, and during It's ses-
sion of next winter may pass liquor bill which
will remove the whole question from politics.
| If the Democrats were to he completely sue
cessful in this years elections, therefore. they
could &c nothing to help the liquor sellers.
Curiously enough, the Democrats appear to
lave overlooked this important fact till within
have committed themselves in favor of free
rum and no Sunday needlcssly and disastrously.
They had a first-r;,te opportunity to keep out
of the fight this year by saying that as the Re-
publican Legislature held over it would be use
less for them to attempt to influence legis-
lation. But they were not far-sighted enough
for this. Their laundering declaration iii favor
Of unrestricted lquOr-selling has driven the
respectable portion of their own party over to
the Republicans and the chances are that all
increased Republican vote Will encourage the
Legislature to enact stringent artl-liquor lcgis-
lation next winter. 1t is not surprising to
learn, therefore, that Respondent feeling has
fallen rpon the Democratic leaders, and that
their canvass will be spirtless and hopeless
from the start.
There is nothing in these Developments which
any thoughtful student OF American opinion
could not have foresecn. There is always one
safe course to follow in forecastlng political
action in America. The cause which appeals
| to the moral sentiment Of the masses Is sure 10
| triumph. The prophet who says particular
| norty will win because it is right and ought To
win is pretty certain to have his predictions
verified At times the issue may be obscured
so that the people do not grasp it fairly, and
then there may be temporary defeat. But
there is nothing obscure about the issue i'll Ohio.
The Republicans say, first, that there shall be no
LIQUOR sold on Sunday. They say, secondly,
that the liquor traffic on weekdays shall be
u,ade TO pay its share of taxation and shall be
restricted. The Democrats say liquor
shall be sold without restriction or taxation on
Sunday and every other day. This is fight
Of law and order against disorder of Christian
homes against the rum-shops We have held
from the outset that there could be no doubt
about the result of an election on that issue.
| Not only in Ohio, but in every other State in
the Union, an overwhelming majority of the
people are on the side which the Ohio Repub-
licans have taken. To predict Republican
failure in Ohio is to libel the American people.