Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-06-01
MIR. FOSTER ON OHIO POLITICS
His Satisfaction Over the Results of
the Republican Temperance
Legislation.


Foster of Ohio, at the Fifth Avenue Ho-
tel yesterday Saturday, to learn some
thing about Ohio politics. and was greet
ed with true western cordiality. "Hellol
come in and take chair" cried the
Governor. From the Tribune, eh ?
Glad to hear it; how are all the boys ?
Flourishing? Well, what can l do for
you? Just say the word and I'm your
man. Excuse me for 'abluting' in pres
ence of guest. but 1 really must take
off some of the New York dust for a
testimony against the Street Cleaning
Bureau"
81 am to discourse on the present state
of Ohio politics, am 1 ?" said the Cover
nor, as he settled himself back in an ca
sy chair and stroked his beard. "Well,
do you know that Ohio politics haven't
been nearly as interesting of late years
as they used to be; not by a good deal
that is to say until the present liquor
issue came in. That has livened things
up considerably, and has given US first
class local issue to make fight on; and
we're going to make very lively fight
of it, too"
"Who are WEI"
"Why, the Republicans, of course; it
is they who have made themselves re-
sponsible for the Pond bill, and not
withstanding the clamor against it, they
are going to march to victory with it.
"Will you kindly give brief account
of the liquor legislation of OhiO?"
Well, to go back little, the State Con-
stitution of 1851 absolutely prohibited
the selling of spirituous liquors, which
resulted, as such laws generally do re-
suit, in practical free rum. But the Pro-
hibitionists thought that the moral ef-
feet of having such law on the statute
book was greet; they failed to estimate
the moral effect in having law that
public opinion did not support. Things
drifted along this way for years, and
last year the Republican State Conven-
tion promised to bring in an amendment
to the Constitution on that question.
As result of that two bills have been
brought in by the Republicans, and have
become laws; one is known as the Smith
bill, closing saloons on Sunday, and the
other is the famous Pond bill, which l
suppose you know all about. The peeu-
liarity of this law is that it imposes a
tax Instead of license fee on the sell
ing of liuuor. The difference is very
great. A license is specified sum, Civ
| en- for the privilege of selling, whether
YOU sell or not; the tax is graded ac-
cording to the amount sold and the To-
cality in which it is sold. That's the
Pond bill. The question of its constitu-
tionality has been raised, and it is to he
argued before the Supreme Court of the
State on the 23d of this month. But !
believe myself that it is constitutional
and that, if it is faithfully executed, il
will be not only source of revenue
some 100000 a year-to the State, but
also blessing to the people at large
not to speak of the help it is going tC
give to the Republican party in the cleo
tions."
Then you mean to say that the Smith
bill and the Pond bill are Republican
measures through and through
That's just what mean to say. And
l think the Republicans of Ohio are to
be congratulated on the attitude they
have taken. They had the greatest
temptation in the world to get on the
fence in regard to this question. Cleve
land and Cincinnati contain thousand:
of German Republican voters, all Of
whom drink beer. We ran the risk Of
alternating these voters by fathering the
Pond bill; there were also in the Stat
thousands of Prohibitionists, most O
whom were Republicans, and when i
came to the pinch wo'd vote theRepubli
can ticket rather than see the free run
Democrats get in. They gave US
quassi-support as long as we were no
committed to any policy, because the.
thought they might at last win us owe
to theirs; but when we adopted tn
Pond bill, which they regarded as an un
holy compact with evil, they left US for