The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1882-06-01
{ ESTABLISHED IN
Z MARCH, 1S45.
National Americana
Temperance and Parties.

The liquor dealers of Ohio, Iowa
and Kansas have fully determined to
oppose any party or any ticket that
favors temperance. The same cause
which has driven the liquor element
to take this course in the states NAM
ed will, within the next two years,
bring about the came result in almost
every State in the Union. Heretofore
both parties have thought it prudent
to keep temperance out Of politics,
under the belief that no party could
succeed without the aid of the dram
shop element. The brewers and
prominent liquor dealers, knowing
this, claim to have the key to the sit
uation, and to be able to punish any
party that proposes to interfere in
any way with the liquor traffic. So
far as this refers to party which in
sists ON prohibition, in many States
at least, it is true.
The people are not ready for pro-
hibition. But so far as restriction is
concerned, we believe that if either Of
the great parties should come out
boldly in favor of a stringent license
law, and drive all the dram-sellers
out of the party, it would easily win
in every State in the Union.
Neither party is willing to be
called the whisky party, but the mo-
ment party receives the liquor
element Of the opposite party it is
doomed: its standing will be definitely
determined and its best members will
desert it. The temperance question
is one of the most important questions
of the day, and no party can afford
to be on the wrong side of it. 1t.
cannot and should not be kept out
of party platforms. To do this is
simply to give the liquor seller the
casting vote on the temperance ques-
ton, and to insure his prosperity.
The whisky votes on, the temperance
question are always against the best
interests of every community, and
any party that will seek such votes,
will lose two temperance votes for
every whisky vote it will get. The
doom of slavery was sealed when pro-
slavery wings began to leave their
party in 1852, because they believed
if Gen. Scott were elected President,
VIM. H. Seward would be his Secre-
tary of State. Slavery, like temper
ance, had been kept out Of party poll
tics. Either party was afraid Of it,
and the pro-slavery men in both
parties held the balance of power.
But as soon as the pro-slavery men
collected in one party, the anti-slavery
men began to leave it, and the result
was, the election Of Lincoln and the
abolition Of slavery.
So with the temperance question.
Whenever the liquor sellers shall col
lect in one party the temperance men
will leave it, and the liquor traffic will
be controlled or abolished. The
liquor sellers of Ohio will be badly
deceived if they think they can
strengthen the Democratic party of
that State by joining it en- masse.
They may temporarily strengthen it
and gain the day at the next election,
but before the next presidential cleo
ton they will sink the party out Of
sight. In Ohio and Kansas it will be
square party fight next fall. The
Republicans in both States indorsing,
and thesDemocrats repudiating, tenn
perance. The result will be watched
with great interest by the temperance
people everywhere, and will aid other
States in deciding on proper course
to pursue. Of one thing we are GER
tain, that the liquor dealers will bene-
fit the party they leave more than the
one they join. In this State the
Globe Democrat asserts that the Dem
ocratic party is the whisky party,
while the Republican claims its ability
to prove, by statistics, that the Re
publicans support more saloons than
the Democrats. So long as this state
of things lasts the liquor seller can
control either party; but drive him
out Of one party by temperance legis-
lation, and the question as to which
is the whisky party is settled.