, 1882-10-21
Customs Cannot be Changed in a
Day.

Senator Slater, like scores of other
leaders in politics, recognizes the evil OF
intemperance, but they, ike all thinking
men, know, that customs cannot be
changed in a day. He who has Just
strength enough to carry 100 pounds will
fail if he undertakes to carry 100 pounds,
and the man or set Of men who imagine
that they are promoting the cause Of tenn
perance, through prohibition, are certain,
ly in error. 1t is sumptuary law that
is impracticable and impossible. Nothing
Of progress vas ever made by humping
humanity The centennial IN him strug
giles the moment you try to hedge him in.
There are communities on this coast,
where public opinion renders 1t impossible
to violate a stringent liquor law with i'm
punity, but there are more where the law is
a dead letter, for the reason that public
opinion is not III harmony with the law
There is a law against carrying con-
cealed weapons, yet three out ot every
five men, in most Of our communities,
carry pistols or knives. Yet no one ever
thinks of law to prohibit the manufac-
ture of guns and pistols. On the subject
Of temperance, the prohibitionists are hon
est, and, with the exception Of the Re
publicans who have taken up the question
as campaign issue, sincere. But the
theories Of these prohibitionists are Uto-
plan; still, they believe them TO be sound.
So tar as the Republican party, in its re-
lstion to the question OF temperance Is
concerned, all their talk about the matter,
as has been proven in Ohio, is 4 sheer
cheat They use ii against the Democra-
cy, Just as they used that cid baid-beaded
lie in 1876, that Democrats Were
in favor of excluding the Bible
from the schools. The Republicans
are adept at getting up these bugaboOs,
but none the more 50, than adept at drop
ping them suddenly, and desiring that
they be forgotten In Ohio, the very men
who addressed meetings, under the foster
ing banners Of the brewers and distilllers
in 1875 and 70, and III 1850, in the re
cent campaign raised the cry Of temper
ancs. The same individuals who i'll 1850
made the very cutters flow with liquor,
are now Justify crying temperance. Peo-
pie are not insensible to ali this dissem-
bling, anu refuse, rightly enough, to trust
any longer, class OF politicians who are
ready to give pretended support to the
real friends Of temperance on one hand,
or ~ their enemies on the other, proyi-
ded they may keep control Of the public
treasury.
But the reaction has come at last
There are tens of thousands of honest,
right thinking men in the Republican
ranks, who declare that they cannot 90 10
such dishororsble lengths as this. And
the reaction will disarm and disorganize
the Republican party. These honest men
are now believing that the spoils system
is a great public crime and scandal, fruit
full of untold evils Nobody is unreason-
able enough to suppose that any political
party viii become perfect, any more than
will individuals reach state Of perfec-
ton in this life; but they can become rea-
.onsbly good The Republican party is
not endeavoring 10 get any better. As
campaign issue If proposes to change
lons-6xed and settled customs When
the election is over, II i. the first to 90
back on all its pledges, and honestly ae-
knowledge that it Is folly 10 make such
an effort.