New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-08
THE CHIEF ISSUE OF THE CAMPAIGN
4iN .,,,vopApur TO THE TRIBUNEI

fuyT
oI,io Inne The Republican state
Convention, which met here To-Day na' a.,
,;a,at and adopted platform that apparently
isfoctjon TO all who participated IN ITS pro-
cd in the estimation of clear-headed anu
.,,,ario,ced Republcan party leaders Victory ~
an ,,ous :, the coming election is now assureu' Al
- .bo STATE offices for which NOMINATIONS "cio
- .o-aav aro not of much political Importance
-, 40 Ohio i now the only October STATE suooe''
:, hot time is deemed of great value III 'ne
Der contests. n.noCo,-
Two weeks aro it was not expected that lhe Ooi
vention to-day would be a very large OF
one this being an "Of" year. without an iSeu'
within the party or any great contest over thc o-
;na+;ono The recent decision of the supreme
Court however. that the Pond act passed al 'he
- aaos;on of the General Assembly, taxing the
Eoror traffic. was unconstitutional, put new
.,rooo on the contest as it reopened veXatlous
restion that had been regarded as settled III lur-
nisbod a new issue for the campaign, aroused great
interest in to-days convention, ana brought 'o
getber as large Republican gathering as has met
here in recent years, and one OF more than orunIy
high character.
II Itappeared before the Convention met as II there
might be such diversity of views on the subject as
,vonId make trouble. Happily this was not the
case: there was entire harmony, and whle some eA
,remsts on either side may be slightly dispeased,
that perhaps is the best evidence OF the WISDOM Vi
the nlatform. For about that the interest chiefly
centred to-day Ohio is one of the few States that
allowed the onor traffic TO run riot week days and
Sunday without any restriction whatever and,
curiously enough, the ultra temperance
advocates were in great measure to
blame for this. Thirty years ago they made great
fight and succeeded in getting Incorporated in the
State Constitution provision forbidding the cens-
ing of the liquor traffic. As the Constitution did not
prohibit the traffic altogether, the no-hcense provis-
ion practically allowed the vendors of rum free
sway Under it the liquor shops multiplied enor-
1nously and went on filling up the jails and aims
bouses and increasing the burdens OF taxation until
pnblic sentiment demanded a change. Recognizing
this demand, the Republican State Convention,
which met in Cleveland last year, re-
commended that the question of Sc
changing the Constitution as to provide
for the licensing of the liquor traffic be submitted
10 the people, in order that the men who prohted
by the traffic might be made, as they are III New
Yor and in other States to bear their share of the
burdens they impose upon the taxpayers with
this as one of the prominent issues Of the last cam
pagn, the Republicans carried the State by over
"a 600 majority, although the Prohbtionists, who
bulwark against the encroachments of the liquor
traffic polled 597 votes for their ticket In
harmony with the platform upon which they
were elected the Republicans III the General
Assembly, with the aid OF Democrat in the SEN
ate and one OF two in the House, passed the Smith
bill now law closing all liquor shops Oh Sunday,
and the Pond bill designed TO bring revenue into
the State treasury of an estimated sum Of
81 500 900 by taxation of the liquor traffic. THIS
last act the Supreme Court decided unconstitutional
last week as being in the nature of license. and
since that decision the liquor shops, which had been
closed up all over the State, have opened again.
1t was this decision which brought the
question again to the front to-day and
awakened such interest III the convention
The German Republicans were the dissatisfied ele-
ment in the party. But they are by no means
uuit in opposition to the spirit of the Pond act or
the Sunday closing law. The platform declares to-
day in favor of amending the Constitution so as to
permit of the taxation and regulation Of the uuor
traffic, and that all laws upon the statute books
must be eniOTcd, which includes the Sunday act
This adopted unanimously, and is regarded as
satisfactory PrOhbitiOnists their mistake of
last year, and several of their leaders said here to-
day that at least 10000 of the votes
given 10 that ticket last year will
go TO the Republican ticket this wear
IN case a Prohibition ticket is nominated which is
probable The Democrats and the liquor dealers,
who have always regarded the no-lcense provision
as inimcal to their interests, its support
err, while the temperance advocates oppose it,
This revolution OF sentiment is something remark
able. The Issue of the campaign will largely be
that of Free whiskey and no sunday" and if the
Democrats can win with such a platform the Re
publicans feel that they afford to lose which.
tngency