The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-09-21
AFTER FOSTER.
The Brewers Represent the Teu-
tonic Nation.
And Say the Germans Are a Law Abid
ing Set Of Citizens, Even if They
Do Drink Lager.

DS VA Go1O4s
Hon. Charles Foster, Governor of Ohio:
SIR:-When the Governor of a great
State having, like Ohio, population ex-
ceeding 100000 Of people, is pleased to
lay aside the robes of his high office and
descend into the arena of political dis
cussiOn. it seems to US that the words he
utters should be weighed with more
than usual carefulness. In a speech
made by you to alarge cOncOurse of citi-
zens at West Union, on the I'd inst, we
notice with concern that certain aTgu-
ments are presented by you, certain
things assumed to be true and certain
things deduced therefrOm that, in our
opinion, are wholly unwarranted by any
existing facts. Since, therefore, you
have, perhaps, unwittingly, misrepre-
sented the great brewing industry of the
State of Ohio, with its vast vested inter
est, the undersigned Committee of the
State Brewers and Masters AssOcia-
tiOn, have thought they might, without
improperly, make to youlcertain state
mentS that-shall correct these misrepre-
sentations and at the same time set
candidly before the people of Ohio the
position the great body of brewers now
hold.
[The letter then goes on to show that
Iuo dSSuIueu l6dl VI Iu6 hepuDllCdu l6du-
ers for temperance is nothing but re-
Vival of KnOWnothingism and to deny
that the Germans are either criminals
or breakers of law.
If lacking the polish of a Talleyrand,
or of the distinguished Chief Magistrate
of Ohio, they are plain, honest people,
who worship God according to the
methods inculcated by their fathers and
their own consciences; they. pay their
debts, and such taxes as are imposed by
the municipal, State or national authori
ties. They subscribe, so far as their
means allow, towards the support of
churches, charitable institutions, and
do all that orderly citizens may, to up
hold and maintain a decent and orderly
society about them. Permit us to call
your attention to the fact that in no part
of the city of Cincinnati are church edi-
fees so frequently found as in that pOr-
tiOn known as cover the Rhine" in
habited almost wholly by Germans, and
where our largest breweries are situ-
ated. Moreover, no churches are better
OF even so largely attended OF more gen
erOusly supported. Furthermore, the
earliest missionaries who penetrated the
| Northwestern territory, now the great
| State of Ohio, but when wilderness,
were Germans. The first white child
born in the State was the daughter of
| one of these missionaries. And the an
| cestOTs of these condemned and despised
Sabbath breaking" Germans $50 called
fought for thirty years for the blessings
and religious liberty in the FatheTland.
Are these men, Governor, likely to de-
strOy religion OF the blessings of the
Christian Sabbath in the land of their
| adoption?
In answer to the statement about the
brewers being untaXed, we have to re-
mark that the eighteen brewing firms
of this city paid into the County Treas
last year $63,3S9.02 on property in this
city, alone and on that situated beyond
the city limits the further sum of near
$4,000.
They likewise paid to the general gov
ernment the further sum of $1,6OO,OOO,
making a total tax of these eighteen out
of the 100 firms engaged in brewing in
the State of $1,678,383 Are the re-
prOaches INDUCED in by your associates
of the Republican party therefore war
ranted by these facts, Governor Foster?
Permit us to observe that in view of
| facts known to all the world, 1t comes
with very doubtful taste from the Re-
publican officers of State who last year
partOOk of such hOspitalitles as the brew
ers of Cincinnati and other cities had
to offer, asked for and received their
support and now unite in asSailing
| them as gentlemen, as manufacturers,
and, most unkindest cut of ALL" taunt
| them with supplying "the munitions
and sineWs of war" to political party.
Again, the charge has been repeatedly
made by you, the Secretary OF State and
| others that the Brewers Association, in
conjunction with the liquor dealers,
had agreed to raise and pay to the Demo
cratic party the specific sum of 10000
in consideration of a promise on the
part of the latter organization to pre-
vent any legislation adverse to their in
| terests. Permit us, Governor, to char
acterize this prepOSterous statement as
purely fgment of the imagination,
and though it has been seriously charged
| that members of the Democratic Com
mittee were in conference with the late
| State convention of brewers and malst-
ers in this city, we beg leave to assure
you that no member of the Democratic
| Committee, so far as we have any know
| ledge, came within mile of our con-
vention or met any of its delegates dur
ing its sittings.
In the speech made by Major Town
| send, at Athens, we are sorry to see this
statement put forth in apparent seri
business: "Organized associations Of
brewers and distillers, representing
over $50,O00,000 of property threatened
| anu 5blll I'LL any POAAbACoA POI
with destruction which assumes to tax
and restrain their traffic." Allow III
with equal seriousness to assure you
Excellency, as well as the Honorable
Secretary, that no organization of brew
ers and distillers exists in Ohio tO-da.
that makes any threats such as is herr
enormously imputed to them. On thu
contrary, the brewers and distillers anC
liquor dealers, wholesale and retail
would cordially approve Of some judici
GUS law that should tax in a suitable
way and bring the retail traffic of wine
beer and liquors under just and proper
restraint and at the same time remove
the senseless outlawTy of these article!
that combination of temperance anC
free-trade-in-l liquor fanatieism enforced
like the "Old Man of the Sea- upon the
now thirty pages of the Revised Statutes
and over forty laws t(most of them al
dead as the Egyptian kings) for regu
lating the liquor traffic ia Ohio and no
l 1. nf ba m