New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-05
ISSUES IN OHIO.
THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION IN PARTY
POLITICS


speech of Senator Sherman, delivered here Thurs
day evening the keynote epoch OF tho State
campaign may be said to have closed The
great men of the two parties have. in far they
can influence results laid out the plans OF action.
and very the laborious though more inter-
esting work Of stumpng and canvassing from county
to county and town TO town will be entered upon IN
earnest. Lively times promised, but the term
must be understood In q relative sense only, for
compared with the excitements in New-York, Penn
sylvaDia, Maine and Indiana. the course of events
In Ohio must be commonplace Few or no speakers
from other States are TO be called In In fact Ohio
statesmen are host In themselves numerically aud
otherwise, no State being better equipped with
orators competent to instruct the voting masses in
the way they should go.
Ohio elects this year a Secretary Of State, Judge
of the Supreme Court and member of the Board OF
Public Works Congressman of course to be
voted for, and IN the majority of counties. county
officials are to be elected The Legislature elected
last fall Is still the awmakng power, and will re-
assemble next winter None of the State officials to
be elected will have it power to promote or retard
the reform movements in respect to the liquor
traffic by direct official action. How then, comes t
about that the liquor question is the burning issue
of the hour ? The present State Constitution was
adopted I'm 1851, separate vote being taken upon
a clause which is as follows: mo license
to traffic In intoxicating liquors shall hereafter be
granted in this State; but the General Assembly
may by law provide against the evils resulting
Cherefr0m" This article adopted by a major
ity of less than nine thousand, In q vote OF
more than two hundred thousand. 1t was proposed
by the temperance people of that time.
and was by many believed TO be tho
foundation for system of prohibitory liquor laws.
1t proved to be the buwark of the lquor interests.
By legal principle Of general application 1t was
found that the power to regulate the liquor traffic
granted to the Legislature by the last clause OF the
| constitutional provision referred to was
| also bar to the power OF the Leg
| slature to do anything more than to regulate
that traffic. When therefore, the provision was sub
mitted to the people it received support to some
tent from extremists upon either hand. Liquor men
voted for 1t because in effect it prohibited prohbi
| bition and temperance because it forbade IL
cense. In 1854 the Legislature. then having Whig
majority passed its first law under the sanction OF
the no license" article of the Constitution. This
law made il illegal to sell liquor to be drunk upon
the premises, to sell to minors or to persons IN the
! habit of getting intoxicated. The liquor men,
! weak In argument but strong in organization
| and determination, succeeded IN majority OF tho
counties IN securing the election of judges and
other officials favorable to their interests, and thus
! nullified the law.
| From that time until recently the two great par
ties have made their records with great consistency
as they have each into the control Of the Leg
slature; the Republicans in favor of restraining
| the LIQUOR traffic. the Democrats on the other
| side But whatever the condition Of the law.
| the LIQUOR men have evaded 1t by obstructing its
| execution. In many places convictions were I'm
\ possible. IN others they were followed by the I'm.
position of merely nominal penalties. Practically
for many years all laws upon the subject have been
| dead, and Ohio. perhaps the only one OF
the Northern States, permitted IN the larger por-
ton of the State the sale of intoxicating drinks
without tax. aud with little restraint as was
| placed upon the sale of dry-goods. The result
| lamentable With great prosperity due to her
enormous natural advantages as well as to the en-
terprse and intelligence of her people crime and
pauperism grew to great proportions, Distilers
| and brewers amassed their millions. while on the
| other hand as Governor Foster AYERS. scarcely
family relationship existed IL the State that could
| not point to at least one victim to the horrible
| traffic.
| Then there came tidings Of the temperance
| movemeut IN the West Kansas passed her prohib-
itory constitutional amendments; Michigan fol-
| lowed with her restrictive laws. The advanced
| Temperance men of Ohio took heart aud began to
| agtate for reform. Their proceedings were from
the first annoying to Republican leaders, because 10
WAS from Republican ranks that their strength was
| to be drawn Republicans who thought that local
| issues should be subordnated in politics to
| National affairs were in quandary.
| To embrace prOhibtory or restrc-
| tive policy would discourage drive to tho
eneny's ranks large class who were susceptible TO
Influences welded by the liquor dealers. To remain
inactive would probably result In the loss OF many
thousands of votes of temperance men, "ho In the
absence of other enerossing issues felt at liberty To
| enter a new party which promised the suppression
| of the liquor traffic
| The Cleveland Republican Convention OF 1881
| adopted resolution looking to the submission to
the people of constitutional amendment repeating
| the NO license" feature Of the Constitution and
comforting upon the Legislature the power to con-
troll the subject. This not pleasing
| TO the liquor men, of course, bat they
| we're not able to make their influence seriously
| felt by the Republicans On the other hand. how
ever. IL was not satisfying to extreme anti-quor
| man who were able TO draw about 16.5O0 votes to
| their standard of reform, mostly from the kepub-
| hcan ranks. The refOrmers last winter, taxing
| advantage of the manifest spirit OF tDe times,
| forced the issue upon the Legislature. Chieny Dy
| Republlcan votes. personal motives contributing
| somewhat to the result, the Pond lax oIil ana tne
smith Sunday law carried by small maJorlties.
The latter remains ia force and Is success 10 tho
extent thar where before the saloons were open on
SUNDAYS as on other days, they are now closeu III
Sreat part. except in some Of the larger cities.
and the Sunday traffic. If carried OF
| az all is secret, and consequently much
| diminished in the aggregate The more iinportapt
| fax law was modelled after the Michigan law,wnch
had been pronounced constitutional by the courts
of that State, but differed IN some respects ana
| fatally. as the event proved. Ii required tbao
| saloon keepers should pay tax OF from one 70
three hundred dollars. according TO locality, before
first Of oSSe May IN to eaca Continue the sale Of
ioHors after default in the payment OF the tax.
| bonds were required in competent surctles i9r
bronoht by the liquor men, aud being carried to the