Morning journal and courier., 1882-10-17

l State relative to the manufacture, sale and
 use of Intoxicating liquors as shall leave the l whole matter to legislation.'' The action of
 the former convention was understood to be | In favor of free whisksy, and that of the lat I ter in favor of the license system, both of which were unsatisfactory to those that fa- vored temperance reform.
 I In view of this condition of things, the
 State Executive committee appointed by the Columbus Temperance convention held May l IS, 1881, called a State Temperance Reform l convention, which met on the Loveland camp ground, near" Cincinnati, in July,
 adopted platform and nominated State 1 ticket.
 During the canvass that followed every | means that unprinciplsd politicians could in- vent were employed to intimidate temperance men and compel them to vote the dominant
 party tickets. But in spite of their efforts
 the Temperance Reform party cast, according
 to tho returns, almost T. ,OOO votes and. if l there had been fair count, the vote wonld not have been less than 20, ,OOO
 These 17,OOO votes greatly troubled the republican party, as in issue that would bring out the strength of their old enemy. the Democratic party, these votes might be absolutely necessary to their success. More over the Republican leaders saw that unless something was done in the direction of tsm-
 terance legislation the number of temperance
 votes would be largely increased at the next
 State election. Accordingly numerous
 amendments to the constitution. and bills
 proposing to regulate the liquor traffic were
 brought before the Legislature during it's re-
 cent session Two of these assumed promi-
 nence, the Pond taxing bill and the Smith
 toned for, nor was it desired by even the
 moderate temperance people. This was SO
 well understood that in the Law and Order
 convention held last April while the Lsgisla.
 ture was still In session at Columbus to urge
 the passage of the Sunday bill, the friends of
 the Pond law did not dare to bring it before
 the convention for an indorsement It was
 conceded that had it been brought before
 that body 1t would have been overwhelmino.
 ly defeated. The passage of this taxing law
 three days previous to the spring election of
 tended the saloon element in the Republican
 party and sent it over to the Democrats ]
 and because 1t was not desired by the tenn
 perance people, failed to secure their return
 to tho Republicans and the result was they
 were defeated. As if to revenge themselv vas
 upon the saloon element for their desertion l the Legislature, still in session, passed the | Sunday closing bill, and it became a law. If | the Sunday bill had been passed previous to \ the election, in the place of the Pond bill, ! !h .he hepuollGans would probably have carried I the spring election. Soon after the Lseisla- l ture adjourned the Pond taxing law was pro- nounced unconstitutional by the Supram. | Court, and all classes waited quito impa- 1 tlently, to see what the State conventions would say preparatory to the present car, paign.
 The Democrats put into their platform their usual resolution against "sumptusrv I laws" and said nothing about tho Sunday law; while the Republicans put into theirs a plank favorlng the specific taxation" of the liquor traffic, and ono declaring sthat all laws upon the statute books must he t. spected and enforced until repealed by Ieeis. | lation or abrogatsd by legal authority"
 Thus the taxing principle which nobody had demanded was reimbursed, and the Sun VI " ha hoI
 ignored The convention complimented President Arthur and Governor 7oster and expressed great sympathy for the persecuted ! Jews of Russia, but omitted even to mention the Legislature that had passed the Sunday law.
 The platform of the convention did mt please anybody but the politicians, and they soon saw that they had made a stupendous mistake.
 The Cincinnati Gazette tried at first to make it's readers believe that the platform was all right by declaring the next morning after the convention adjourned "Ths con vention had 8 safe delivery in it's candidates and platform" But four days later, the edi- l tor, having heard echoes from the people, said ln regard to the conventions evasion of l the Sunday question: ''The trouble now ia ! that large element in the Republican party l are not disposed to look at the resolution in favor of enforcing all laws as a souare in dorssment of the Sunday law, and, instead | is spirit of criticism and feeling of luke varmnsss. Tho three line resoIn ton was intended to indorse the Sunday law but 1t trifed with the question, and it is At only to be spit upon.'
 The Gazette has substituted a resolution of says of it, "It is, therefore, the real nIat. form, and it certainly contains the deoiara- ion of principles upon which the Gazette will conduct the canvass" The Gasette is now leading the canvass upon the two issues the taxing of the liquor traffic and tbe Sunday law which requires the saloons to close on the Sabbath. The prominent Re publican leaders, such as Senator Sherman Governor Foster, Major Knash and othsrs' have accepted tho Gazette's platform, and are speaking almost exclusively on these ques- ions These men are now making speeches 'uoh as one year ago would have cost them their political heads; and yet they feel now hat their heads a:e lost if they do not make 4 them, so great is the change in public senti- ment Tn the short space of twelve months.
 If these Republican leaders had planted l themselves on the enforcement of the Sun l day law alone, they would no doubt win a l great victory next month but having at , tempted to carry through the taxing princi- pie' they are In imminent danger of defeat , The temperance people hold that there is no | practical difference between 8 taxing law and I B license law, and, therefore, they are un- willing to support it. Senator Sherman has recently conceded, in a speech delivered at l Columbus, that taxation and license arc tho same He said: T cannot see how you can have tax law without it operating as license law. license is permit by a legal grant tax on trade or occupation i'm plies permission to follow that trade or oc- l oupatioa." There are thousands that would | ike to lrdorse by their votes the Sunday law l if they could do without indorsing taxa ton, but the latter they will not do. They will not strand the Prohibition ship on the | taxation bar; for they know that, once stranded, it will require many years to get it [ aaont again. If the taxing bar can be avoid. sd, we will land the Prohibi ion ship sooner 1 than most people suppose; and then we will have, not only Sunday closing law, but law that will seal up the saloons the year round. Temperance mon, stand by your l ,olors