Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-06-22
THE REPU BLICAN STATUS On THE
LIQUOR ISSUE IN OHIO.

49, ~
battle to fight in the next campaign,
because of the conflicting interests at
stake, and because of the fOOliShneSs of
one class, like the political Prohibition
lists Oh the n hand, and the hypOc-
risy and duplicity Ct the Democrats on
the other. The liquor question being
the OyershadOwing N in Ohio in the
present contest, and there being a Con-
stitutiOnal amendment pending which
rOpOses to tax the business, to the
adoption OF which the Republicans are
committed, it is a pity that the tenn
peranCe people could not fOrego
their extreme notions for once,
and not jeOpardize the success of
the Republican party by making
an impracticasle and useless fight in
favor of prohibition. In other words,
it is to he regretted that the temper
ance vote is to be thrown away on the
Prohibition ticket, which cannot poSsi-
bly, be elected, but which will probably
defeat the Republican candidates, when
the cause of temperance might be adj
vanced one step at least by defeating
the Democrats and having the trade in
alcoholic beverages made to bear its
share of the burdens of public taxation.
Instead Of this, however, the Prohibit
tiOnists have already held q State Con-
ventiOn and nominated a full ticket for
State offices, and will draw off cOnsid-
cradle support from the Republicans,
which they would certainly get if there
mere no Prohibition ticket in the field.
UicGgO Journal, Rep.
The above embOdies the general tenor
of the comments of the Republican
press on the liquor issue in Ohio.
That it fails to state the true
status of parties every one familiar with
the character and history of the contro-
versy in Ohio, knows.
If the Republicans have any superior
claim to the temperance vote Of Ohio,
it is simply by virtue of false pretense
and duplicity in dealing with the ques-
tiOns relating to the liquor traffic. That
this fact is we'll understood by the tenn
perance party is proved by their refusal
to trust or take any stock in the Repub-
hcanprogramme and by putting an indie
pendent temperance ticket in the field.
A plain recital of the facts bearing
upon the question will show the exact
attitude of the party without argu-
ment.
l. The constitution of Ohio prohibits
the Legislature from granting license
to persons to engage in the liquor traffic.
The effect of this provision, standing
alone, has been to make the LIQUOR
traffic free. 1t wa intended to prohibit,
but without supplemental legislation it
has been a dead letter, and operated to
remove even the restraining and regu-
lating effect of license law.
>. a Republican Legislature refused
to pass laws to enforce this provision of
the constitution. Instead they attempt
ed to override it by passing a law, the
"Pond BILL" imposing q tax on the
liquor traffic. The Supreme Court, OF
course, declared this unconstitutional
and the liqnor traffic was left, as the
Republican Legislature probably in
tended 1t should be, without tax or re-
straint of any kind.
s.. The second act of false pretense
was enacted at the last session of the Re-
Publican Legislature in passing a law
almost identical with the "Pond BILL"
known IS the "Scott law" which also
proposes to impose q tax on the liquor
traffic, and which will, of course, meet
the same fate as the Pond bill, or the
legislature will be deceived.
4. At the same session Of the Legisla.
ture twoiamendments were submitted to
a vote of the people, giving choice be-
tween q constitutional provision to tax
the liquor traffic and the other to pro-
hibit it.
So far, therefore, as the Republicans
have taken any position upon the liquor
question, it has been to decline to pass
laws enforcing the constitutional prohi-
bition, and 20 decline to commit them