Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-07-19

ufacture drunkards. Applause Am
making Temperance speech? No man
In Ohio hates the vices Of intemperance
more than do. No man In Ohio will
20 further than to sustain the tarffic
lawfully conducted, and / shall insist
on protection TO the tarffic lawfully con-
Quoted. But with the same breath. I
denounce rs O criminal the man who
dares 10 violate the law In conducting
the traffic unlawfully. That's my POSI-
tion, and Il Is the position Of the demo-
cratic party and platform. While Twas
coming down on the train today was
told that In the town of Leipzig, Put
nam County, not only had every. saloon
keeper paid his license fee Of 500, but
that In that little town one new saloon
had been started since the Scott bill
went into effect. How many saloons Of
Ohio has the Scott bill suppressed? The
question is Just this: Has the Scott bill
reduced the number of saloons, has 1t
In any way tended to diminish intem-
perance? lift has, then it is temper
ance law to that extent; If 1t has not or
does not, then 1t Is precisely what
called 1t before the supreme court,
law to encourage the traffic in intoxica-
ting liquors and to provide for licensing
the traffic.
But the republican party in their
platform said that they approved the
action of the General Assembly of Ohio
i'm the submission of constitutional
amendments in relation to the liquor
traffic, thus giving an opportunity to
| the people to make such changes In the
organic laws of the state as may be apt
proved by their judgement. Now what
are these amendments? The first Is iIh
these words: That Section 18-the no
license clause-shan be repealed,
and there shall be placed first the foE-
lowing: '"The general assembly of Ohio
shall regulate the traffic so as to provide
against the evils resulting therefrom,
and shall have power to levy taxes and
assessments thereon. If l knew what
this clause means l could intelligently
vote on his proposition. What was
meant? Does it mean that the bill of
rights, the palladium of our liberties;
does 1t mean that the writ of habeas
corpus, does it mean that the provision
against cruel and unusual punishments,
the provisions for jury trials, the pro-
visions against the inviOlability, of pri-
vate property, and the provisions in ia
vor of taxation on property according
to value are all to be trampled down in
order that the liquor traffic may be
taxed under these amendments? If this
were what it means then I can well see
why a vote against it may become a
citizens most important and solemn
duty. But if it means that license
shall be restored in Ohio, and that the
traffic may be taxed by way of license,
assessed in proportion to the amount of
business done, that l can not well un-
derstand who any citizen should vote
against it. We must wait for informa-
tion from the republican party as to what
that means before we can vote. AT pres
ent their resolution is singularly OBJ
scure.
proposed, which is to the clause pro-
viding that the manufacture and sale of
intoxicating liquors to be used as bev-
erage are everywhere prohibited.
The speaker then read from the decis-
ion of the supreme court the following:
Undoubtedly the evils contemplated
by the constitution as resulting from
J the traffic in the intoxicating LIQUORS
are those which result from the sale and
use of such liquors as beverage. and
such were the evils against which the
statute was intended, in some degree, to
provide. If, in the judgment of the
general assembly, it be necessary, in Or
der to prevent evils resulting from the
traffic, that the sale and use of intoxi-
eating liquors as beverage be absolute
ly prohibited, we can see no constitu-
tional ground upon which such exercise
of its judgment and discretion can be
reviewed by the courts of the State.
True the statute under consideration
was not intended to operate as a prohi-
7 bition of the sale or use of such liquors
for drinking purposes, but only as a re-
| straint upon the traffic whereby the
evils resulting therefrom might, in some
degree, be diminished. The point in
tended to be made is if the power to for.
, bid the sale and use of such liquors, as q
beverage, exists, the power to pass this
= statute can not be doubted"
And proceeded to show how "taffy'
2 had been dealt out to prohibitionists
! and to the liquor interests in order tc
catch votes, and closed by an eloquent
D tribute to the fairness, practicability
Q and common sense position of the De
0 mocracy upon the liquor question.
At the close of this speech, which wa
q one hour and forty minutes long, th'
: cheers were loud and long until th'
e band struck in and drowned the ap
plause.
To most children the bare suggestion
q 4