Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-10-18
The Liquor Question in Ohio.

"Scott law" for taxing the liquor
traffic as other classes of business
and property are taxed, which was
passed by the last Legislature, was
made an issue at the polls to the ex-
tent that the Republicans were re
sponsible for its passage and pledged
to its enforcement, and the Demo
Gratis were supposed to be opposed
to it, as they are to all so-called
"sumptuary legislation" though
they were not openly pledged to its
repeal in case their ticket was sue
cessful. Then two proposed amend
ments to the constitution were sub
mitted to a vote of the people, for
their adoption or rejection, by Re
publican Legislature-the first plac-
ing the power to license the sale of
intoxicants in the hands of the Leg
islature, and the second prohibiting
their manufacture and sale entirely
within the limits of the state. The
liquor interest, aided and abetted by
the Democratic party, was made
angry by the submission of both
these proposed amendments, and the
Republicans were placed between
two contending and antagonistic
forces, the whisky men on the one
side and the ultra Prohibitionists on
the other. 1t was naturally expected |
that the Prohibition party's state
ticket and the Prohibitory amend !
ment would have an even race of it |
at the ballot box, and that the two
extreme ideas would sink or swim
together, but the reverse was the re-
suit. The vote for the Prohibition |
candidates will not exceed l2,UO0 |
votes out of a total vote of about
100000, while the Prohibitory
amendment made a sort of Jay-Eye, |
See race, and polled over 100000 |
votes. Indeed, the vote was so
large that it was thought at one
time that amendment to the consti-
tuition had been adopted, but further
returns shows that it has been de-
feated by about G5, 900 votes. Next,
the vote on the "First amendment"
for the taxation and regulation of
the traffic, was as surprisingly small
as the vote for the Prohibitory
amendment was surprisingly large.
The total vote on this amendment
is set down at 100000, which would
seem to indicate that there are three
men in Ohio who favor the utter ex-
tinction of the traffic to one who be
lieves in license high or low. The
result may be roughly stated as fol-
lows:
For the Prohibition amendment ....... 100000 |
Against the Prohibition amendment . .42l 900 |
Necessary 10 carry II -........ ......,. .3b2,5O0
Hence defeated by about ,............... G,500 |
For the First amendment, taxation and
regulation. ....'.' ...,'...'. ....'. .lUOu9O
OF course, in a muddle of this
kind, it is impossible to analyze the
vote or make an intelligent and cor.
rect statement of the real condition
of the question. AS the Scott law
is essentially = taxation measure, and !
as 1T really contains the germ of the
principle embodied in the proposed |
"First amendment" it was but
rational to suppose that it would |
have the support of all the Repub-
licans, and many Of the Democrats
who profess to believe in regulation
by law, and that would have carried |
1T by large majority. But instead |
of getting 100000 votes, as was eX-
pected, it "got left" worse than the
Prohibitory amendment. As far as
the result shows anything, it indi |
Gates that an immense amount of |
trading was done, and that it was
the unexpected that happened all |
around. The ultra Prohibitionist
voted the straight Democratic ticket,
and in return for this favor some of
the Democrats voted for the Prohib- |
tory amendment. This the Demo
Gratis felt secure in doing, az they
had no expectation that the amend
ment stood the ghost Of chance of
being adopted, and no doubt they
are now somewhat startled at the
close shave they made of it. If it
had been adopted by the aid of
Democratic votes, without their in
tending it, it would have been one
of the best political jokes ever play
ed in the United States.
The Democrats will find their
newly-acquired power somewhat en-
barrassing to them, and time alone
can reveal what they will do with it. |
They have violently assailed the Re.
publican party's position on all |
phases of the question relating to
the liquor traffic and its regulation, |
the Scott law included, and now the |
responsibility of dealing with the
business rests upon their own shout |
ders. If they intend to be guided |
by public opinion. and will take the |
vote of Tuesday last as their criteri- /
on, they will discover that at least
100000 electors, or q majority of |
all of them, expressed their disap-
probation Of the attitude OF the