Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-09-08
From the Albany journal.
The Moral of OhiO's CamDairn

The democratic papers in the East are be-
ginning the work of discounting defeat in
Ohio next month. as we said weeks ago that
they would The voter who short time
back was invited to believe that the State of
Garfield had become permanently democratic.
is now informed that the issues in Ohio are
at best purely local, and that the failure of
the democrats to carry the State will have
no bearing on the Presidential contest. The
election of Judge Foraker and republican
legislature is recognized "a next to certain,
and the word has been passed around that the
democratic voters of November States must
be prepared in advance for the disaster
II will require great deal more sophistry
than the democratic press is master Of 30 rob
republican triumph in Ohio in October of its
legitimate effect upon the elections in other
States in the following month Certainly it
cannot be done by the pretense that the
division between the parties there is sim
ply upon local issues. Only in the most
technical way can the issue raised
upon the Scott law be called local la the
sense that no other State has just such law
the issue Is one confined to Ohio. But the
principles involved are of vital and general
Importance the country over. In its essence
the struggle over the Scott law is contest
for supremacy between the intelligent, earnest
duh ktoI VI tillLtHsulp tu one SIDE,
and the stupid, indifferent and bad elements
on the other. There could be no greater
mistake than to assert that no one outside of
Ohio is concerned about the power of the
grog-shop in American politics. There couId
be no more ridiculous blunder than to as
sumo that campaign in the third State of
the Union, fought upon the question whether
or not saloons shall pay license tax. can be
waged without arousing the deepest intercs
in the result throughout the country. The
problem of regulating the liquor traffic draws
to itself each year greater share of public
attention aud study. There is not a State
north of the Ohio river in which the general
sentiment in favor of stricter excise laws.
higher licenses, and even prohibition itself.
is not spreading constantly, and taking deep.
er root in the public mind.
The effort to siur over the criminal weak
ness of the democratic position in Ohio, and
divert attention from the ugly fact that Judge
Hoadly is the candidate of the saloons.
standing upon a platform OF free whiskey. nv
lightly calling the Scott law a local issue
will not succeed Ii Is not local tssue
The fact. too, that the democratic party has
put itself on the wrong side of that question.
is not of trivial importance. 1t cannot fail
TO occur to thinking men that party which
in Massachusetts commits itself to the nm.
scrupulous leadership of Ben Butler; which
in California tails after Dennis Kearnev
which in Illinois honors Carter Harrison as
its chief; which in New York cringes under
the dictation of John kelley's crew If spoils.
men and which in Ohio makes the desire n,
the rum-sellers to escape taxation its princi-
pal issue, is party whose success would be
dangerous to the public welfare The will
invness of Democracy to evade or straddle
all substantial questions of government. dis
gusts thoughtful men; its esgerness to allv
itself everywhere with the organized laziness
greed, immortality and recklessness of the
lower strata, as eyinced IN the States we have
mentioned, may well alarm them. Whom
the slums of New York. Cincinnati. Chicaoo
and Boston, and the Sandlots Of San Francis.
co, dictate the attitude of a great party in
i've Northern States, containing fifteen mil.
lions of inhabitants,i il surprising that lovers
of order and good government shrink from
putting that party IN power at Washington:
A party does not have one system Of NOR
ais for local affairs, and another for national
questions. If the several committees of q
legislative body are individually venal or dull
it is not to be expected that the collective as,
eembly will be honest OF wise. The yslue q,
man is estimated In a community by his daily
life and associations, not by his occasional
professions or performances. So marty
which is uniformly dominated nv its wors,
elements in municipal and State ynrerumen,
is to be judged by that tact, and not nv ;,s
declarations of what fine things il woula A,
If entrusted with the National Government.
For this reason, it is absurd to saw that the
present campaign and pending election in
in Ohio will have no effect upon 1884 A
Presidential canvass is not a sporadi, and
isolated event. to be measured by an exclu-
e %. VI po'lucai standards In voting for
aPresident, men simply apply their experience
with parties in their town, county and state
A party which is ruled by the saloons ana
s.:s..s..n !. us iocai organizations and ad-
form alleged abuses at Washington.