Omaha daily bee., 1883-05-02
High License in Iowa.

The final declsion of the supreme
court In the now celebrated Daven.
port case brings the republican party
Of Iowa face to face with the question,
What "-ohibltlon2 While few
thinking nsidered 1t probable,
or even poo. ~ hat the court would
reverse Its former decision, the interim
served as a breathing spell before crap.
ping with the question In q political
senee, But now the time has
arrived when the Issue must be fairly
and squarely met. 1t goes without
saying that the amendment Is %
dead 30 Julius Caesar; for eighteen
months or eighteen years will not
bring forth q supreme court that will
declare 1t q part of the contribution
political dudes to the contrary notwith.
standing. The republican state platform
for 1883 must give forth nc uncertain
sound on the question of controlling
the liquor traffic. The time for trim
ming has gone by.
What shall We do with II? On the
solution of this problem depends, per.
haps, the supremacy Of republicapism
In Iowa. The Ultra. fsnatical members
of the prohibition wing, with q blind
frenzy born of stupidity, have served
notice on the party of their intention
to place a temperance" ticket In
nomins tlon-thereby paving the way
for the democracy-unless the repub-
llcan state convention takes strong
ground In favor of prohibition. On
the other hand, there are about 80, 600
voters who cast their ballots for
the republican ticket at the
les. general election because
it was the republican ticket;
not because they we're In favor of a
prohibi.ory law. 1t is q grave error
to imagine that the republican vote of
last fall was the actual prohibition
strerg h. Had prohibition been q
part OF the republican platform, the
democrats would have been swept into
power by the aid of thirty thousand
boilers. The personal liberty" mem.
bera of the republican party were not
carried away to a man by the German
detection. Many are still loyal; and
If wise oounsels prevail there Is no
danger of alternating their support.
Prohibition may or may not be a
success Ia Maine or In Kansas. The
defeat of st. John would seem to indi.
cate that the people of the latter state
regard 1t as a failure. But aside from
this, n thing is clearly evident: the
great mass of the people are heartily
tired of the prohibitory agitation.
The American people are quick to take
up new hobbies; but they are like the
boarder who obi scted to a steady diet
of hash. The common sense of the
masses in the grand state of Iowa Ia
opposed to another fight on the same
issue. The effort to incorporate pro-
hibition in the constitution has failed;
there Ia no assurance that 1t will not
fall a second time.
4 high license law, with rigid pen,
alties, would undoubtedly be In.
dorsed by the solid practical man of
all parties. Let the republican state
convention of 1883 incorporate q high
license plank-the higher the better
iii lUs platIorm, II IL VIII MOI
only safety the demands of reasona,
BILE people, but Insure victory at the
polls.
1t will be urged that O high. license
plank will drive many prohibitiouist'
Into the Temperance party, and thu
Insure democratic success. The mel
who bolt for this reason are "bettel
out than In" No sincere advocate O
temperance will help to elect a fret
whisky ticket; and 1t will be an excel
lent chance to test the commences O.
the zeal of a number of Gre
formers" Besides the republican part!
has been bullied long enough by thes'
fellows. They are not such a powe
In politics after all. In Pennsylvani
they tried the bulldozing game, an,
were invited to step down ami out b!
Don Cameron. The Temperance
ticket started off with IL, 900 votes
The next year 1t rallied 4, 900; the yea
following The republican
party Of Iowa can't afford to submit t
this insolent dictstion any longer.