The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-09-29
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS.


marks through your columns on the
constitutional amendments.
tN 1t has been customary in years past
when the Republican party had in its
ranks men of broad and liberal views,
tO@declare that it would be impossible
for Prohibition to succeed in this great
and enlightened State. But Ohio to-day,
| controlled by Governor Foster who Is in
| full fellowship with ex-senator Pond,
Judge West, DIR. Scott, St--Smith, DIR.
Leonard, and the cranks and bigOts, in
accord with Senator Sherman who goes
| about, declaring there is no need for
the manufacture of one drop of alcoholic
| liquors in the United States," is quite
another and quite serious matter.
Governor Foster is reported, in late
| interviews, to have said that there
will be 100000 votes cast in the
approaching election, for the Pro-
hibitiOn Amendment to our State Con-
stitutiOn. This is, indeed, a startling
| assertion from such source. Do our
| friends appreciate all the gravity of such
a possibility? Do they remember that
there are over 100000 voters in the state
/ of Ohio, and that the, PrOhibitiOnists
claim almost one half of these? Are they
| aware of the unpaTall led activity going
on among the cOld-water fanatics ali
| over the statep
DR.. Walden stated last week, at the
Conference of the Methodist church, that
| there were at that time over seventy
Prohibition meetings held daily in the
| state, and that 1t was intended by these
people to increase the activity in this
| direction every week before the October
| election, until not less than 300 meet
| ings should be held every day and EVEN
| ing, to be addressed by the most elO-.
quent Temperance and, Prohibition
| Speakers iIr the United StatesG Impas-
| siOnate aud attractive orators are
brought here from distant points, and
| all the machinery of the Temperance
| Lodges is being employed to work up
the enthusiasm among their members,
| lay and clerical, to engraft the folly of
| Prohibition upon our State COnstitu-
tiOD. II, as Governor Foster al
leges, 100000 voters in Ohio are now in
favor of the adoption of Prohibition, and
| If, the activity visible in every direc-
tiOn shall be contin ued by our adVersa-
ries, Until the election, by the scatter
ing of millions OF newspapers, pam.
phlets and handbills, by meetings held
every day, and by appeals from the pull
pits by mistaken but earnest preachers,
have we not, we ask in all seriousness,
| grave reasons for feeling alarm at the
dangers that tare-staringSu5 and our in
| terests in the face?
Remember, friends, that, If PrOhibi-
| tiOn succeeds it means cOntiscatiOn to
our breweries, with $40,OO00O0 of invest
| ed capital In the State; it means half as
much more in our distilleries; it means
the sweeping out of existence of the
i means OF livelihood of more than 10000,
families directly dependent on these in
dustries, and twice as many more who
| would indirectly be almost as seriously
injured in their business by the passage
of such a measure.
1t would empty 1900 BuslnC ss houses
of tenants, gnd lessen the rents on twice
or thrice as many more. 1t iS,eur fixed
conviction that the income of capital
lists in cities and large towns of the
State from Tentable business houses
would fall in thirty days from the pas
sage and enforcement of prOhibitOry
| laws fully one fourth, 1t is our
belief, it would check the inI-
DrOVement of cities and towns enOrm-
Ously and that 1t would arrest instantly
the increase of population, in the State.
1t would paralize nearly every branch
of trade; itWOuld throw tens of thOus-
ands of wOrkmen out Of business and
crowd every avenue of manufacture
with idle men. It would injure, if not
destroy, the business of Industrious
cOopers; it would strike crushing blow
to the blacksmith, the wagon makers,
the cOppersmiths, the ice trade, the haE-
ness makers. 1t would stop the sale in
the State of over six million bushels OF
barley annually and many millions
more of corn and rye as well as of more
than 100000 pounds of hops. Who
would make good these losses to cur
farmers for the. sudden drop in the
market price of the products of their
farms2 Who would lind employment
for this army of idle men, or who would
come forward willingly to pay the taxes
needed for supporting the vast increase
in our paUpers that such social up
wOuldinevitably producer Would
you, OF you, OF your
If barley could not be matted and
brewed it would be no more valuable to
feed stock than corn. IL corn could not
be distilled it would have to fatten pork
If pork is raised in exeess of the de-
mands of our people for consumption
its price would decline to unTemunera.
tive rates. If our farmer, who now
from the surplus OF their crops, can ed
ucate their sons and daughters, and
clothe them in silks and fine clothes
could not sell their pork, barley 1and
corn and cattle except at less than il
cost them-tO produce these articles, they
could buy no silks nor broad cloths, mol
books nor pianos. Their daughters
would, therefore, be compelled to spin
and " cave the hOmespun tlannela and
/ DuJJ6rnuL k6TSeyS Oh Oluen IlU65, duC
the fathers to toll wearily to mill with
: the divided bag of grist' aid across the
plOWs horse, and live frugally every day
Finally, we ask the honest yeOmanry
of this great, liberal and enlightened
! state, is it wise to turn back the dial Oh
i the face of the clock, to forget the prog
ress of enlightenment written on cthI
) pages of the century, and go back t,
the bigotry of the|fniddle ages, to an as
> cetism not dreamedOf even by monks il
medieval times, for the purpose o
! humOring the weak sentiment
= ality of class of sOcia
? las we'll as religious bigOts, VIII,
! violate the laws of nature and falsif!
: even the Sacred Scriptures to trampli
social and political freedom under foot
| We say emphatically, MOI NOUNOlll
We must defeat these amendments
+ we must arouse and awaken the people
!. we must argue and exhOrt, and prin
q papers and pamphlets, and we mus
2 fstand at the polls on the 9th of OctObe
next, and see that as/many of the ballot
as possible that are deposited in tn
boxes are inscribed mo" to both tn
tirst and second proposed Constitution