Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1883-07-26
THE KEYNOTE.

|
ton OF Judge Foraker's substantial and
dignifed speech at Hamilton. on Satnr
day night. 1t is IA square and manly
statement OF the Republican position
which will command attention through
oHt the State:
| Coming back nov to the Scott law, i
is not my purpose to discuss it at length
at this time. l want, however, to SAY
this much: The Republican party en-
acted it, and we are standing squarely
! upon it. For doing so we have no apoi
! ogies, explanations or excuses to offer
| WeIlo not claim either that it will give
entire satisfaction to every man and ev
cry class of men in the State; there ar,
very few laws that do. But we do CLAIM
that it is better than anything we hav,
| had III this State since the adoption oi
the present Constitution. For thirty
years the traffic has had free trade ant
been practically free from all taxation
During all this time it has been growing
in strength. multiplying its evils and in
creasing the costs of government. Thi!
has been profitable to the dealers, bu
unjustly expensive to the people whC
have had to foot the bills.
IL is strange that such a condition o.
things should have been so long tolera
ted, but we have been halting between
supposed constitutional restrictions anC
diversity of opinion as to how this ques
tion should be handled. 1t has been {
troublesome question. 1t belongs to thai
class with respect to which mems con-
| ,vfa ia1l
| But at last. i'll this measure we have
something that takes hold of the ques
tlon in practical way, and while, as
nave said, it may not entirely suit eve
ry man, yet it is unquestionably the
wiSest and the most just and equitable
| solution of this question that has evel
| yet been enacted.
1t not only affords authority to regu
late the traffic and repress its evils, but
it also compels it to share the burdens
of taxation which it so largely helps to
create. Its contribution in Cincinnati
this year is more than 100000; in
Cleveland moro than 100000, and in
other cities in like proportion, aggrega.
ting S2,000,000. AS result. the proper
| ty-owners OF the State will not be called
on to pay any taxes this year for poor
house puTpoSes-the tax from this
source being sufficient in almost, if not
quite all, the counties of the State to
meet the requirements of that fund.
SO far, we are well satisfied with the
law, and we intend to enforce it and
give it fair trial.
In the meanwhile, our Democratic
friends are attacking this measure. They
are opposed to the taxation of the liquor
traffic unless it be in the impossible
name of license. When they talk to the
liquor interests they denounce the law
as sumptuary legislation, and an inter
ference with personal liberty, and when
they talk to others they brand it-at
least Judge Hoadly does-as scheme
to authorize saloon keepers for 5000 a
head to make as many drunkards as
they please. He wants the law repeal
ed and judiciously graded license sys-
TEN substituted.
Who knows better than Judge Hoad-
ly does that a license system IS prOhib-
tied by our Constitution, and that an
amendment of our Constitution so as to
authorize it is an absolute impossibility ?
The people of this State have twice de-
feated license by overwhelming majOri-
ties, and to submit third proposition
would be nothing short of absolute tri-
fling.
What then does this Democratic prop
osition mean, that we shall repeal the
Scott law and substitute a license sys-
TEN, but step backward to that abso-
lutte free trade which We have endured
and been perplexed to escape from for
thirty-years?
On the day l was nominated l said of
this law that if permitted to stand it
would continually grow in favor until
the day of election.
That was six weeks ago. The law
has been permitted to stand. l am of
the same opinion now that [ expressed
then. So far my prediction has been
fulfilled. The law has grown in popu-
larity far beyond what was anticipated
for it by it's most sanguine friends. So
popular in fact it has become that if the
Democrats should secure the next Leg
islature they would not dare attempt it's
repeal.
And yet this, and this only, was the
basis of all Democratic hope six weeks
ago. They thought they could ALLEVIATE
the great body of the German Republi-
cans by the demagosical cry of sump-
tuary legislation and personal liberty.
Thsy have ignominiously failed. The
German Republicans of Ohio are men
of sense. They are thoughtful and sin
cere men. They believein good govern
rnent, and they are not opposed 10 a just
and equitable distribution of the bur
dens of taxation. They can see and ap-
.i.,fr i,I- IN nyi, do al l,a
necessity for regulation of this traffic.
and the propriety and justice Cf sub
jecting it to taxation, aud making il
help bear the burdens that tntemperance
imposes upon the people. They can see,
too, as quickly as anybody else, that the
cry of sumptuary legislation and per-
sonai liberty is but a false appeal to
their supposed prejudices, and that it is
based on anything but "a complimentary
estimate of their intelligence.
Germans are not to be thus deceived
but ] need not speak further for them
They will speak for themselves on the
second Tuesday of October next; and
depend upon it, they will so speak as to
effectually rebuke all such s.anderous
and libeloas insinuations against their
character The Republican party in
Ohio was never more united than it is
to-day. 1t was never more seriously in
earnest. 1t was never more deserving
of success, and it never achieved a more
decided victory than that which is to
crown its efforts in this campaign.
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The Amendments.
The Ohio State Journal has the fol-