The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-08-02

sells whisky is, in the Judgment of the Demo-
cratic party, a wrong exaction. The Demo
measures burdens by benefits or by the injury
which is prevented by burdens, but to tax a
keeper who has her little family to rear-or, if
YOU please, u stronger case, to tax a grown
man who might get a living otherwise, 500,
when he sells in the course of the year but
81 COO worth, and to tax the wholesale mer-
chant but 500 when he sells his million dol
lars worth of goods, seems to the Democratic
Therefore we propose a graduated license
tax, not an arbitrary exaction, the same to
man-all alike, as If each operated the same,
whether the amount sold be 100000 a year or
Now. INV friends, 1 want to come a step |
further. [ said the Supreme Court had upset
the Republican platform-for that is exactly
platform declaring for taxation for revenue,
the supreme Court put a pry to, and Just up
set it Judge Hoadly here read a lengthy ex;
Now, according to this, had this law been a
law for revenue, it would have been uncon-
Republican plank, which is, THAT we approve
of the taxation of the liquor traffic for reve-
nue." is an attack on the Constitution OF
do not question the correctness OF the re-
peated decision of this Court" that the Sec
ton of the Constitution which requires taxa
ton to be on property according to its true
value in money, furnishes the governing
principle for laws levying taxes for general
revenue. III IulS ctCtI III CClciOI JIG ou-
prone Court have reiterated the opinion which
seven different times in the history of Ohio
after the adoption of the Constitution and
continuing down to the Pond bill decision,
that a taxation on trafhc as such, when that
traffic consisted in the exchange or sale of
property is not a constitutional law; and they
Distinguished the Scott bill in saying it is con-
stitutional because the law is not a mere law
for the imposition of a tax. but is a law to
which the tax is a "mere incident"
Now, have l not shown that the Republican
n-&. lo,s,al 70 tar the traffic 0s xual az tho
property? For, bear in mind, that all of the
property is taxed-the real estate occupied in
trafbc. the furniture and the liquors-they are
all taxed by the same law, assessed by the
same Assessor, returned by the same Assessor,
the tax on other property. Bear in mind, fur
ther, that the Government of the United
on the property involved in this traffic than
on any other property in the country. It taxes
this property alone, and only now in addition
Now, then, we have it thus us our conclu-
sion, that the Supreme Court have ascer-
tained hat a tax for revenue on the traffic. in
addition to the tax put on property engaged
in the traffic, is unconstitutional.
And now, why was this law held to be con-
stitutional? For this reason:
1--WE think the direct tendency OF these bur
douS is to reduce the number OF places where
such traffic is conducted and the number OF
persons engaged in it, and, per consequence,
the quantity of liquors drank. Hence it is
hiIOcoibiS W Cay Nh<S YAM w. wa"
not be diminished"
The Supreme Court thought so then; do
they think SO now, and will,they think so a year
hencef We can not tell. / do not just see
where the per consequence" comes in. How
reducing the number of places and the num-
Der of persons who sell is going to diminish
the quantity of liquor drank, 1 do not see.
unless it reduces them SO much as to make It
inconvenient to get at places where liquor is
sold. And then, / have noticed i'll my expo
rience that when it is announcement for a fellow
to get a drink he generally takes two, and
sometimes more. Laughter L should say
non seQtitatr, not per consequence
Well, now, it is not u great while since this
case has been decided. Every man / am
talking to absolutely knows that there will be
as much liquor drinking in Ohio during the
next year aus there was during the last year.
That is a dead sure thing. Every man in my
hearing knows that the number of places at
which liquor has been sold has not been sensi-
bly, diminished by the operation of the Scott
law. What is the conclusionI Why it is this:
The Supreme Court says that the Scott Law is
constitutional, because it will diminish the
number of places ut which liquor is sold, and,
per consequence" the number of drinks
which mouths will swallow will be diminished
Now, in fact, the Scott Law will not diminish
drinking. 1t is constitutional for what it does
not do, and unconstitutional for what it does
do. Laughter and applause.l
Now, feilow-cilizens, the second plank of the
Republican platform upon the subjectof State
affairs is this:
THAT we the action of the Gen.
eral Assembly of the State in providing q
commission to examine into the system of
prison contract labor, and we declare our.
selves in favor of the abolition of said contract
system"
1t is a fact that the labor of prisoners In ouI
Penitentiary is sold at public vendue to the
highest and best bidder, and that this labor is
paid for ut various rates. from forty cents 9
day up to about seventy-ive cents d day, al
the maximum. 1t is a fact that six years age
John ~Fehrenbatch a Republican Representa-
tive in the Legislature from Cuyahoga County
"a mechanic by profession, now Government
Inspector of steamboat boilers, and u resident
of Hamilton County-introduced a resolution
asking for investigation into the convict con
tract labor system. 1t is afact that Mr.. Ogle
wee, who is now the Chairman of the Repub
ican State Executive Committee, and the
head under Governor Foster of the Republic
can machine in Ohio, and candidate for re
election of Auditor of State, voted against
that resolution. 1t is a fact that o Fehr
enbatch's resolution was carried, and wen
into effect by an exhaustive examination o
nesses being officers of the P~enitentiary
convicts, contractors and mechanics
, into competition with whom this sal
of labor was brought. It is
!, fact that the committee which was creates
under MIR. Fehrenbatch's resolution reporte(
= against the system of contract convict labor
. . and submitted their testi nony, and that moth
4 ing was done in pursuance of that resolution
: and that examination, and nothing was don
r during last winter Mr.. Peet, a Republical
member from Hamilton County, a represents
8 tive of the mechanics and laborers of tn
: State, who desire to destroy the system o
slave labor in our midst, introduced a bill 70
b that purpose, and supported it with all tn
fact that the Republican House of Represen,
. atives defeated the bill and adopted in lieu o
o it this resolution: Judge Hoadly then rea
= of a special commission to investigate the sui
ject1 Now the Republican platform CON
mends the Legislature for adopting tha
= scheme of examination. If the Republica
platform had stopped there, had simply con
mended the Legislature for adopting ths
scheme and gone no further, 1 could have see
d some sense in it. But that is not the Who'll G
the Republican plank. What is the object c
"a that Commission? 1t is to investigate in orde
i. vestigate what2 Investigate the questio
whether the contract convict system shall b
le abolished or not, because the Legislature lisa
e the evils of the contract convil
system, or if they think best, its abolition, c
a such alterations as they think ought to b
made. And now, when the Legislature adop
ed that resolution, it was undoubtedly i
m Commission shall have reported. The repol
of the Commission is to be: Shall the col
,e not, what shall be substituted in its placer
n continued, what is necessary in order to r
lieve against the abuse and evils incident
the system. And the man that CONNER
that resolution commends investigation, fC
the purpose of basing Intelligent action upo
tt the subject. If a mans mind is not made u
is he wants light; he wants information; he
s. waiting for the facts; he has got out a Con
m mission to tell him what the facts are, an
" uHIll Ne BcS JIe TtpOft ut LII L prepared
N act. But the Republican party were pr
pared to act, for they not only commende
lie the Legislature for appointing this Commi
u sion, but also declared themselves in favor G
the -%sntract system-both at the same tim
n Was there ever anything more absurf
Il. are you on? Are you for investig
,r ton, or abolition, or both? If for bot
TO which first? To investigate first, an
le to abolish afterwardsI If you al
lg in favor of abolition, what are you in favor
10 Investigating? Your answer! That is VIII
1t they call in Scotland, "Jedboro' justice
Is where, when they get a thief "redhanded
r, that is with the spoils on his person, they haI
1t him and try him afterwards. Laughter TIL
or is about what it is. Now, 1 don't know; n
d. brother Foraker is a man of great capacit
1t and it may be that by some mental power, {
Iy by some legerdemain, the two legs of his i
L tellect may straddle and cover both of the
" plankS. But Idon't see how. / think this
81 nothing but one of the beauties of Republics
lie literature. They were not quite sure of the
+ principles, and the Supreme Court had n
n given them their prescription land they had
J. write it themselves. And so they wrote the
praaarirfipp M, tho ,,,arr,,ac+;E, pt.a-,r