Daily Republican., 1883-10-08
The Eve the Battle.

Inere Is uOIAtuS lnolc ho" III tho
freemen of Ohio to do than to deposit
their votes in the ballot boxes 10 NOR
row. The campaign work is over each
party has done its best and the counting
of the ballots tomorrow night alone
will show which party has triumrhed.
The papers of either side claim vic
tory, some more, some less, but the Re-
publican papers with more confidence
than the Democrats. There is, how
ever, no Disgusting the fact that the re-
sult is in delightful state of uncer-
tainty. Were the issues nothing more
than contest between the two great
political parties upon old political is.
sues without the injection of new is
sues continually arising, there would
be no doubt of a decisive Republican
triumph, Notwithstanding the adverse
Democratic majority of some twenty
thousand at the start.
The contest hinges entirely on the
liquor question, and may be summed
up in the question - Shall there be
free whisky or taxation OF the traffic >"
Prior to two years ago there was prac-
tically free whisky law in Ohio. -
Anybody that wanted to set them selves
up as a liquor dealer could do 80 with
out fear Of the law, which required
them to become personally responsible
for the injury they might do, which
had become dead statute. Following
this and taking its place came what is
called the Scott law, which taxes the
traffic but very little higher than it is
taxed in Delaware.
This law brings over two million dol
lals per annum INTO the State and
County Treasures, and relieves the
burthens Of taxation from other indus
tries. BY so doing it has become i'm.
nensely popular, especially in the rural
districts.
Against the passage CT this law was
arraigned in general the Democratic
party Of Ohio, made stronger by the
German Republican voters who tlocked
over to the Democrats under the idea
that their personal liberties were being
taken from them. DI course Democrat
ic orators have made the most of this,
their speeches being devoted to soaring
and rOusing up the German vote under
the cunning plea that their liberties
were endangered and they would sooner
or later become vaSsalS and slaves t.
religious bigotry.
1t is not surprising that snch 1rSu.
nents should have their effect upon a
people jealous OF their liberties. Though
neither Of the two leading parties Of the
country are in favor Of prohibition there
is no disgusting the fact that the R4pub.
.:tan party has more Of The prohibition
element in II than the Democratic party
and though the Republican party can
not be depended upon to favor stralgh,
out prohibition, it can be depended
upon for the support of more strlc
regulation Of the liquor traffic This
difference has had the effect to drive th'
liquor vote Of the country az genera
rule Into the Democratic party, ana tina
vote being large one has strengthene,
that party and made it practically sub
servient to the liquor interest. In ONO
however, there ~ a strong Temperance
element in the Democratic party, alt'
ibis element is inclined to support m
Scott liquor law, which can only b
done by supporting the Republican
ticket. Thus while the Republican
are losing their liquor vote the Demt
Gratis are losing their temperance vote
In the large cities the Democrats vi
gain more than they looe, hut in III
rural districts the Republicans viii gai
more than they lose.
This makes the result very uncertain
AS it is practically a liquor contest an
both the liquor and temperance YUt
surprise anybody if the Democrats hay
IA ma Ority as large as they mad lat yea
and it need not be more ct SURPRISE
the Republicans have as hlg a majority
The summing uu ct tIr y uDIr itfllr /