The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-09-05
THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION.

The great body of the American people
are thoroughly practical. They do not
waste their energies III visionary schemes;
they donot follow any will-o' -the-wisl'; they
are direct in speech and direct in action.
They think clearly and vote intelligently.
If they are interested i'll public cause,
they seek its accomplishment through the
appropriate channels. They do not pursue
it through avenues which. howeverdiligen-
tly followed, could never lead to the object.
If they want to deal With the tariff, they do
not expect to do it through the election of
local or State officers And if they want
to deal with the temperance question, they
do not expect to do it through the election
of Congfessmcn or President.
This is the reason why the effort to throw
the temperance issue into the national can
vass by stirring the Prohibitionists on the
one side or the Germans ON the other.
will he Il signal failure. For every intelli-
gent man understands that neither the Pre-
sident nor Congress las any power or
authority over the liquor traffic They
have nothing more to do with this matter
than they have with the question whether
the Bible shall be read in the common
schools. These are isslIes which come
wholly within the control of the State.
Their regulation and direction fall within
the compass of State Legislation. If pro
hibitory action is to be secured or if it IS to
be prevented. it must be through the state
representatives who hold the State author
ity.
There is no way in which the President
can exercise any power on the subject.
Even Congress is absolutely powcrlcss to
| consider the temperance question except
within the narrow domain of the District
of Columbia. The whole matter belongs
to the States and not to the Federal Govern
ment. The only way by which either the
President or Congress could acquire any
authority to deal with the liquor traffic
| would be through an amendment 10 the
Constitution: and the Constitution can only
he amended by the concurrent action of
the Legislatures of tlIree-fourthS of the
States This process would require pop
llldf 81 pNtIN siN " t'tii
nearly thirty States, and SO definite i'll its
purpose that the majority of both branches
of the Legislatures of all of these States
would agree in the exact terms of the
amendment. Every rational man knows
that this result is morally impossible. Ii
it could be consummated at all. it would
require many years to reach it, and . vote
for or against Presidential candidate
with reference To the temperance question
would have no more to do with il than last
years Snow-Storm.
All this is elemental, and yet it is i'm
portant to impress it in answer to the per-
sistent attempt to thrust the temperance
issue into the national canvass. There are
not many who will be deceived. and the
number will grow smaller as they come 10
reflect upon the folly of determining their
vote on the Presidency 10y their feeling ON
a question which has nothing whatever To
do with the national contest There is 10
ground either of direct effect or of moral
influence on which this diversion can he
justified, and sensible men will see it,
J,eSs