Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-04-10

For reasons which they deem good.
no ljority of the men in Ohio would rath
or that the liquor question should not
be made political or party issue, but
who believe that this traffic should be
subject to regulation and special taxa
tion, ,as il is in all civilized countries. But
they would be unworthy Of liberty if
The demand Of this traffic to subordinate
the Legislature. the State Executive and
judiciary, and every department of local
government did not raise in them
spirit of revolt at such degrading rule.
When this issue shall be fully accept
ed. can any rational man believe that
tn. Democr tic party can stand before
i The party leaders do not think SO.
Chey dare not openly carry out the bar
gain they made with the liquor associa-
ion for aid in the election. Even the
least rational of the dealers think it i'm
polite to compel the patry to repeal the
Scott law squarely. What is all this
but an admission that it would be un-
wise to make the temperance ques-
ton political issue?
But are they not pldnging into it by
their determination to destroy the Scott
l'wf Shall not they who have hitherto
resisted the making of temperance the
issue of parties ask how they can have
any compromise with traffic which ex-
cites all its powers of ,olitical warfare
against SO mild regulation as this? 1t
they fully provoke this issue, can the
Democratic party save them? The par
ty managers know that il can not, and
t ley use the devices of cowardice and
deception to escape it. And when they
shall have provoked the people OF 0hi0
to this direct contest will it cot be fed
by the feeling that the degradation Of
every branch of the municipal govern
ment is because of the rule of the Saloon
| keepef5?
The successful workings of the SEQ [
law was an excellent situation for TAT
| liquor dealers TO let alone. And thert
- beautiful irony in the fact tha.
| Lhey Can have the applause of the Pro
niOltionists ia breaking down. Sig 5
,re IN the air VIII ch any but the mad
can see. be Democratic Legislature.
whicn is grOveiiDg under this demand,
fears the consequence. Even the mai
1T # the dea .ers, while insisting az
he Dpn.d, adult tha, the partv can no:
II nd 81, III, ks a. directly.
fniS paper EARNESTLY adlo-.d.r th
extension ul the iiui,dtd period bi d.
tIIlrd spirils, Believing ii JUS pubiic l.,'l
Icy. and that tnIs, In revenue matteT-
should he treated on the same prluclp!.
IS any other manufacturing Industry
| rhe public kD w that the failure of the
DOnd extension bill In ths- last session Oi
the Republican Congress was In large
degree caused 0y Republican resentment
| for the alliance of the lIqurr association
with the Democratic party.
But Democratic House came in; did
| that relieve the distillers? At the late
Democratic caucus, when this bill, for
| which so much hard work had ebeen
done, was near to the point of final ac
| tion, its friends did not dare to bring it
up. When put to the vote in d House
overwhelmingly Democratic. it Was lost,
Mr.. Randall, the foremost Democrat iu
the Eastern States, who stands as high
as any one in the line of Presidential
| availability, opposed it with all his
might. This gave his estimate of the
comparative force of the temperance
sentiment and of the liquor influence in
| the Democratic party.
Is there no significance in the fact
that in the Ohio election last October
323,ls votes, out of total of 632, ,lS9,
were cast for amending the Constitution
so as to prohibit the manufacture and
sale of all Intoxicating drink? Yet the
issue was distracted by an alternative
amendment for regulation and taxation.
which received 99.S49 votes. On the
day that this graded bill passed the
Senate, petitions we're presented in the
House, with almost a quarter of mil
lion of signatures, asking for new sub
mission of prohibition amendment. Is
there nothing in all this to warn the
madmen who demand the abolition of
the exceedingly moderate Scott revenue
law, in order that they may show to the
people of Ohio that the saloon keepers
rule Ohio politics, command the General
Assembly, dictate decisions of the Su
preme Court, and control every branch
of municipal government.-Cin. Com.
Gazette.