Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-09-18
BY no Means an Insult.

The Milwaukee .Seatinel says: mo
greater insult could be offered to the
German voters of this city than is given
by the manner the canvas is being con-
Quoted. 1t is assumed that the Ger
man part of the population have no
care or anything except beer drinking"
The fact is, beer drinking, in and of
itself cuts no figure. 1t is the attack
upon the inalienable rights of the citi-
zen. 1t is the attempt to control the
habits, customs and mode of living of
the people. 1t is the interference with
and curtailment of the natural rights of
the individual. 1t is in defense of q
great principle that the Germans pro-
test against sumptuary legislation.
The Prohibitory legislation in Iowa
has been aimed directly at the Ger
mans. In the name and on behalf of
the State of Iowa the Germans were in
vited to come to that State principally
because they could raise forty bushel of
barley to the acre, and the soil and eli
mate were admirably adapted to grow
ing grapes. Beer and wine were the
leading inducements held out by the
Iowa Emigration pamphlet. Agents
were sent to Germany to induce the
Germans to emigrate to that State.
They went there by the tens of thous-
ands. Many of them engaged in the
business that was held up to them in
such bright colors. The laws were
changed to suit the growing of barley
and grapes-the provisions of an old
old law prohibiting the manufacture
and sale of ale, beer and wine were
eliminated from the prohibitory law.
BY aid of the German vote the State
gave $4,000 republican majority. Con-
scious of their ability without the Ger
man vote to maintain q solid footing,
and persuaded by the radical element
of the party, the Republicans repealed
the ale, beer and wine clause, laid DESC
late the barley fields, laid waste the
vineyards, confiscated millions of dol
lars worth of brewery property, and in
formed the Germans if they did not
like that way of doing things, "the ships
which brought them to these shores
could take them back.n So much for
the property of the Germans.
But the insult does not end here. The
Germans are celebrated for their socia-
bility and family gatherings. They
have their halls, club-rooms and other
places of resort. At these gatherings
they talk, and drink their beer and
wine. The law swoops down on all
these and blOts them out. Is there no
insult in this legislation? Was there no
insult intended?
The Germans would be less than hui
man if they did not rise up as one man,
and resent this great insult. 1t is o
question of inalienable right guaran-
teed them by the Constitution of the
land. 1t is a question of individual
freedom and personal liberty. 1t is the
same old attempt to force upon the
people taxed tea and stamped paper.
The remedy then was revolt and blood
this because there was no ballot box
to resort to. The insult to- Iowa must
be resented by other states. 1t must
be resented or the people of other states
will find like legislation staring them
in the face. The remedy now is revo-
luton, but it must come through the
ballot box and not through the bayo-
net. To say the remedy will not be
applied is to insult the conservatism of
every liberal minded citizen. 1t is no
longer question of nationality. 1t is
q question of liberal justice and equali-
ty. The blow in Iowa aimed so unmis-
takably at the Communications, hits
human rights everywhere. To say
that advising ballotresistance to such
tyranny is an insult to the class strick-
en- down, is of itself the greatest possi-
BILE insult to that class.