The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-04-25

submission, and shut its eyes, stop it's ears and
close its mouth upon the liquor traffic. with its
consequent drunkenness and Generalization,
that is sapping the foundations of our social and
national life for the purpose of securing to the
party the votes Of bad citizens, because States
and communities are not so organized as to
be always under the entire control of good citi-
/ ZenS
This suicidal policy of bowling before the
| demon of the liquor traffic, by the politicians
and political parties, and doing its bidding for
the sake of the votes it can bring to them, is
what has removed us further from the
! legal suppression of intemperance now
than we're thirty years ago; beset the ques-
! ton with more difficulties than ever before
| and so disorganiZed and demoraliZed communl-
| ties and States that they are not now under the
control of good citizens, but are controlled by
| the worst class of our rioting population.
| Elated by this weak kneed homage, the ad-
| vocates of the liquor traffic have become defiant
and domineering and have assumed to control
political parties and legislatures, and in conse-
quence Of its intolerant spirit it has become an
objectionable political sin to be temperance
man, while to be friend of the Sabbath it is
necessary to endure the opprobrium of being a
! fanatic, and to be a sober American citizen,
with American habits and feelings, is little less
! than a misfortune.
But Temperance Republican seeks, to support
his confessedly hopeless policy by making the
| IMPRESSION Illdb tne hepuDLcdn party Oh lue
State was defeated two years ago on
account of its resolution in favor of
the submission of the prohibitoTy
amendment, because the Democratic party car
RED the State, and the amendment was lost and
was not submitted. This argument Is as destl-
tute of force as his policy is of hope.
In the first place, while it is true the Demo-
Gratis carried the State two years ago, it is also
true that they have carried it at every State
| election in the "off year since 1872, and for
Governor at two out of three State elections in
the presidential years, including 1872, and once
for both Governor and President. The Demo
cratic majority i'll 1874 was 1885 in 1873 a. lib
and two years ago about 10 000 less majority
| than in any off year since 1872. This, in view
of the fact that two years ago there was a
groundswel in favor of the Democracy all over
the country, with their maiorties in such Re
| publican States as New York, Massachusetts,
Ohio and Michigan ranging up TO POO, 600, proves
that the submission issue in Indiana did
not defeat the Republican party in
1857, but that, on the contrary, it
prevented the Democratic majority in
the State from reaching 20, COO In other words,
! the Republican party was stronger i'll the State
| two years ago. with the issue of submission, by
10000 votes, than it would have been without it.
! In the next place the submission Of the amend
ment was not defeated but was carried in the
State at the election, and was lost in the State
| Senate, because three Republican senators, one
| of whom was elected upon the platform pledged
to its submission, refused to abide by the res6lu
Yet, upon the strength ofthis argument, Tenn
! perance Republican arrives at the alarming con
clusion that for the Republican party to advance
! a second step in the right and in the cause of
the people, would imperil the best interests Of
the whole nation, because this Is the year of the
| presidential election, and the result of death
struggle with the Democratic party may depend
upon Indiana.
| If Temperance Republican will grasp
| the courage of the right, the facts of
| history and the logic of events, instead of
taking counsel of his fears, and standing dumb
in the presence of the enemy, his alarm may be
dspelled, and he may be able to solve the follow
| ing mathematical statement: If the issue of sub
mission Cthe first step in the right by the Bepub-
| lcan party on this question: cut down
the comparative Democratic majority in
the State 10000 votes, and the act
ual majority of the last ''off wear" 400
votes, how much will the issue of prohibition
| 1.-THE second stepin the right add to the Repub-
lican majority of 1880, in the presidential year
| of 1884,
AS to the suggestion by Temperance Repub-
lican of the necessity of saving the country in d
death struggle with the Democratic party this
| year, glance at the political history of the ma
| ton will show that the Republican party has
| been progressing with that good work for TWEEN
ty-fiye years; that it has been we'll done, and is
| we'll nigh completed. 1t saved the country
| in a death struggle" with the Democratic
| party, from slavery, and established free
| donl from treason and rebellion, and
| vinaicated loyalty and patriotism; from de
| struction by war, and perpetuated the Union,
and from reputation, and maintained the faith
and credit of the nation. 1t only now remains
to save it from the curse and ruin of the liquor
| traffic and establish prohibition against the
| same old, oft-defeated enemy the Democratic
| party. And that enemy has been in its death
| struggle for twenty-five years. and its death
rattle" has been heard by the nation every four
| years for quarter Of century in defense of
some expiring evil Why should the grand
| victorious. Republican party fear to Join issue
with it upon the last great moral and political
evil left to disturb the peace and prosperity of
I the countryl w. NJ. LAND
/ PRINCETON, Ind,