The Republican journal., 1884-12-04
Free Trade, Free Rum, Free Beer.

The first undertaking of the Democracy will
be the reduction of the surplus in the treasury
This was one of their issues in the canvass. 1t
is proposed to wipe out $160,0000 900 of reve-
nues, by abolishing the taxes on whiskey and
tobacco. True, the money might be spent to
encourage national education in rebuilding our
dismantled forts, eDlarging the navy. reducing
the rates OF foreign postage and erecting proper
public buildings, but the Democrats say ''We
have the seaboard cities now, and our free trade
allies abroad will never seek to destroy them
and what is the use of forts and navies if for
eign countries do not care to make war upon
their customers i'll America? And as the ma
tons of Europe are to do the maritime busi-
ness it is no matter about our harbor improve
ments now. Let the British bottoms take care
of themselves if they float in our waters"
The proposition then, is to abolish the inter-
mai revenue system; take oft the tax on the
manufacture of beer; cease to charge any IL
cense tax on dealers in spirituous liquors; and
to naugurate that freedom in the right to man.
ufacture, keep and sell spirituouS malt liquors
which shall encourage every one who can buy
1t in quantities larger than pint, to keep the
1iuld Tor sale. In Ohio they have swept away
the tax on this traffic by declaring the Scott law
unconstitutional, and the Prohibtionist who
expects to live long enough after this to see his
ideas attain control of three-fourths of the
full freshness.
We shall have free whiskey and free beer
throughout the land. Distilleries and brewer
les VIII Increase in number and production.
Little shops and private drinking places will
multiply everywhere. In the seventeenth CEN
tury, in England. gin shops advertised "A man
can get drunk here for penny; dead drunk
1or TWO pence, and have straw thrown into the
bargain,' and ere long the indulgence NAV be
had at similar low rate in the United States.
The duties on production ana the license tax
have in "A great measure tended to keep the
manufacture and sale of intoXicants in the
hands of responsible men and women Now
with duties repeated and no cost of license the
business will be stimulated, competition will be
intense, old establishments will suffer and new
concerns start and flourish for a while, to be
succeeded by bankruptcy and ruin. The end
will be two-fold. 1t will cause our great local
staple manufacture to be seriously injured by
competition with those who will send into mar
ket an inferior article to that now produced
and which has such wide repue; and it will
multiply the places where liquors will be sold
by irresponsible parties. Jhe Davment of a
license tax in its effect caused many worthless
persons to be kept out of the traffic; but now
the gates will be opened and the results may be
easily imagined.
Bnt the Prohibitionsts knew this, of course
long IN advance of the election. Some who saw
this hastened to cut loose from the entangiing
alliance, while those who for selfish purposes
stuck to the st. John movement, and were re-
freshed by the contributions of the Brewers
association, ,--even dtvout men in some instanc-
es, we are tod,->ti carried the flag and Kept
step to the music of the Cleveland battalion.
while nominaliv supporting, but in name onlv
a prohibition ticket. To the real friends of
temperance and good morals. this stealing >.the
llNerY OF the court of heaven to serve the devil
in" has been sad sight, and in its results it will
prove Sc ious setback to that reform whose