The Wilmingtonian., 1885-11-14
gIe great. gisn!lllI syiI m IN

tics. 1t is the very essence of selflshnoss
and looks upon politics and political parties
only with an eye single to strengthening
ITSELF 1t is as active as the devil who
stands behind it, and it has power possess
ed by nothing else OH earth. It's business is
to unfit men for calm and dispassionate
Judgment aud control them for its own pur-
pose. The Brewer and Distiler, and their
agents, the wholesale aud retail dealers, have
bnt one object in dabblng in politics, and
that is to strengthen themselves. They hate
Sunday laws because the workingmen are
idle on Sundays and they want that day to
rob them of their weeks wages. They hate
churches, for every man safe in a church is
safe from their influence. They hate schools,
for schools are Numerically opposed to
their neiarious business.
To control the law making power they are
in politics with better organization, more
money, and more votes than any other Or
ganized power in the country, and they
WELD their power mercilessly.
In the beer controlled cities of the country
fidelity to beer is made the condition of sue
cess 50 far as it it is possible. No ma
ter what the Office is, the candidate to get
the beer vote must declare allegiance to this
power. There is a reason apparent why they
should hold Mayors, Prosecuting Attorneys,
members of councils and officers of that ma
tare to a strict accountability, but they 90
farther than that. They want Co show tile
power they have, that aspirants may make
haste to declare their allegiance and turn
over to them their influence. They control
caucuses, and make it understood that no
man need aspire to any position who does
not how the knee TO this Molocb, and pledge
himself to assist in this horrible warfare
upon humanity.
And what power it wieds In Toledo
| are five breweres, half-dOZen wholesale
liquor houses, and 800 retail shops. This
vote is invariably thrown in mass, in any
election which can i'll any way affect the
Rum business. They control more than
their own votes. There are hundreds of
loafels whose votes can be had for a weeks S
beer; there are the various trades dependent
more or less upon the liquor business, and
the natural influence that any body of
slrewd interested man exercise over weak
men. This power that they ield can be
easily comprehendel.
And they use the power they have mer-
cilessly. Good men neglect caucuses and
primaries on very slight excuses, but the
liquor interest is always there. 1t nevet
fails because it has pocket interest in both
nominations aud elections. II wants con
troll of the government, municipal, county,
state and national 1t aspires To be the sole
source of power, TO the end of compelling
aspirants for place to bow to its mandates
and worship at its shrine. And sad to say,
this influence has come very near to sei2ing
everything it desires to control
1t is high time that the decent portion Of
the community should combine, even as the
enemies Of society have done. Power OF evi
should be met and combatted by power fol
good. AS the liquor interest is wagiug
fight against humanity, the friends of hu
manity should organized in self-dofense
The home, the church, tho school, the state
are all involved in this question, for ruu
threatens the destruction of all, 1t is under
mining everything that is good it is destroy
ing everything that is IN any wsy opposed L
eyil,--7o'e90 Bla&s.