The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1885-09-24
DEMOCRACY: - PROHIBITIONS
LOCAL OPTION.

LOCAL CP TON.
Our Lancaster correspondent makes
substantially the following points in
response to THE HERALD's recent edi-
torial on prohibition aud local option,
and which we VIII here notice. He
GAYS:
Fbat-"Prohibition and local option
arc identical" The reply is that they
are so in nature, but not in the matter
OF oxpediency of use, nor in Justice OF
operation; and therein turks tho fall
lacy that oonfuses. a precinct, or
county, may BIO almost unanimous,
under tho existing constitutional pro-
vision, sortbe adjustment OF liquors
from its limits, and yet the great ma
jority of the State are opposed 10 it.
Second-"Every probibtionist has
aligned himself with that wing OF the
Democracy favorlng local option"
Suppose we grant this, where is the
harm to result? There arc any mum
Der of genuine, true-blue Democrats
favoring local option in their counties,
who would oppose State prohibition
Just 20, ,here are many pure Demo-
Gratis who vote as they please in mu-
nicipal election, but invariably adhere
rigidly to the State and National ticL-
eta
Thiid-"In every prohibition aud
local. option issue the fight is against
Democracy" Not at ell tho case.
There now lies before us one of the
leading dailies of Maine, complaining
bitterly that "the Republican party
has in every way opposed prohib,-
tion," and giving facts as to
such end. PROFESSOR HOPKINS, in
the "Hsnd-Book of Prohibition"
saws: "The beer voteis essential to Re
publican success, IS the whisky vote Is
to Democracy. Imperative to both par
tics, the saloon is upheld by both, and
will bo closed by neither. Twice have
Republican tricksters thought TO foe!
temperance men in this State OF New
York. They are not to be trusted, and
wa accept the inevitable" Further
| than this, viii our correspondent be
pleased to recall the immense colorea
aud Republican vote against prohib!-
ton and local option in McLennan aud
other counties?
Enthusiastically not men, m axe
Democracy, and the tact THAT good
Democrats favor localoption does ne.
make it Democratic doctrine" That
is true, but be it always remembered
that men formulate principles and
policies. And, to be logical, our
correspondent ia bound TO show
that local option is antl-Den-
ocratlc, on principle. This wilt be a
Eerculean task for him, when the
Democracy is, in tho fact, divided Or
he question, and strong Democratic
States, under Democratic Legislatures,
are almost unanimously against him
The moment we make local option q
pure sumptuary law, that momen5
confusion worse confouaGod boils ov er
with all manner of intricate incon-
sistencies and laughs at the srtag-
onisms it creates. The police regul%-
ton doctrine adjusts all difficulties.
Ficth-"Parsons have not mace pol
itics a study, and hence are not safe
leaders" All, but, "Anti," neither
had they made the military" a study,
aad yet, when the time came, they
proved tho safest, snd bravest, and
hest of leaders, as evidenced by POLK,
LEWIS, GANo, and host OF others.
And our party hailed the vic
tory when BEEcHER proclaimed
for CLEVELAND. But those spar
sons' have made study OF
moral science, out Of which political
economy is evolved, and about which
thew know infinitely moro than the
untutored foreigner, or home laborer,
or colored citizen, whose time is all
absorbed by that constant toll re-
quired for his family's daily bread.
Nay, do not paddock tho parsons lips,
when his right hand from SCARED
body brought us victory.
Sixth-He "fears the Democrats will
wander away unconsciously." we
have nothing in response to this.
We trust the soundness of our princi-
pies, ana the fidelity and good sense
of our hon sehold more than that. We
must bs in sad way as against pro-
hibition If this latter can entice $4,000
Democratic majority from our fold.
Seventh-'Tt is the great political
q nc stion to-day" Yes, with the pro-
hibitionists in their Peter-thc-Hermit
crusede against the "sccursed Jeruss-
LAM But e. should not be a party issns
with tue Democracy, and ve will Int
hurt ourselves 70 make 1t so. We
simply want to let the local cption law
alone, as it now stands, and knock
State prohibition in the head every
time It hobs mp ssrenely, or otherwise
like BANoUo's ghost