Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-09-24
Remarks of Major Dodd.

Upon accepting the nomination for
State Senator, Major Dodd briefly ad-
dressed the Convention. After thank
ing the Convention of his nomination,
and asking them to present united
front to the common enemy he said:
~ believe that the skill, compe-
tency and honesty to perform the du-
ties of every official place in the gift of
the Democratic administration can be
found in the rank and file of the Demo-
cratic party. President Cleveland is
bound by his official oath to enforce the
tenure of office and civil service law as
they are written in the Federal statute
book. If they be unwisely written it is
for the legislative branch of the govern
ment to repeal or modify them. 1t is
his duty to enforce, and ours to sustain
him in the enforcement of the law
which, at the time of its enactment,
was the seeming truth which cunning
times put on to entrap the wisest.'
"The language Of the resolutions
adopted to-day may be coarsely and
vulgarly put, but it is nevertheless a
truism of popular governmet that to the
victors belong the spoils. The average
Democrat don't ask that these changes
be Unfortunately made. But to Illus
trate. When good legs are the only
qualification in the matter of the forty
five letter carriers in the city of Toledo,
outside the pale of the civil service law,
too, would it be regarded as indecent
haste-would it be subjecting our party
to the charge of being an organized ap-
petite to give forty-five Democratic
howe hot iphC thtrly s,,Ix
the party has been in pos ession of the
government for the past twenty years
l-pitiless, merciless, remorseless in its
search for spoil-wOuld have no just
cause for complaint"
On the topic of the traffic in intoxi-
eating liquors, he said that he was in
the city of Portland, in the State of
Maine, recently, with his friend John
Kumler, and purely from desire to
test the question as to whether prohi-
bition prohibits Qaughter)-any man
who has any regard for his mucus men,
brane won't drink Maine whisky
(laughter)-we asked the clerk Of the
hotel for a drink. He looked at us
aghast, but we had not gone ten feet
when a fellow nlotioned us to follow
him. We went down flight Of stairs,
through dark hall, up three flights of
stairs to the fourth floor of the hotel, in
the city of Portland, and the State of
Maine, in which prohibition is said to
prohibit, and there found a rum hole
and gin mill in full blast, and this, I
am told, is the case in every hotel and
lodging house in the State of Maine.
It is restrictive legislation that makes
liars, hypocrites and violators of law of
one half of the population of that State.
Admit that the liquor traffic is an un-
mixed evil. 1t has existed from the
day of Noah's maudlin drunkenness,
and will exist down to the last syllable
of recorded time. Wise legislation will
take hold of it and regulate it. Submit
to the people,, direct a proposition
enabling the legislature to enact grad
ed license law. License and restriction
will naturally go hand in hand, and
thus while controlling the traffic we
will make oft a source of revenue to
the State" eIH
Maj. Dodd closed with a prediction
of Democratic success. His speech was
received enthusiastically and with
great applause. .s -.-rs.