Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-09-03
Democracy and Liquor License.

Once more the Ohio Democrats, speak
ing through their State Convention, have
declared in favor of licensing the liquor
traffic. The language Of the platform
adopted at Columbus is as follows: "By
the present Constitution of Ohio such. a
system is forbidden, We there
fore are in favor of a constitutional
amendment which shall permit such sys-
ten, and we promise its submission for
adoption by the people if the necessary
three fifths Of every branch of the next
Assembly be composed of Democrats" !"
If the authors of the platform, and the
convention which adopted it, had declar-
ed in favor of free liquor traffic they
would have been entitled to some little
credit for honesty. Their resolution
really means free trade in Intoxicating
beverages, for the men who set up the
platform well know that license of the
liquor traffic in this State is impossible.
The youngest Democrat now in existence
will not live long enough to see that sys-
tenn established in Ohio. The people
defeated license in 1851 and again in
fST4 by decisive majorities. Such facts
show that the people of Ohio are unal-
terably committed against license and
will undoubtedly defeat any party run
ming counter to their wishes. Now that
the Democrats have boldly hoisted their
colors and taken an open stand on this
question, the duty of temperance men.
whether Republicans or Democrats, be-
comes perfectly plain. If sincere, as
thousands of them undoubtedly are. they
cannot afford to stultify themselves by
voting directly with the Democracy or
by following the ignus fatuus of Prohi1
bition. Every vote cast for the latter is
just so much aid to the party which de-
clares its readiness to perpetuate the
liquor interest by granting it the right
to manufacture and sell the products of
the still. The Republican party, on the
contrary, acknowledges the liquor traffic
w 10 OIL ONlA, HbASbs IL ObO oOoOhSO VI
prohibition, should be regulated and tax
ed. Experience has shown that no better
plan than this has yet been produced to
restrict the traffic and destroy its worst
features. Even radical temperance men
must acknowledge that this is the better |
way to deal with an evil, which, in the |
cfato of rnblia /
be wholly eradicated. What do the Dem
Ocrats promise? Simply that, if, with |
the help of Prohibition votes, they suc+
ceed in electing three-ifths of both |
Houses of the Legislature they will sub
NIT an amendment to the Constitution
favoring license. Such an amendment
could not be acted upon by the people
until 1887, and would then suffer defeat
at their hands. In the meantime, and
afterward, an unrestricted traffic in liq+
uor would 60 on. This is something
which taxpayers, whether temperance
men or not, should consider. They have
it in their power to decrease their own
public burdens to the extent of a couple
of million dollars annually by insisting I
upon the enactment of law similar TO
the one destroyed by Democratic Su
preme Court. This, however, cannot be .
brought about by supporting party
which, under the guise of favoring liz ,
cense, really means TO maintain the statu !
quo as regards the liquor trafic.-Cleve-
land Leader.