The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-01-15
GOVERNOR HoADEY'S MESSAGE.

menu OF Une OCTOBER election, ana SIr1keS Ine
cholera in seventh page saying:
The visit of this disease to our country |
during the coming year is apprehended.
Cleanliness of person and estate, and pru-
dence in diet, will no doubt be resorted to, to
avert its attacks in all the State institutions;
and as these ought to be the normal condi-
tions, no special appropriation should be
necessary to secure them, But it will be well
to consider whether the ordinary appropri-
atiOns will be sufficient to meet the neeeSsa-
ry expenses of nursing medicine, medical at
tendance, and funerals in case of violent
outbreak of pestilence in the penitentiaYy,
or any of the other penal or benevolent in
sttutions of the State; and If not, whether
It Will not De the part OF wise economy 10
He recommends the repeal of legal dis
examinations on account of color. He says
of temperance:
Believing that the Executive Department
owes the duty of implicit obedience to the
doisions OF the &c court ID IN az asa cases.
monty known as the Scott law, as constitt1-
tonal, moreover, petceiving in it some OF the
berafcial features of license law, recon-
mended, in my inaugural address, that the
taxation imposed byit should be graduated in
proportion to sales, so that the burdens it
imposed might be better proportioned to the
benefits enjoyed, and the practical workings
of the law be brought into consonance with
sry s Of that hat address, address ess the Supreme % Court has
reversed its former decision, and held that
this law is not only in substance and prac-
tical effect, but also in letter and form,
license law, and therefore in contravention
of the Constitution.
With the consequences of this decision, the
court had nothing to do, but they called for
legislative action. The Judgment is put upon
the sole ground that this act created sys-
tenn of licenses inhibited by the Constitution.
The important question whether the sale of
property which has paid taxes, or is legally
listable for taxation, may be taxed in addi-
ton to the tax upon the property itself, was
not decided by the court But the Supreme
Court of the United States has twice decided
that taxation of the sales of property is the
TO ti<Nr,< <Nff ftar
as the Constitution of Ohio requires all prop
erty to be taxed by uniform rule according
to its true value in money, it would seem TO
follow that the taxation of sales, or of the
right to sell, at arbitrary ndlnon-discriminat-
ing rates, the double taxation of liquor, or its
taxation by rule different from that apPli.
Constitution 1t would also seem clear that
the payment of such taxes can not be rem
dered certain, and their collection effectuai,
without reSortng to the inhibited system OF
licenses, or legal permission
But the people of Ohio arein no mood to
leave the subject as it is There will be
change. Free trade in Intoxicating drinks
has been permitted so long that the patience
of the people has been outworn and the
choice is now only between restrictive RENE
dies. Three plans of action are proposed:
Trss I0 Te ana
gal enactment. Believing that the evil
against which we have to contend is in the
abuse, not the use, in the excessive, not the
moderate use of Intoxicating drinks, would
not vote for such an amendment, and can
not advise its submission to popular vote. Its
adoption would be an invasion of individual
liberty, which no majority has the moral
right to prescribe to an unwilling minority.
The most sober nations of the world are
those in which wine and beer are freely and
benefcially used as beverages and not among
the most sober are those American States in
which resort has been had to legal prohibi-
ton. The increase of forty per cent. from
1880 to 1885, in the number of dealers licensed
by the Federal Government to sell intoxi-
eating liquors in the State of Maine plainly
indicates that this method of restraint will
be Intellectual against the cravings OF COM
mon appetite, without the sustaining power
of a general public opinion, or of dominant
religious sentiment, as in Mahommedan
countries.
be easily affected, / do not doubt. Every
brewery and distillery in Ohio may be driven
into Kentucky and Indiana. and ruin dealt
to some of the branches of domestic indus
try now most fiourishing. But this will not
diminish drinking or reduce sales: it Will
only transfer the manufacture, with its
profits to other States, and lessen the reve-
nues both of citizens and the State.
Nevertheless, the evil, the excessive use of
LIQUOR, is real and it is the e ID duty 20 Of &c every
cept, example and vote. Two other remedies
are proposed:
| ton 1S which forbids licenses and empowers
| the General Assembly to provide by law
| only against the evils resulting from the sale
| leave the General Assembly free to prohibit,
| to license, or to adopt free trade-in short,
| to fight the evil in amy way, or to let it alone.
The objection to this plan of action is, FIRST,
| that it equally permits free trade and prohi-
bition; and, secondly, that it settles nothing.
On the contrary, it makes the temperance
| question the controlling issue in Ohio poll.
| tics for the future. Doubtless this would be
better than to adopt prohibition as per
| manent system by constitutional amend
| ment, for it does leave the people free to
| contend biennially against interference by
| sumptuary laws with their habits of life,
| and to sustain the power and duty of indi
| vidual self-control, but l respectfully submit
| that there is still a wiser plan of action, viz.
q scons@tiiitionai tin amendment providing for !
| license system with graduated taxation. The
| choice is really between license and prOhibl
| ton. Doubt can not be entertained that j
we fail to secure an effective system of re
stricted license and taxation, prohibition
| will follow.
The advantages of a license system are OBJ
| vious. The relief furnished to the taNpay
ers in 1888 by the Scott law may be cited a
one of its benefits. 1t supplies the money re
| quired to pay the expenses caused to thu
| commonwealth by excessive drinking. Blu
| it does more. Under this system men of baC
| repute can be prevented from engaging in
| the traffic 'low dives can be broken up
those who conduct it Illegally can be denie'
| renewals of their licenses, saloons can b.
| kept away from situations where they Civ
offense, the hours and methods of the traffi
can be regulated, and generally this business
| while protecting in its lawful exercise, cal
| be kept within that strict control necesSar
to preserveits usefulness, with the minimum
of dangers.
|
ity of the Scott law withdraws a large reve
nue.. 1t also involves the duty OF refundin
taxes to those from whom they have bee
illegally collected. 1t will be your duty t
provide means for enabling these inconveI
fences to be met and overcome. The peopl
| have had for one year the advantage OF on
| feature of license system, viz: its revt
nues That they must now refund them t
the individuals from whom they have bee
illegally withdraw, furnishes no reason VIII
| there should not be Il renewed attempt, COZ
| stitutionally made, to secure the enjoymer
| of its benefits
The question has not yet been presented t
the Supreme Court whether the ninth, tent
| and eleventh sections of the Scott law col
| stitute parts Of the unconstitutional schem'
| or whether they can he separated so as to /
saved from judicial condemnation. If thel
be doubt as to this it should be removed h
legislation. The Mint h section was cast in a
amended form by the present General A
sembly by the act of April IA, 1874 Isl y.
2OD Ii it be desired to preserve this sectio
in this form, it will be prudent to re'enact
| The Scott law undertook to amend Section
6,941 and 6,944, and thus to make lawful I'll
sale of Intoxicating liquors to be drank 9
the premises, to punish more severely sale
to minors and intoxicated persons, and
| delegate the control of the sale of beer an
native wine on Sunday to municipal corpor
| tons If the whole Scott law be condemne
as unconstitutional then original Sectior
6,941 and 6,944 are in force. This should III
be left in doubt, and the Scott and Pond law
having both been held unconstitutiona
| should be repealed, as unnecessarily cur
bering the statute books.
HOOKING VALLEY STRIKE.
have been called on to take official motto
of this strike by the Sheriff's demand
founded on a1leged-uecessity for the use
, military force to keep the peace in Hockir
County, and more recently at Jacksonville,
Athens County. From the outset, the oper
tors undertook to guard their property fro
injury at their own expense, and have co
tinucd so to do, employing large numbers
| armed men for that purpose. But it has a
| peared to the Sheriff of Hooking County il
possible to keep the peace of his bailiwi'
| Without military force from other parts
{ | the State. The great body of the strikiIl
| miners have been law-abiding, but compa
! atively small number of lawless and erin
nal men have seized occasional opportul
ties for mischief During the cour
{ of this protracted controversy, two valuat
mine hoppers, railway tunnel and thr
railway bridges have been burned. sever
mines set on ire, at least two armed attac
made on the guards employed by 0perato
| durinu ono of which 81 citizen murder