National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-10-16
Prohibition We Cannot Have.

EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,: eau
imagine nothing more acceptable to your
readers at the present time than the offer
Of your columns for fair discussion OF the
liquor question hut | am astonished that
the ultra enthusiastic element have not
more fully availed themselves Of this oppor-
tunity to ventilate their pet theme.
These people, who are always just ready
to get the world by the tail and shake the
devil of 1t, somehow invariably manage to
deel their pack in such a way that his Si-
tanic majesty holds the winning card.
Quite IA number u states have, from time
TO time, adopted prohbitory, or local OPP.
tlOn, laws; but not one of them, so far as
am aware, have done 50 by third party
movement. Such attempts have always sig-
n0lly failed, aud invariably left the temper
ance cause In worse situation than II would
have been had there been no such move
ment. This result is exactly what would be
looked for by logical mind, for II they
cannot control one of the parties how can
they expect to control the statey
Previous to the war the south ruled the
country, not because they were a III ljority
In the country, but because they were u
majority OF a party, When the hery ele-
meut got control and the south separated
themselves from the rest Of the party, the
result was disastrous. Through the inilu-
eIce of the Prohibitionists Mr.. Cleveland
was made President, yet they have no claim
on him. They are not of his fold. Had
the convention that met at Pittsburg, and
drew checks on the bank OF heaven for
funds to conduct the canvass nominated
either one Of the main candidates, that One
would have been elected, and could have
been afterwards called upon to indorse
those heavenly checks. l have not heard
any temperance people, since the election ,
say that the temperance cause has been i'm
proved by the candidacy Of st. John, vet
the same laundering element are now at
work industriously trying to repeat that
glittering piece Of folly.
The trend OF the Republican party In
Ohio had long been toward correcting the
abuses OF alcoholic liquors. 1t had inaus-
urated the Scott law, by which the traffic
was under careful control and large reve-
nue. collected from license; thus lessenIug
the burden Of taxation on those who do not
drink and placing 1t on those who do. In
an evil hour the cry Of "No license" was
started. Free whisky would be preferable
to this sinful license, and, by the most
idiotic system of trading votes that was ever
heard OF In any country, they succeeded Ia
getting free whisky for several years. They
would not draw revenue from Vice, so they
drew 1t by taxing virtue, which seems to be
their mode OF discouraging vice,
Either the Republican or the Democratic
ticket will he elected in Pennsylvania this
fall The former would undoubtedly the
better serve the temperance interest, yet we
find those wolves In sleeps clothing work.
ing like beavers TO place the most intcmper-
ate OF the two parties in power
Prohibition we cannot have. The father
OF the prohibition movements IN Maine now
comes forward and acknowledges that pro.
lhbition has never prohibited In that state,
yet there is no other place where 1t would
lie so likely to do so as there. Even the
stringent military discipline OF the army Is
not able to keep whisky out OF an army
post. You can pass prOhibtOry laws, and
develop all the hypOcrlticul and smuggling
tendencies In the depraved part OF our nl-
ture; you can say "Thou shalt not eat ~
but there the tree will still stand sin the
midst of the garden" with its seductive
fruitage; you can cover our evil propensl-
ties with the fig leaf of prohibition, but 1t
is there still.
That the abuse of Intoxicating liquors ia
one Of the worst evils of the times few,
even among the dealers In 1t, win deny.
There Is no necessity for eXaggerItiOn.
don't know how your correspondent "a.
K.n gets his many billions wasted annually
on liquors; II may be the figures as TO the
retail price are correct, but statistics only
"statlst," when all the factors are cOnsid-
cIcu, anu u may DC tuht not All Tue
money for which whisky is sold,
ls absolutely wasted, The cranky element
In the temperance party seem to lack sub
tillty OF mind TO look beyond the "bar,n
beyond the distlllery, to the tollng millions
who live by furnishing material or mechani.
cal implements that go eventually to make
up the "traillc.n BY some strange process
OF reasoning, they seem to have arrived at
the conclusion that the manufacturer and
dealer are the only ones In any way benefited
by thetrade, and thatsaid dealers are the only
sinners. The drunkard is vctimzed
know that whisky will intoxlcate; all our
duty is to protect him from the rascally