National Republican., 1886-10-23

tiou, and could hardly wait tn put IN cruJ
before they began prosecuting Qulkefs uri
Catholics. And hr says the Republican
party inherits its arrogance and self rightc
business from them.
In many respects II may be true that tgp
Republican patty is the lcgitimata drcen I -
ant Of those who have given SD great pr.
pcrity 10 the New England and nOrth1ru
states Of the Union. II IN former days they
prosecuted, they have been prosecuted Ia
return, and among their prosecutors none
ismore virulent or vindictive than Mr.. Vest
himself. | am ready aud willing to open
wide the doors Of Missouri to admit the ca pi.
tai and enterprise OF such people Let the N
bring their agriculture, their commerce, aud
their manufactures into the state. The
governments Of their respective states arciis
free and as well ordered as that OF Missouri
They come breathing the same
spirit of liberty, they come speaking
the same language, they come
favoring education, morality, and virtue,
and great good, instead of harm, will re-
suit from their immigration into the state
Wherever they 90 there are better homes
for the people, better school houses for
the education Of children, better currlcu-
lum In the colleges, greater comforts Of
civilization, better price for land, aud
more general and individual prosperity
II the people Of Missouri would consent to
give us another period of Republican gov
ernment in Missouri these blessings, IN my
honest judgment, would be the inevitable
result.
SUBMISSION.
The late Republican convention assembled
at Sedalia adopted resolution in the fol-
lowing words:
THAT when respectable number OF the
citizens Of the state shall petition the legis-
lature for the submission OF any proposition
toamCnd. change, or modify the consttu-
tion III any matter which is a proper subject
OF organic law, their request should be
grauted.n
As to the proprcty Of this resolution the
Republican party Of this state seems TO be
u unit Whatever may be the opinion Of
individual members in reference TO prohi-
biting the liquor traffic, 1t seems TO be
universally conceded that the people OF the
state have In the first place the right of
petition, and IN the second place, II the
necessary number favor It., to adopt pro.
hibitive legislation in regard to the sale of
liquor. This resolutions, however, has
given special oiTeDse to the opposition
Democratic orators insist that they are In
favor Of temperance, but they are especi-
ally opposed to all legislation looking in
that direction. "Prohibition," they say,
'is not the road to temperance" but "high
license and local option are the only proper
solutions Of the liquor question: II the
sale of liquor as beverage is not injurious
TO the health or the morals OF the community
why insist upon theright of crlppllng its sale
by high license? Iftrailicin liquor is q leg =
innate traffic, why should the people OF q
state, or town, or even square, have the
right Of excluding 1t on the doctrine OF
local optionY If high license and local op.
tion are proper subjects Of legislation, for
my life can see no legal or constitutional
objection to prohibition itself 1t is only u
question Of degree, either and both are re-.
straints. One puts upon the traffic the seal
OF condemnation and the other removes It
entirely. All profess to be In favor OF tenn
perance. The Democrats pretend they
would tax II out OF existence. II the Re
publican chooses to go n step farther and
prohibit 1t entirely, he is denounced as a
descendant OF the Purltans, in favor
OF sumptuary laws. What are sump-
tuary lawsf Political economists use these
terms to designate class of legislation that
looks to the curtailment of the expenses OF
the people in food, apparel, furniture, or
drink. The word sumptuary is supposed
to be derived from sumptus, a Latin noun,
meaning expense. Laws, therefore, which
look to the reduction Of expenses, or which
encourage and enioin frugality or economy
in the modes Of life, may be termed "sump-
tuuI9 laws. III DemOCraulC parlance,
however, this term (sumptuary) has no
possibly reference to food, furniture, or
apparel. 1t relates only to whisky, and its
daily and hourly sale aud use in the dram
shop are promoted and encouraged by the
senseless platforms Of approval
A poor mother absolutely without food, 4,
furniture, or decent apparel, whose husband
has long since gone toa druukard's grave,
| and whose child and sole support In life is
| fpl'pNVipur tha fpntptat,c ~ N 90
father, prays her neighbors and friends who
can vote (she cannot) to pass law refus-
| ing license to the keeper of brothel who
| daily ministers to the diseased appetite OF
| the poor sufferer as he debases himself and
| starves and degrades his mother She is In
favor OF that dreadful thing called a
"sumptuary law"
The fond father watches with angel care
| over his children. lie cheerfully spends his
fortune in their education. The chief 10Y
| OF lis life is the contemplation Of the
future usefulness and honor Of thosC
| whom he loves, as no one knows except
father. Suddenly the fearful tempta
ton is placed lefore them. Day after day
and night after night 1t stands as tt menace
to the fathers peace OF mind. lie ha;
witnessed the fall and ruin of Others. II
him 1t is worse than the presence of deadly
| serpent In his household. He votes u
remove the temptation and thus save hi,
children. That man is in favor Of "sumptu
AIRY laws.h
A good citizen, lover of his kind, a trut
philanthopist, visits the luuatic asylum OF
his state or his city, aud finds three fourth
OF its inmates tn victims Of alcoholic drink
lie visits the pcultentaries and county
iails and finds them filed with those whC
committed violence under the maddeniul
influences OF strong drink, or who violated
the rights Of property in the poverty ant
degradation superinduced by the unfortu
nate slavery Of alcohol. He finds that one
half OF the taxes wrung from struggling 10
dustry is made necessary by the existence
of the dram shop. He honestly believe
that nine.tenths Of the misery and tears o
human life may be traced to this source
He believes that without the dram shop
there would be more wealth, public AM
private; that there would b
greater prosperity and larger indi
Vidual happiness; that there would be les
Of crime to G dealt with by the law, ant
more OF joy and comfort at home. He be
lieYes that poorhouses and asylums event
u1lly would become untenanted; that tn
labor OF the courts would be diminished by
half; that the expenditures of government
would become OF triiling amount; that poll
tics would be elevated to a higher plane
and the community strengthened In phys
cal and moral health II drunkenness coul
be prevented. II, believing this, he woul
suggest the right OF the people to vote on
question Of such profound interest and In
portance to their welfare, he must be Dc
nounced as a descendant of Puritans, |
favor of Capitalization, and, worse than al
in favor OF "sumptuary laws"
II must have been the fear OF sumptuar
laws that induced our friends Cockr5ll an
Vest, In December, 1854, to record their vote
IN the Senate against the proposition TO ~
point commission Of seven persons, wht
without pay or salary, should iuvestlgLt
"the alcoholic liquor traffic, It's relations |
revenue ard taxation, and its general eal
nomc criminal, moral, dnd scientific ~
poets in connection with pauperIsm, Grim
social vice, the public health ana gcnpr,
welfare Of the people; and also to inqulI
as TO the practical results OF license uu