Smyrna times., 1886-10-27
Politics and the Saloon.

The newspaper organ of Bishop
Ireland, the most influential prelate in
the northwest, has declared against
the Democratic ticket in Wisconsin,
Minnesota and Dakota. Its reason is
that the Republicans favor while the
Democrats oppose high license, and
other just compensation for and wise
restrictions upon the liquor traffic.
The bishop opposes the "wide open "
policy for saloons, and is particularly
bitter against the " free whiskey plat
form and record of the Democratic
candidate for governor of Minnesota.
No party can affOrd-to put it on the
low ground Of votes alOne-to oppose
reasonable regulation of the liquor
traffic.
The force of these comments by
Democratic journal upon the tendency
of public sentiment lies in their truth.
The facts which it collects from the
Northwest are due from causes which
are operating slowly butsurely through
out the whole country. To use a slang
word, fathers and mothers all through
the united States are tired " of seeing
their sons made drunkards; they are
tired of seeing their daughters mar
ry drunkards; and they are tired
of having their family hopes and ex-
pectations and happiness ruined by
the saloon. The saloons, like seed
spots of human degradation and misery
stand thickly everywhere. They do
not come in response to any public de-
mand or need. They force themselves
upon the community in spite of every
ncA 4
and to-day are in such excessive num-
bers that half of them are bankrupt,
merely holding on to a precnrious ex-
istence until they can cultivate an un-
natural and debased appetite in sufIi-
cient number of ruined men and boys
to give them a pecuniary reward for
their infamy. But the parents are not
the only ones who are tired" The
taxpayer is "tired." The growth of
crime and the increase in the cost of
maintaining criminals; the spread of
pauperism the inefficiency of other
wise good Workmen, whose nerves are
shattered, eyes dulled, and spirits
made Indifferent, shiftless and hope
less by the saloon malaria and the
power which the saloon exercises and
strives to enlarge in all local govern
ments, giving us an official sense of ire
spOnsibility, eXtravagant expenditures,
unnecessary debts and higher taxes,
all make the taxpayer tired" If the
matter was open to argument it would
be better, but it is not. The adherents
OF the saloon power become more de-
praved and determined each year, and
so long as the property interests of
any community submit to their rava-
ges, so long will the primary and gen.
eral elections become more corrupt,
and so long will the chance of relief
from this plundering of the public re-
sources grow less and less. The OBJ
ject of the saloon is to make business
for itself. If could secure good gov
ernment for the people and at the same
time sufficient business for itself it
would doubtless do so, but the nature
of the commodity in which it deals pre-
vents this. Prosperity for the saloons
means bad government for the people.
This is the simple general fact. The
ways and means of the matter are
equally clear. Individually a good
many of the saloon-keepers may be
Republicans, but professionally all the
]
already clearly discerned in the North
west by Bishop Ireland, and it is
/ equally apparent here in Wilmington
/ and throughout the East. We know
/ that there have been Republican poll
ticians who have tried to gain the
/ influence, and efforts of the saloon for
the benefit of their party, but this only
shows that there are some foolish Re-
publicans. The fact remains that the
saloon and the Democratic party are
" solid" This is not only true in form
but in substance. There has scarcely
one party movement been made by the
Democratic party of Delaware this year
from a caucus to convention, that
/ whiskey, the patron saint of the saloon,
has not presided in some convenient
niche, where all who so desired could
worship without money and without
price at the shrine. In those cases,
which have been pretty frequent,
where the Democratic party has been
divided against itself, there have been
two shrines and two manifestations of
the whiskey divinity. Both Demo-
cratic factions are equally devout, and
there is no choice between them. We
do not mean to say by this that all
Democrats are wOrshippers of whiskey.
Mr.. Bayard knew better when he
wrote his absurd local option letter.
But we do mean that it is hopeless for
any temperance Democrat to expect
any adequately wholesome restrictions
to be laid upon the saloon by the Dem
Ocratic party of Delaware as it is now
organized, no matter which faction con-
trolls it. The saloon has not been alto
gether fool in this matter It's union
with the Democratic party has been
in Il degree rational, from its own point
of view. In the cities and large towns
it has perceived that vice and ignOr-
ance are generally Democratic, and
vice and ignorance furnish the atmOs-
phere in which the saloon flOurishes
In the rural districts it has perceived
that the partisan attachment of Demo.
Gratis is very strong, Many of them ap.
pear to fold up their minds and put
them in their pockets, and leave theil
conscience at home in the bureau
drawer or some other safe place, when
they go out to vote or to do any party
work. Providing the party label is on
the bottle they are characteristically
willing to swallow almost any dose and
call it good. The saloon has taken
full account of this party trait, and has
therefore thrown all its fortunes into
the Democratic scale. 1t has wagered
its existence and its baneful prosperity
upon the party fidelity and immOva.
bility of individual Democrats. BishOu
Ireland has met this supreme test Of
good citizenship and manhood by repu
dating the Democratic management
within his ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
The New York World, upon the lower
ground of party expediency, calls upon
the Democratic party to withdraw it.
self from the debasing embrace of the
saloon. The question is as to whether
the temperance Democrats of Della
ware will continue to swell the victor
les of King Alcohol in this State. The
) Temperance Reform party has raised
. this question for the judgment and de-
? cision of every thinking man in Della.
ware. The Democratic party has Joined
the issue by organizing its canvass
under the direct inspiration of whiskeS
as a patron saint. The question is
therefore plain, and no mans wish
that it was shaped differently car
change it.-MOrRiRg NeaOs.
----ass-------
Wonderful Cures.
W. d. Hoyt & Co., Wholesale and Retail Drug
giSts Of Rome, Ca say; We have been selling