River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-08-09
FREe.wHIsKY NONSENSE
Religious Paper Tells Why tire Repub-
can Party Should Receive the support
of tiie Temperance Element.


raised in the Democratic camp against
the paragraph in the Republican plat
form concerning the internal revenue
They say the Republican party has de-
clared for free whisky, and they APP
pear 10 be very much concerned about
It. This show of concern is very
amusing. The Democratic party is
about the last party in the world to
object to free whisky. 1t Is the party
which solidly opposes all temperance
legislation in ali the Northern States,
and is committed against all stump
tuary" laws in its National platforms.
If it now appears for the moment
among the sons of sobriety it is only
for the purpose of affecting the faith
ful. Its character has undergone no
change, not the least
The cry is simply campaign cry,
raised in the interest of the party and
the partys principle of free trade. Let
no temperance man be deceived one
moment by it. o. he viii find him
self tricked by the enemies Of tel -
pcrance.
In the first place it is not true that
the Republican party has declared for
free whisky What the Republican
party declares by its platform is this:
The Republican party would effect
all needed reduction of the National
revenue by repeating the taxes upon
tobacco. which are an annoyance and
49,. 40
upon spirits used in the arts and for
mechanical purposes, and by such re
vision Of the tariff laws As will tend to
check imports of such articles as are
produced by our people, the production
of which gives employment to our
laborer, and release from import du-
ties those articles of foreign production
Except luxuries) the like of which
can not be produced at home"
This is not declaration for 'free
whisky but for the release of fspirits
used in the arts and for mechanical
purposes If such use of spirits is
legitimate (and what temperance ad-
vocate would hold otherwise? the
proposal to remove the tax on them is,
in no sense, "a crime against temper
ance. After making the foregoing
declaration of policy with reference to
the reduction of the surplus, which is
to be accomplished. it will be noticed.
not alone by modification of the inter
nal revenue laws. but by such a revis-
ion of the tariff as will "release"
ARTICLES Of foreign production Tex
cept luxuries) the like of which can
not be produced at home this SEN
tence is added:
Z" If there shall still remain larger
revenue than is requisite for the wants
of the Government, we favor the en-
tire repeal of the internal taxes rather
than the surrender of any part of our
protective system. at the joint behest of
the whisky trusts and me agents of
foreign manufacturers.
II there is any free whisky in the
platform it is in this sentence, and if
there is free whisky in this sentence il
is only there as an inference in a con
tingency. The plain open meaning Of
the words is this: If the proposed re-
moval of the tax on tobacco, and spir-
its used in the arts, together with
the release of duties on certain
imports should not reduce sufficient
~ the surplus in the Treasury,
and the alternative should be the
surrender OF any part of our protect
i've system or the entire abolition of
the internal revenue system, the latter
should be sacrificed and the protective
system retained in its integrity. Upon
this point We entirely agree with the
platform, and so does every true pro-
tectiOnist. however radical may be his
temperance principles. 1t is vital to
the interests which are secured by pro-
lection that the protective system
should be preserved. 1t is not vital to
the interests of temperance that the
internal revenue should be preserved.
As a matter of fact, the Wcmen's
Christian Temperance Union, the third
party, and many leading temperance
Republicans (Mrs. j. Ellen Foster
asked the Platform Committee to sweep
away the internal revenue system) be-
ance policy. We have disagreed with
them for the reason that we believe the
tax to be check on the traffic. How
great a check il is we do not know, but,
whatever its restrictive power, it is
manifestly not "a permanent principle
of temperance reform, but only tenn
pOrary expedient. As such we want it
to stand until it has served its purpose
and is superseded by something better,
or until il can no longer be retained
without sacrificing part of the pro-
tective system. As no temperance adj
vocate claims that National taxation is
the only true and effective, or even
that it is the best, method of prOmOt-
ing the cause, il is absurd to make all
this hue and cry about the Republican
party declaring for free whisky. The
platforms Of the Republican party in
more than thirty States. and the legis-
lation. restrictive and prohibitive, it
has secured. are standing proof of its
policy respecting free whisky.
The Democrats as a party care no
more for the internal revenue system
in reality than they dOfor temperance.
In fact. they are opposed to the system,
and hated it most cordially during the
war. when il was a necessity. Now
that it is not a necessity they only en-
dure it because it gives them a chance
to attack protection. The maintenance
of the tariff is a far greater Offense to
them than free whisky would be. The
Chicago Tribune, Republican paper,
was the first TO sound the cry Of free
whisky" and il has been widely
quoted, as though it led the charge in
the interests of temperance. The real
explanation is that the Tribune shares
the views of President Cleveland tar
if message. II was so little interested
in tenn perance plank in the platform
that it said not single word in sup
port OF the plea Of the anti-saloOn Re-
publicans and did not. so far as we
have been able To discover. ever men
ton the fact. as a matter of news, that
such a plea was made before the plat
form committee.
We are free TO say that the platform
committee made n very great mistake
in not reporting an anti-saloon plank.
and the convention made a mistake