The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1888-05-11
Friday. May IL. lSSS.
The solidarity of the Rum Power.

The Solidarity of the Rum Power.
Under the above caption j. G.
Fernald of G arrettsville, Ohio, makes
the ablest presentation of the stu
pendous power of the liquor interest
we have any where met with. The
following extracts embrace the chief
points in the article:
There was time when any man who
pleased could set up dislillery, keep a
''tavern" Or grocery sell what liquor
he liked, and quit when he chose, and his
success or failure concerned only himself
and his victims. If one distillery could be
closed, one tavern bar shut up, that was
local gain for temperance, and no outsider
would interfere. When the Maine law was
passed, generation ago, the liquor-dealers
of Maine went down alone and unaided, as
much as if that state had been an island in
the South Sea. Now all is changed. The
great concentrating forces of the nineteenth
century have been most effectively used to
mass the liquor traffic into one compact
force of rapidly Increasing cohesion and
efficiency. The two hundred thousand
liquor-dealers of the United States now
haye their National Saloon Keepers Pro-
tectiye Association, which promises to be
able, lift is not already, to raise at any
moment 100000 by the unfelt assessment
of 81 on every saloon. Where is the tenn
perance force on the continent that can
match that single item of power? Brewers
and distillers have also their State and
National associations, and hold their regu-
lar congresses for the government of the
traffic throughout the UnIon-an imperiu,n
in imperio-a formidable menace to the Re
public. The power ofthe daily press, which
is supposed to be well-nigh omnipotent, they
absolutely com mand. Iftheir meetings are
held with closed doors, the irrepressible and
uncomfortable reporter cannot set foot with
in the charmed precincts nor catch breath
of what is said or done. Statements favor
able to the traffic are published in leading
newspapers, and copied by local sheets
endlessly, while replies from the temper
ance side-even the simplest statements of
attested facts-can by no means get printed
In country of such intelligence as ours,
where railroad and telegraph give well-nigh
instantaneous communication, the average
citizen, who depends upon the daily press
for information, absolutely cannot get the
facts about prohlbitory laws in Maine, Kan
sas or Atlanta. Then the papers in the
avowed interests Of the traffic are assuming
great proportions. The Chicago Champion,
the Washington Sentinel, The Southwest of
Cincinnati, the Brewers' and Dealers Jour
nal of Philadelphia, the Nev York Bar, the
WINE and Spirit Revieu OF Louisville, Bon
forts VINE and Spirit Circular of New York,
and uany other powerful organ s give their
entire energies to the support of the liq uor
interest.
According to an unchallenged estimate,
this organized industry handles an annual
income of $9OO,OO0,0OO 1t employs an
army of more than half million men. Its
ubiquitous ''drummers'' scout through all
our rural districts, and find every weak spot
in our civilization where new cancer can
be planted. A secretary Of one great home
mission organization SAID recently, 81 have
been trying for ten years to get ahead of
the saloons. have gone TO towns as soon
as heard they were thought of. have
gone to towns where one board shanty was
the only building. l have gone to towns
that were only in wagons and tents. And
] never yet have gone to town but that
the saloon was there before me-"
The power of this organized force in the
politics of the nation every one talks of, but
il is doubtful if any one yet comprehends.
Said leading brewer of New York, "Some
years ago the - party nominated
man who had made some temperance
speeches at Sunday-school conventions and
elsewhere. We printed some circulars in
English and German, with extracts from
his speeches and urging all drinking men
to scratch him. We gave package of
these circulars to each of our drivers, with
instructions to leave some at every saloon
where he delivered beer. That man ran
several thousand behind his ticket, and was
defeated, while every other man on the
ticket was elected. His party haye never
done such thing SINCE" Where parties
are at all evenly balanced, any party tina;
contains any percentage of liquor men,
simply cannot nominate temperance men of
any stamina. 1t does not matter how large
or small that per cent. is SO long as ii is de-
pended upon at all. One party may con-
tain ten per cent The ten per cent. will
control their party as absolutely as the fifty
per cent. will control theirs, for they have
the same power to defeat it by their deser-
ton. An ounce of lea,l aimed rightly will
kill as eflectually as common ball weighing
half ton. Louis Schade at Washington,