Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-08-02
BrIntnltt Glrrn,tirlf.
THURSDAY, AUGUST ,, 1883.
THE FREE WHISKY CRY.

the paragraph in the Republican plat.
form concerning the internal revenue
They say the Republican party has de
clared for free whisky, and they appear
to 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 whis-
KY 1t is the party which solidly oppos-
es all temperance legislation in all the
NOrthernStates,an and is committed against
all "sumptuary' 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
faithful. Its character has undergone
no change. not the least.
The cry is simply a campaign cry
raised in the interests of the party and
the party's principle of free trade. Let
no temperance man be deceived one
moment by it, or he will find himself
tricked by the enemies of temperance.
In the first place it is not true that the
Republican party has declared for free
whisky. What the Republican party de,
elares by its platform is this
'The Republican party would effect
all needed reduction of the national rev.
enue by repeating the taxes upon tobac-
co, which are an annoyance and a bur
den to agriculture, and the tax upon
spirits used in the arts and for mechan-
ical purposes, and by such revision OF
the tariff laws as will tend to check i'm
ports of such articles as are produced by
our people, the production of which
gives employment to our laborers, andre
lease from import duties those articles
of foreign production Except luxuries,
the like of which cannot be produced at
home"
This is not a declaration for "free
whisky" but for the release of ''spirits
used in the arts and for mechanical pur-
poses" If such use of spirits is legiti-
mate land what temperance advocate
would hold otherwise?) the proposal tC
remove the tax on them is, in no sense
crime against temperance. After max
ing the foregoing declaration of policy
with reference to the reduction of the
surplus, which is to be accomplished, il
will be noticed, not alone by modifica-
tion of the internal revenue laws, but by
such revision of the tariff as will "re-
lease" PARTICLES of foreign production
Except luxuries) the like of which can
not be produced at home," this sentence
is added
"If there shall still remain larger
revenue than is requisite for the wants
of the government, we favor the entire
repeal of internal taxes rather than the
surrender of any part of our protective
system at the joint behest of the whisky
trusts and the agents of foreign manu-
facturers."
If there is any free whisky in the plat
form it is in this sentence, and if there
is free whisky in this sentence, it is only
there as an inference in contingency.
The plain open meaning of the word is
this: If the proposed removal of the
tax on tobacco, and spirits used in the
arts, together with the release of duties
on certain imports should not reduce
sufficiently the surplus in the Treasury,
and the alternative should be the ''Sur-
render of any part of our protective sys-
TEN" or the entire abolition of the inter
nal revenue system, the latter should be
sacrificed and the protective system re-
tanned in its integrity. Upon this point
we entirely agree with the platform, and
so does every true protectioniSt, however
radical may be his temperance princi-
pies 1t is vital to the interests which
are secured by protection that the pro-
oh lo
is not vital to the interests of temper
ance that the internal revenue system
should be preserved.
As a matter of fact, the Women'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) believe this
policy to be the true temperance policy.
We have disagreed with them for the
reason that we believe the tax to be a
check on the traffic. How great check
it is we do not know; but whatever its
restrictive power, it is manifestly not a
permanent principle of temperance re-
form, but only temporary eXpedient.
AS such we want it to stand until it has
served its purpose, and is superseded by
something better, or until it can no
longer be retained without sacrificing a
part of the protective system. AS no
temperance advocate claims that the
national taxation is the only true and
effective, OF even that it is the best,
method of promoting the cause, it is alb
surd to make all this hue and cry about
the Republican party declaring for free
whisky. The platforms of the Republi-
can party in more than thirty States, and
the legislation, restrictive and prOhibi-
tive, it has secured, are standing proof
of its policy respecting free whisky.
The Democrats as party care no
more for the internal revenue system in
reality than they do for temperance. In
fact they are opposed to the system, and
hated it most cordially during the war,
when it was anecessity. Now that it is
not a necessity they only endure it be-
cause 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 report of the Judiciary committee
of the Senate on the overthrow of free
suffrage in Jackson, Miss, brings out
the startling fact that not only were
most of the leaders of the outrage men
who had been appointed to civil office
by Grover Cleveland, but that the chair
man of the Committee of One Hundred,
which issued the pronunciamento that
no colored man should be permitted to
vote at the pending election under pen
atty of death, has since been appointed
postmaster of JacksOnl The response
bility for the suppression of free suffrage
in Jackson is thus traced directly to the
man who as head of the government is
sworn to protect the rights of citizens
and to maintain the Constitution and
laws.