New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-14
ANOTHER WORD WITH REPUBLICAN, As
SEMBLYMEN.

Tho vote to be taken on the High License
bill is one Of far-reaching Importance 1t may
have consequences of National moment. 1t Is
inevitable that the temperance issue will enter
largely into the campaign Of next fall. To
this extent purely State question will surely
have bearing upon the result not often
seen in a Presidential campaign. Tho
question of restricting the liquor traffic has now
become "an irrcpressible conflict" and each
side is pushing it forward to conclusion
Good citizens. Democrats as well as Republic
cans, are demanding that Ncw-fork shall FOL
low the example Of the many other States, in
which High License has been found to be tho
most effectual method Of REFRESHING intemper-
ance ever devised by man. On the other side
the Iiouor-dcalcrs and their political tools urc
not only resisting the passage OF this bill by
fair means and foul. but are demanding that
the saloons shall be opened on Sundays. Rep-
resentatives OF the "Pcrsonal Liberty" party
lately threatened the Excise Committee Of tho
assembly with their alleged 10000 voters
who were calling for the passage of this latter
bill.
The Republican party must stand somewhere
in this fight. 1t cannot be on both sides AT
cnce No intelligent person can doubt that tho
sentiment Of tho party is Overwhelmingly Tor
High License. The only exceptions are. prob
ably. those few liquor-dealcrs who claim TO be
Republicans and the class OF politicians whose
observation Of politics is limited to the lowest
class OF workers." and who, naturally, have
no conception Of the degree OF strength party
derives from moral sentiment. Men OF this
class have been busy protesting ever since High
License was first proposed that it will never
do TO make the lquor-dcalcrs angry, that the
rartv will never survive it. They seem TO for
got entirely that this question is not new one
There arc certainly as many Republican liquor
dealers in Philadelphia. Pittsburg and Ale
eheny City in proportion to the population as
il. New-York. BROOKLYN and Buffalo. Tho
snmc prophecies Of dire disaster were heard in
Pennsylvania before The High License law was
passed. az are heard here now. What was the
result? That AT the first election following
the passage of he law, thanks to the fact that
the Republican party could appeal to the people
upon moral Issue. it received the largest
majority It had had with one exception, in
fifteen years. The same thing wonld be found
To he true in this state. The Republican party
will be many thousand votes stronger after 1t
has passed High License bill than before
Sincere Temperance men who have been led OF
into the Third-party Prohibition movement
will see that the Republican party Is the only
organization not only willing but able 10 re-
press intempcrance and will come back to it,
inst as some Of their leaders have done already
in Jersey although the High License bill
was passed there only few DAYS ago.
It would be an intolerablc thing II the Re-
publican party should 90 into the Presidential
election cruelty hampercd in this State, because
half dozen men elected to thc Legislature as
Rcpnblicans were frightened or cajoled by
I;onor-dealcrs and their emissarcs into voting
against this measure. An enlightened moral
sentiment demands the passage Of the Dill
Tho party is practically, pledged to put it on
the statute book. TO do this, 1t Is entitled to
the support Of every man elected to the As
scmbly as Republican. and any such member
who fails to give 1t may as well call himself
Democrat thereafter. The Democratic party
is the natural allv and patron OF the liquor
traffic and lqnor-dcalers are naturally Demo-
Gratis. and members Of the Assembly who vote
under their orders wonld better look to them
in future for such political honors as they can
vct