Smyrna times., 1888-07-04
Press Opinions.
THE ANTI SALOON PLANK.

Charles H. Treat, of GEORGETOWN.
one of the delegates to the Republican
Convention from this State, did every
thing possible to have an anti-salOon
plank inserted in the platform and it
possibly would have been well if this
had been done. We believe it would
have been a benefit to the party to
take a decided stand on this matter.
The day has come when the people
demand that some restriction shall be
placed upon the liquor traffic, and the
Republican party has been foremost in
all the great reforms that have been
accomplished in this country during
the past twenty-seven years and it was
clearly their duty to have taken hold
of this matter as fearlessly as they did
the evil of slavery. We are not ad-
vocating a prohibition plank, as we
belive that would have been suicidal,
but we do think the party, as the par
ty OF the nation, should at their
National Convention have put them
selves on record as being in favor Of
restrictive legislation, but leaving the
way in which it should be accom-
plished to the people of the different
States.-DeldUdre Republican.
THE BATTLE TO BE BEGUN AT ONCE.
1t is intimated that the President
favOrs making California the theatre of
an aggressive campaign. The Repub-
lican leaders are manifesting consider
able anxiety to get started in their
campaign. The hustle and activity
among the Democrats has demOnstra-
ted to their minds that the nomina-
tions now before the country mean an
aggressive and determined contest
from the word go. The subject has al
ready been talked over informally, but
until the national committee meets in
July no definite plans can be suggest
ed. The general sentiment, however,
is in favor of making the objective
points of Republican attack in Indiana,
Connecticut and New Jersey. New
York is to be made an independent
field. An effort will be made to carry
the State, but not being indispensable
to Republican success, the chief energy
of the leaders will be concentrated on
the three States named.
The leaders in both houses of Con-
gress after seven month of comparative
Indifference, have suddenly become
desperately anxious to clear the decks
for action by getting the appropriation
bills out of the way. In three days
the new fiscal year will have COM
menced. There are four bills yet un-
passed. The parliamentary make
shift of a resolution extending to ap-
preparations in such cases will be re.
sorted to, but will be coupled with an
effort to get the bills disposed of as
soon as possible so as to have a clear
field for tariff debate and campaign
thunder.
Since the Chicago nominations the
tariff discussion in the House has taken
q decidedly political turn, which will in
tensify as the campaign advances.
Representative Wise, a Democrat, of
Virginia, rather startled the economic
sensibilities of Chairman Mills and
friends by announcing that he proposed
to vote for the repeal of internal taxes,
intimating very emphatically that un-
less action in that line, including to-
bacco and fruit brandies. were taken
Virginia and North Carolina would be
found missing in the Democratic col
umn.
The House has reached about 100 of
the bill, with about a thousand lines
yet unconsidered. The outlook for an
early disposition of the bill at this rate
is not encouraging.-PhiLG. Times.