Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1888-02-16
A PROHIBITION ARGUMENT.

1
the Third Party.
The Public Leader says: eat the
| legislative session of 1875 the Liquor
traffic, represented by few only of the
dealers, and those of the larger class.
appeared at Lansing and demanded the
repeal of the prohibitory law and the
enactment of a license or tax law. They
said: Make the tax as high as You
choose. it will be all the better for lis
by freezing cut the small dealers and
low dogger;es,' it will give degree of
responsibility to the trade and give us
legal recognition by whichswe may en-
force the collection of debts for goods
Sold"
The Republican Legislature and adj
ministration, smarting under the feel
ing that has been mentioned, took
them at their word. They gave them
a tax law sufficiently stringent in its
provisions, and intended to be opprcs-
sive. They Disseminated, however, in
favor of the brewing industry in which
our German-born population is SO
largely interested (and to which the
Republican party in the past has been
SO much indebtcd) by making the beer;
tax $40 and the liquor tax $3.50. 80 $3.50
Let us emphasize here the fact that
this legislation planted the germ of the
present Prohibition party. Every ar-
gument in favor of this legislation
(meaning legislation that is oppressive
in its character and that places the
liquor traffic in the attitude of Grim
inaD is an argument in favor OF pro-
hibition. Every increase that has been
made in the tax, and everysoppresssiXa.
provision that has been added to the
police feature of the liquor laws is an
argument in favor of prohibition.
The discussions that have
been had in the legislature on these
laws have made more Prohibition
lists than all the discussions of the Pro-
hibitionists themselves. The meetings
that were held in this city last spring
pending the vote on the prohibition
amendment, in which the liquor legis-
lation of last session was played against
the amendment by Dufficld and others.
were but SO many further arguments
for prohibition. People are severely
logical. and they can but see that if
the Legislation of the past twelve years
approximates the right, it is but an APP
Proclamation of which prohibition is
the goal. They also admire consist
ency. and hence they are voting more
and more every year with the political
organization that strikes from the
shoulder and goes square at its pur-
pose. The Prohibition leaders, there
fore. ought to thank the Republican
party for thus efficiently recruiting the
ranks of their followers.
That the Republican party is suffer-
ing fatal drain in opposite direction
is too painfully evident. In the hope
of checking the flow which its mistaken
policy in the first instance set in mo-
ton toward the Prohibition ranks, it
has ut every legislative session placed
new disabilities upon the liquor traffic
and upon those engaged in it until it
has alienated them wholly and entirely
from it So far from conciliating the
Prohibitionists, the knowing ones of
that party laugh in their sleeves at the
Republican policy (shall we, not say
folly?) which has been the only effect
i've recruiting force that ever gave
them numbers.
1.-THE saloon in politics. has become
nightmare in certain quarters. and
the intimation goes out that the Re-
publican method of dealing with the
saloon is going to cure it Is not 1.-The
saloon in politics" just as potent now
as it was ten years ago? Is it not more
SO, because its influence, whatever it
may be, is more centralized? Under
the operation of the excessive tax sys-
tenn, salooning has become, in a meas
ure, monopoly. Men of small re-
sources can not engage in it A few
men. comparatively. control it, and if
it has any influence or any power in
politics, these few men direct it. The
aggregate of the saloon power in poll
tics is not diminished. but it is made |
the more effective by concentration.
That much of the preliminary figuring
in politics is done in saloons may be |
true. It is at the ordinary that men
meet and talk over these things. That |
in local politics receive their |
largely from this source may be
admitted as fact But there is moth
ing in Republican legislation so far
that can check the evil. but on the con-
traEy. a. has been shown, the tendency
is to augment it The wstch word |
that the Republicans seem disposed to
adopt therefore. as an argument in |
favor of their method Of dealing with !
the saloon question. Of 1.-The saloon in |
politics" is simply one of those stupid
decisions for which the Republican
party within these few years past seem |
to hold an undisputed patent"
THE liquor-dealers of Dakota have
themselves into '.Protec-
tive Association" to protect their BUSH
ness against the fanatical cncroach- /
ments Of Prohibition. They also /
seem 10 be in dense ignorance of the i
tact that Prohibition dOesn't pro-
Aibit's-M II VeieH