The freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1886-18??, 1888-08-22

| ify the same BY congressional action, but
the country will hold each party to its
platform.
That the solution proposed by the Pro
hibition party is the wisest of the three,
l do not hesitate to declare.
Fir ', we must avoid an ever increasing
surplus in the treasury and all unneces-
sary taxation must be lifted from the
shoulders of the people The surplus is
perpetual menace, not only to the bust
ness of the country, but to the public
morals IS well.
The question as to the propriety of re-
moving the tax from whisky must depend
altogether upon the purpose intended to
be accomplished by such removal.
Upon the principle that it is public
enemy, legislatures have placed it under
bonds and penalties and courts have de-
clared 1t public nuisance The traffic
itself, conscious of its own infamy, pleads
It's right to existence upon the ground Of
It's recognition by the government and
the revenues it pays into the public treas
ury. Conscious that this is it's last de-
Tense, it entrenches itself behind federal
and state taxation. Strike down this de-
Tense and an outraged public would not
long suffer its continuance.
Two political parties demand IN their
platforms the abrogation of the federal
tax. But upon what ground do they base
their action? The Prohibition party would
strike off the tax that it may the sooner
destroy the traffic It would not have
the government to be a eopartner in prof
its wrung from the vices of its citizens.
The purpose of the Republican party in
the repeal'of the tax Is to reduce the rev.
enues that they may not have ''to surren-
der any part of our protective system. ]"
Indeed the proposed remedy is not to be
applied until this theory of protection is
tested to the point of prohibition upon all
foreign products such as are produced by
our own people. Then if there shall re-
main surplus. rather than touch the
protective system they will take this
traffic out of prison and bonds and turn
it loose upon helpless public to corrupt,
degrade and destroy society. The Pro
hibitionist would take this arch criminal
out of prison to hang him, the Republican
to set him at liberty. The one would re-
peal the tax the sooner to destroy the
traffic. The other would overflow the
country with free whisky rather than in
jure the already subsidized interests of
the country.
In the face of these indisputable facts
every Christian and patriot will approve
the motive prompting the one and de-
nounce the other as the consummation of
human selfshness and infamy.
A proper protection of American labor
and the infant industries of our country
may and does commend itself to the ma
jority of our people, but of infinitely more
Importance is the protection of urhomes.
70 this end your platform justly subordi-
mates all other questions.
Society, the state and the church are
built upon the home From the homes of
this country must come the future states
men by whom the policy the future
state will be framed.
The financial ruin wrought by the great
liquor trusts is incomparably greater than
any evils to result from surplus in the
treasury, inequalities in the 20 if, and
the robberies of all other trusts COM
bined.
l pause not to speak of the traffic in
liquors as an instrument of moral and po
litical corruption. The saloon is the
school in which the ignorant population
of all sections of the Union receive their
political training.
To this class of citizens the saloon takes
the place of the church and the school
house 1t is to them the home, the school
and the political club house. In view of
the vast ignorance still existing among
the freedmen of the south, and the i'm
mense hosts of ignorant people now being
poured upon our shores from Europe, the
thoughtful patriot trembles when he re-
members that the American saloon stands
ready to educate these people in the in
terest of all vice.
| cannot too greatly emphasize the
wisdom of your convention in making
prohibition of the liquor traffic the one
great test of fellowship in the Prohibi-
ton party. | would not detract from the
relative Importance of other questions
formulated in the platform, such as civil
service reform, polygamy, trusts, and es-
peclally the great question of suffrage,
but am firmly of the opinion that with
prohibition attained we shall the more
readily correct all other existing wrongs.
| cannot close this communication with
out an expression of gratitude to the
brave women who have so noblv espoused
our cause and who so earnestly contend
for its triumph
The solution of the suffrage question
announced in the platfor is in my iudg-
ment most wise. If our institutions are
preserved we must commit them to the
moral and educated citizens of the repub-
lie, The extension of the franchise to
the educated citizens of oil c1accoC o,d