The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-06-05
The Republican AZ an Effoctuai
Temperance Party.

The Republican AZ an Effectual
Temperance Party.
WILL A. MCTEER.
In Mr.. Clemens first letter he
referred alone to BlOunt County rs
an illustration Of his claim that the
Republican is the effectual temper
ance party. answered, combining
my self to Blount County. In his
reply he runs off all over the country
except to such parts as where there
has been a failure to adopt temper.
ance measures.
The Internal Revenue laws were
not adopted as a temperance meas.
ure. They were war measures;
and the theory Of Congress was to
place a tax on luxuries in order to
raise a revenue to pay the war debt.
That some revenue extended to
patent medicines, tobacco, perfum.
nries, matches and things of that
kind. Not only SO, but 1t placed a
tax on all promissory notes, cheeks,
deeds, transfers and papers of that
kind. The idea Of claiming the
enactment of the Internal revenue
laws as a temperance measure is
new. 1t was just as restrictive on
Freys Vermifuge as it WAS on
liquors. The only difference was
that no body refused to pay the tax
but the whisky men, and they babe
defiance to the government. Then
the rigid enforcement of the law by
Judge Baxter operated incidentally
as a restrictive m easure and did
very much to bring about a change
Of sentiment in this locality.
"Whom the go1s would destroy
they first make mad"
Mr.. Clemens claims that because
there was majority in East Ten
nessee who voted for the amend
ment, that therefore, the republican
party is entitled to the credit, and
because majority in Middle and
West Tennessee voted against the
amendment, therefore democratic
party is chareeable with It.
If this is true position, how was
1t that Sewer County went against
the amendment? Sewer is the
strongest republican county in the
State, and nearly if not altogether
the strongest in the United States.
AT the same time, Sullivan, a
strong democratic county, rolled up
. . handsome majority for the
amendment. But Mr.. Clemens
would take credit to the republican
party for what Sullivan County did
: and say nothing about Sewer.
Again, In Monroe County, the
leader Of democracy took the stump
for the amendment,while one of the
foremost leaders Of the republican
party canvassed against il. Monroe
is a democratic county, and she
gave a majority for the amend
ment. Bnt Mr.. Clemens claims the
credit to the republican party.
Then so far rs Middle and West
4 Tennessee are concerned, there was
Colyar, and Lykes, and Mcdowell
and Mcconnell and Control, giants
in the democratic party who took
the stump and canvassed like
heroes for the amendment; while
Gen. Nancy, Arch Hughs, d. A.
Mum, McElwee and others,
leaders in that section of the Re-
publican party, canvassed against
the amendment. If the republi-
cans of Middle and West Tennessee
had voted solidly for the amend
ment, it would have been adopted
by a handsome majority.
Then take another feature of it.
The republicans of East Tennessee
were then represented in Congress
by r. II. Butler and Lie. Houk-
two bright specimens of republican
prohibition effectuality.
Now, 60 to Their States. Michi-
gan Is a reliable republican state.
1t gave an over whelming majority
against the amendment. Did the
democrats do that? Rhode Island
is strongly republican, and yet pro.
hibitiOn got very black eye in
that State. Then there Is the old
reliable Massachusetts,, the nest egg
frepublicanism, and it rolled up
an immense majority against pro-
hibitiOn. On the other hand, there
is Georgia, North Carolina, Missis-
sippi and kentucky-all democrat.