The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1889-08-23
High License.

The dry rot that is manifesting itself IN
our old political parties is as visible as the
plague spots on a leper That this political
disease springs from the saloon is plain TO
every one who is intelligent enough TO
know, and honest enough to acknowledge,
the fact. There are great many intense
party politicians who are neither honest or
intelligent. But where you find thorough
ly honest man who is fairly we'll informed
on political questions, though he may be
one Of the strictest partisans, he will own
that the saloon is worm eating his party,
and if the strong men do not arrest this
poison Of the grog shop it is sure to kill
both these parties as slavery killed the
Wing and Democrat parties. Wing was
sobriquet, rather than characteristic name,
and being emblematic Of nothing, was never
revived. Democratic is a word with wider
significance than any party, and stands for
popular government, sovele ign power vested
in the people, and the word survives all
changes and commissions, however violent,
wherever popular government is known
Hence any opposition element could rally
under it to oppose any other party that
might arise, and be perfectly true to the
name. Republican is virtually the same in
political significance. A representative
form of government by the people. After
the annexation of Texas the one exciting
ever growing issue was slavery. which was
an old established institution, whose right
10 exist was hardly challenged and was de-
Tended by all political parties under what
ever NAME that bid for popular favor. The
constitution of the United States was claim
ed to be charter which gave slavery the
preference as between it and freedom, and
even the abolition societies did rot deny
this, but declared it was covenant with
He'll which the people in their sovereign
power ought TO change, that the country
could not maintain this dual existence, but
must in the end be either all slave or all
free.
Slavery could not be shaken loose from
either of the two great parties contending
for supremacy and popular favor, but both
steadily resisted the great moral question
of freedom against slavery. Every con,
ceivable form of compromise Was suggested
and tried, but there was an irrepressible
conflict which would brook no compromise,
nothing but absolute conquest would satisfy
either. The light ofintelligence and the
humanizing influence Of civilization of the
nineteenth century overthrow the arguments
and sophistry OF slavery and pressed it to
the wall, when it flew TO arms as it always
had done, determined 10 establish its power
by The sword when argument had failed.
1t made its last stand Tor conquest or an
utilization, for victory or death in the great
republic, and it won-a coffin!
Partial chaos followed the slavery rebel
lion. Political parties were compelled TO
reform on new ground. Old names were
selected not because they marked out well
defined lines of policy, but because they
were found in the chronicles OF the country,
as many Of our christian names are found
in the Hebrew Bible.
A quarter of a century after that great
struggle which ridged the land with graves
and drenched the sod with blood, another
great moral question has thrust its exciting
presence forward and its enemy, like old
slavery, has seized both political parties
and is holding tbem-in its powerful grasp.
Again we find the politician full of compro-
misses and subteriuges, resorting to the same
kind of expedients 10 satisfy the conscience
of the people that he did in the forties and
fifties. Then every year witnessed the kill
ing and burial of free SOUP party, or an
"anti-slavery" party, or an abolition"
party. We all knew, who lived in those
days, how the nemesis which so disturbed
those old parties, confronted them the next
year in new form perhaps, but retaining
the we'll remembered features of their old I
enemy, till the great cataclysm came, and
in one day and night, like Atlantas, both
old parties were overwhelmed in one final
ruin, with nothing left after the storm but
traditions.
So to-day We find the temperance coufict
like the abolition conflict, has advanced |
step by step, grown from phase to phase,
and is being settled by the old parties by
various devices, called local option, severe
penalties, legal restrictions, etc.. till at last
The great Missouri Compromise" line has
been fixed upon which is high license.
Both old political parties and the saloon
are agreed upon that. That line must settle
it. The anti 'saloon party has been buried
The Prohibition party has been buried, the
prohibition amendment party has been bur
led, the non-party party has been buried,
The w. C. T. U. has been buried, $50 the
saloon and the old parties proclaim) and |
high license has been set upon their al 'ars
by both old parties and The saloon! The Wing |
party, the Democrat party and slavery set
up the Missouri Compromise and consecrat-
ed it their political deity but that idol was
speedily broken, and the tempest that is
rising against the saloon will overwhelm |
high license and bury both old parties in a
coming ruin, unless the bold, able men of
those parties crush the parasite that is de-
stroying their power. High license means
the Soloon erer,nrbere iuSt nc tho fno;t;ya |