Daily Republican., 1890-05-27
The KneIi OF tho saloon.

The Knell Of tho Saloon
This falls with strange and inexplicable
emphasis upon the ears OF many Just at
ehie juncture, when the drift and tread
Of sentiment and practice and teaching
and legislation arc prsdictive OF renewed
lie and power, instead of the kncll OF ifs
speedy overthrow. The old parties are
fast in the grip Of tie liquor power and
powerless TO help II such were their wont,
while the only party organized for this
special task 10 but a stripping antagonist
and equally powerless to bring deliver.
auce from the awful ravages Of this mon
ster evil. Our legislative bodies either
sauarely dodge the Issue or 90 trsmmel
aud complicate the case when transferred
to the people for settlement that II is
seriously handicapped 10 the start or
success made impossible.
The press to an alarming extent Ia
under the control Of the liquor power,
and is used In all our amendment oam-
paigDs against the temperance reform,
and even the social practices Of the
White House are pitted against the re-
form, while the Vice President himself ia
. common liquor dealer,t and to COM
plete the list the Supreme Court OF the
nation has decided that the liquor busi-
ness must have the right of way through.
out the national domain utterly regard.
less OF laws that regulate and restrict,
or totally prohibit, and therefore It doci
not look that the overthrow OF this evil
has even begun. But to tens OF thou
sands the outlook was never 90 brigh
for the utter abolition OF this monster
evil from the land ~ to-day.
TIE womanhood of tho nation 4
almost unit for its extinction; and
although denied tue ballot, this Is
mighty power for molding advanced
temperance sentiment, and the church
rapidly focaliziug about the utter ex
tinctlon OF the traffic; aud even tn
liquor craft admit that God is agaiua
them, and Lends His aid 70 every efIor
that promises their overthrow.
This comes to the temperance hosts q
an Inspiring Indictment to renewed effort
But to me the most Inspiring prophec,
yet Of the speedy overthrow OF the salool
power comes OF the striking repetition O
history during the anti-slavery reform
and here We find almost an exact repet
tlon In the character Of the work don,
the discouragemsnts met, and even th
lengths Of certain epochs for certai
phases oil the reforms. Can this /
merely accidental
In 1855 the drst abolition society VI
formed for the two-foid object Of impro'
ing the condition Of the free negro an
securing freedom to those IN bondag
both without conflict with existing Law
The sAform ran In this groove 20 year
In 1889 the firet temperance society vi
organized IN Connecticut and simP
pledged its members 10 abstain from d
use OF Distilled liquors. This reform RI
In tbis.Rroove 10 years.
In 1775 this nrst abolition society W
reoreanized, with Benjamin franklin
president and Benjamin Rush its seer
fary, and was called ''Ihe Pennsylvan
Society for the Abolition of Slavery
Q The reform ran In this groove sixty-h
= years, when 1t entered national politi
! as the Liberty party. In 1903 the ten
. perance reforUers, seeing the utter
= = sufilc,ency Of partial abstinence, reorga
j lied with pledge OF total abstinen
Q from all intoxicating drinks. This !
form ran in this groove sixty-four yea
when 1t entered national politics as I
Prohibition party.
Il And again, 1t was Just twenty yes
L after the anti-slavery reform enter
r national politics. In 1910, that th
elected Abraham Lincoln and slave
went down. The twenty years since
temperance reform entered national PC
tics will end IN 1892. OF course I
:, question fs derisively asked tile Prohi
] tionists, "Do you have the least idea II
you will elect President in 1892, q
a that the overthrow Of the saloon is Il
= near at hand2" lam not certain.
am aware that the Prohibition v,
IN 1888 Was far below the Fremont "
IN 1866, four years beftrs their triumI
= but am not certain that the Prohibit
sentiment Ia not equal to that of
:. = anti-slavery reform at that pcriod.
am also not unmindful OF the
preme Court decision which has giV
legal statue and protection to the tra
from M aine to the Gulf aud from sea
\ sea. Nor do forget that Mr.. Bucban
+ \ wss scarcely iuaugurated before the Di
" Scott decision was rendered by tue
preme Court, which gave legal sta
. and protection to slave y all over
national domain In utter defiance OF ST
enactments to the contrary, and / hi
not forgotten the fact that that very
cision was the kneli OF death to the I'M
tuition 1t sought to protect. In Ii,
more than three years the anti-slav
party was triumphant and slavery "
=, down. Revolutions ripen slowly,
!; break upon nations like cyclones wi
p their hour has fully come, and, notwi
!, standing the liquor power has all
ID backing It has asked and seems entir
10 secure all over the land, and ut
e. juncture is going rough shod over II
.. to the contrary, It's knell OF death !
hs sounded April 2S, 1890, and ! shall
prepared to SEQ the campaign Of 1860
peAted In 1892. q. W. BDRKI