The Press., 1892-04-07
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 Oorrespondence,)

Editor The Press: Kindly allow me
 space to reply to your questions.
 | It is not matter of "censure, D or per.
 sonal history, but of historic fact, that
 President Lincoln found it impossible to
 save the union with slavery, and that he,
 with that sublime courage that has made
 his name immortal, rose above his party
 to the abolition standard, and issued the
 emancipation proclamation. As to wheth.
 CT the editor of The Home would 'prefer
 no country at all to one in which liquor is
 sold under license," the question here
 again is not one of preference but of fact, and the fact is, that we shall soon have
 mo country at all" if the license policy
 is continued that is,we shall not be able
 to preserve that government of the peo-
 pie, by the people and for the people, ,"for
 which the immortal Lincoln gave his life.
 The editor of The Home hereby declares,
 what the editor of The Press will not deny,
 that this country can no more endure un-
 der the "license and local option" policy
 than it could have endured "half slave and
 half free" The union could not have been
 saved with slavery and it cannot be pre-
 served with the saloon.
 Your statements, sir, as to the influence
 of the abolitionists, are simply astonish-
 ing, and plainly show that you need new
 baptism in the spirit of early republican,
 ism If "the abolitionists of the Wendell
 Phillips stripe did not aid in the growth
 of anti-slavely sentiment" as you so strangely declare, how comes it that the
 name of Wendell Phillips stands among the foremost in American history, and among the most revered of Massachusetts treasures "Their intemperance of action rather retarded it," you say,-ah, sir, pray read again those immortal words of Phillips in Faneuil Hall, and then see if you can bring your pen and your con- science to frame sentences so strangely faithless to the noblest of our American traditions
 It was Garrison's Liberator that made The Tribune possible. History shows be- yond dispute that it was not "the [non- extension) sentiment crystalized into the republican party" but the greatness of statesmanship developed by the crisis in Abraham Lincoln, that made it '.impossi- ble for slavery to continue ;" and the log ic of necessity then forced the republican party to rise to the abolition standard to complete the great work which emancipa- tion had begun.
 "We never can have prohibition until the majority of the people want it," you say-thats truism but every license law leads away from prohibition; and un- der your party's present ''license and To- cal option" system crime and drunkenness gre growing in Connecticut respectively three and six times faster than population, as the records of your republican county commissioners indisputably show. And permit me to add a still more significant fact, namely, that the increasing economic burdens due to crowded jails and asylums and the debauchery of producing power in cities, are borne more largely by the sober, industrious farmers or producers of the no-license towns than by any other class in the state, for economic burdens fall most heavily upon the producing classes, and men are the better able to produce as they are free from the poison of alcohol. Local option" is device by which rum rules aud debauches the cities, while the sober classes of the no-license towns are made to bear the larger proportionate share of the resulting burden. "The work of all good temperance people should be- ito overthrow this pernicious and delus- i've system
 When you ask, "Did the slave power strengthen it's position during the fatal dal1iance of the north with compromise measures ?'" and sswould the south have resorted to arms If it were gaining ground by compromise ?" you strangely forget that the arms to which the south resorted wore seized from government arsenals which they were able to possess because of that 'fatal dalliance of the north '" The south seeded and took up arms be- cause 1t saw the inevitable drift of the pub- lie conscience at the north, but the final struggle was made far more difficult and terrible because of the fatal dalliance" of political parties and public men with 'com- promise measures" Prompt, decisive and outrageous action along the inevitable abolition line twenty years earlier, would have won the victory with far less cost. Perhaps men could not see it then, but we see it clearly now, and I wish to en- force the point that herein lies plain les son for the American people in the pres earnestly urge that we heed the unmis- takeable teachings of our own history.
 The rum power has intrenched itself during the present republican admiaistra- tion as never before, because of "fatal dal- liance with compromise measures" More of rum have been appoint ed to high office than by any previous ad- ministration. The presidents $6000 off1c- ial wine service, and the vice presidents Shoreham dramshop, have set an unprec- edented example of official debauchery, and Secretary Blaine's "beer drumming" pamphlet has given the liquor trade an boom! These are facts ,in- facts of record. This is how the rum institution is being ''girdled by the conservative forces of the republican party!" Nay, sir, the truth is that the re- publican policy of license, local option and rum favoritism is every hour intrenching the rum power, and spreading it's clrse. speak specifically of the republican par ty because 1t has had full sway in this sGate ana Tn the state Tor generation, and it must accept the responsibility of its rec ord. Where can we place the responsi- bility if not upon the party in power
 You imply that the rum power laughs at the efforts of the prohibition party" Do you ever read the liquor papers They cannot find words bitter enough to de- nounce the prohibitionists On the other hand, what say the liquor men of your party's policy? The Wine and Spirit Ga zette is constantly advising ''the trader that it's chief hope lies in the republican policy of license and local option. Says President J. M. Atherton of the big whis- key trust
 1.-The true policy for the trade to pursue is to advocate high license until prohibition is de- stroyed or its political efforts broken. repeat that our best weapons to fight 1t are high license