The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-06
OBJECTIONS TO THE MEASURE.
MIR. the Bill in
Strong

oNAOAs
To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
History, I trust, will not repeat itself in
as far as it refers to the rantings of a few
possibly weIl-meaning but inconsiderate per-
sons, who are endeavoring to again lead the
Republican party, as it has done in the past,
into the same pitfall into which it has
dropped time and time again, when, as at
the present time, it had an overwhelming
majority in the State and in all of the
branches of it's government. Will the Re-
publican party ignore its past experience?
Has it forgotten the verdict of
the people in every State of
the Union wherever it has lent its
ear to the solicitations of bigots and narrow
minded partisans, who ignored the party in
terests in order to cary out their imprac-
ticable doctrines and exploded theories? The
different communications from the rural dis
tricts generally to the press of the city
show conclusively that the citizen from the
village. whose vision extends but to the
one viles grog shop i'll his respective locality,
by which he Judges the liquor tratf1c gen.
this warfare against the saloon. He is who'll
ly incompetent to Judge this question:, and
he is particularly unable to discriminate be-
tween the demands of a metropolitan city
and that of the village, as it refers to the
liquor question. Ut has been fully demon
tending q over ems a eop period 3 Atty years year or
longer. that it is impossible to legislate
against the appetite, ana as long as human
nature is constituted as it is, all the legisla-
ton in the world will not prevent liquor
from being drunk. Why not let well enough
alone? Compared with other States, we are
decidedly well provided in the way of liquor
laws, and they are probably better enforced
than in other localities. As far as the moral
phase of the question is concerned. we can
prove by our record that 1t is much better
than the average.
Will the Republican party, in order to
cater to the whimS of a few fanatical adj
visers. jeopardize its prospects for the
future, as it has done in the past, or will
it rather listen to the wishes of the people
as a whole? The liquor question appears
regular every time the Legislature meets,
tearing down with it whatever party is fool
ish enough to give 1t consideration. We have
all the law wanted or required on the sub
ject, and it is also fairly we'll enforced,
and if changes are to be made at all, let
them be in the direction of conforming to
the demands of the larger cities, such as
extending the time for keeping open the
saloon until II O'clock; otherwise, leave it
severely alone. Let the gentlemen who are
agitating this question in the Legislature
remove it to the platform or the debating
society, where 1t will do no harm politically
or otherwise, but, in the interest OF party
ascendency, allow no changes to be made
which surely will prove disastrous to the
party in power. I had hoped that after the
experience gained in such banner Repub-
lican States as Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota,
Kansas. Indiana and others. which were
all lost to the enemy on account of the I'M
holy alliance with the temperance cause,
but il seems that the danger is not abating.
and that constant vigilance is still the price
of liberty OTTO STECHHAN.
indianapolis, Feb. 5.