Evening star., 1895-10-24
SEN. HILL STATES THE ISSUE
Manner of the Enforcement of the Liquor
Law.
He believes That Each Municipality
Should Be Permitted to De-
eide for Itself.

the democratic mass meeting, under the
auspices of the state committee, which was
held at Cooper Union, in New York, last
night. Fred R. Coudert acted as chairman,
and, with a few complimentary remarks,
introduced Senator HILL who spoke in part
as follows:
'"The principles of the democratic party
are SO plain and explicit that they do not
need to be avoided. We have lodged moth
ing in this campaign, and we are attempt
ing to deceive no one. If we are right we
want to win, and If we are wrong we de-
serve to be defeated. My partys princi-
pies are my own, and in their presenta ton
on this occasion 1 shall assume that 1
speak by its authority as well as in its be-
them. 1 defend those principles because 1
believe in them. l hate cowardly party
as l detest cowardly man. frankly
avow that should be ashamed to belong to
ciples mean one thing in Herkimer county
and another thing in New York-one thing
in Maine and another thing in Texas.
THE tariff bill enacted in 1894 by the
democratic party went into effect on Au-
gust Is, 1894, and thus has been in opera
ton only little over one year. That time
has not been ample to demonstrate its
value and usefulness. 1t is to be regretted
that 1t has not met the full expectations
of its friends in realizing sufficient revenues
to prevent deficiencies, but this consolation
exists. that even If there must be some
deficiencies for brief period there has
been no unnecessary and extravagant taxa
tion imposed under its provisions. Suff1-
cient time has not elapsed to determine
accurately whether its reductions were all
wise or justifiable, but it is believed that in
the end it will be proved that they were
not unreasonable. 1t is possible that in
the anxiety to relieve the people from the
enormous tariff taxation, largely prohibit
tory in Its character, imposed under the
Mckinley BILL the reductions were pressed
too far but that fact has not yet been es-
tablished. The criticism of our Opponents
is not that taxes have been unnecessarily
imposed or collected, or that the peoples
moneys have been squandered in any man
ner. but that we have not collected enough
from the people through the reform tariff
expenses of the government. Then the
moneys are still In the pockets Of the peo-
pie, and little harm Is done; if necessary
they can subsequently be collected through
increased duties or collected in other ways
Deficiencies are not evidence Of extrava-
gance, prohfgacy or unjust taxation, how
ever annoying or inconvenient they may
be In other respects. We ask the people to
be patient In order that the new mea sure
may have fair test.
Il come now to one of the principle is
sues involved in this campaign, and this is
personal liberty Our opponents do not
IKE the term. 1t annoys them 1t worries
them, it maddens them, it frightens them.
personal liberty means liberty regulated
by Unreasonable law. AS popularity in
terpreted it stands for opposition to un-
necessary restraint and veXatious interfer-
ence with private affairs and to all species
OF obnoxious governmental supervision of
individual concerns. The principle which is
implied in the term personal liberty is the
bulwark of free state.
1.-The democratic party has ALWAYS been
the consistent champion of personal liberty
1t will not change its attitude by reason of
MISREPRESENTATION or the threats or the
boasts of Puritanisn.
The democrats in the revision of 1892 did
not change the Sunday provisions of 1857,
but left them as the republicans originally
enacted them-save and except that they
liberalized those provisions
There Is no issue anywhere upon the
general subject of the prOprety of the en-
forcement of law. No democratic news
paper, no democratic orator anywhere, has
advocated the doctrine that the excise laws
should not be enforced They should be
enforced the same as all other laws in a
reasonable spirit, fairly, impartially and
justly. They should not be enforced to the
exclusion Of other laws-they should not
be enforced more strictly or more harshly
than other laws. and good judgment and
common sense should be exercised in their
enforcement. The full usefulness of many
laws depend not only upon the manner in
which they are enforced, but depend on
the construction which is given to them.
Upon this question the two parties have
declared themselves. We have not said
that we favor the opening of saloons upon
Sunday throughout the state, neither have
we said We are opposed to it. We have
simply declared that the people Of each
municipality should be permitted to de-
termine that question themselves"