The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-03-27
THE CLARK BILL
Referred to In Legalized Evil
No. 6, By John
.. Danner.

like ours, a union of the church and
state will never be tolerated, then why
should we tolerate the union of saloon
and state as we have 1t today, which
is tenfold worse.
respect a liquor seller for voting for
tax and license parties, because he is
sure to get the bait viz: the profit
there is in the business; but not 50 with
the preacher or other church members,
they bite at the naked hook and get
caught every time.
We have abundant proof on this score
in Ohio. Our constitution very clearly
says that mo license shall be granted
for liquor selling" But political bosses
thought they could carry the church
vote on one shoulder, and the saloon
vote on the other. So when the brewers
of Cincinnati and the other liquor in
terests of the state proposed that tax
law be enacted, whereby their outlawed
business might have legal existence,
the scheming politicians championed
such a policy. The first law was known
as the Pond law and was pronounced
unconstitutional. The second was the
Scott law, and that met the same fate.
Finally there was no hope of holding
the liquor vote, unless q tax law was
enacted that would give the business
of liquor selling in Ohio legal exis-
tence, and they then enacted the Dow
TAX law, lOT pOllCy bHu lOI uOldlhS bhC
liquor vote, and this was sustained in
partisan state count.
That was the time that the old
Voters Union" was betrayed into the
hands of the rum power The Voters
Union was very much like the present
Anti-Saloon league and many OF us left
the party at that time never to return
as long as they tried to carry the saloon
and liquor element on one shoulder and
the preachers and temperance people
on the other.
1t was quite evident at that time, and
Is now as clear as sunbeam, that said
act was "a sowing to the wind" and
now the time has come that they will
reap the whirlwind." For proof of this
look at the Ohio Legislature today and
see the stir and commotion made by
the introduction of the mild and reason
able law entitled the "Clark local op-
ton BILL" which was defeated by one
vote
That this kind of completely and dou-
BILE dealing will prove to be buzz
saw" in the hands of the party that un-
dertakes it, no intelligent man can
deny.
/ do not believe in abusing the liquor
sellers. They are as good by nature as
the rest of us, but despise the business
Of putting the bottle to our neighbors
mouth" and therefore vote against all
parties that give this ruinous business
a legal existence. / can respect q sa-
loon man in voting for a tax or license
party, but cannot have any respect for
a man that is constantly preaching
against the traffic and then goes TO the
ballot box and votes for the PARTY that
will uphold such an ungodly and un-
constitutional law as the Dow tax law
in Ohio.
Every man with a grain Of crumon
aI, hot ,;%
temperance people and christian people
will not suit brewers, distillerS and
liquor sellers. 1t is about as easy to
suit both as It would be to drive two
horses in opposite directions at the same
time, o: headed for Chicago and the
other for Pittsburg. Let the lines be
fairly defined, to take a positive stand
for the defense of the traffic or for its
entire destruction. If the liquor sellers
have an inherent right to sell intoXi.
eating liquors it is unjust to levy an
extra tax or license fee upon them, and
if they have no such inherent right,
then it is treason to home and the best
interests of the people to grant them
a permit at any price or in any shape.
Above all things do let us have frank
and open dealing; this double dealing
and doing as some parties do, by put
ting on great temperance airs in the
churches and at nights skulk about the
saloons for their vote, all honest men
must despise.
The legislation in Ohio on the liquor
question since the enactment of the
Dow law, reminds me very much of
what have seen done on farms. In or
der to get cattle from one field to an
other, without driving them, someone
would go before, with food in basket
and call out, "Sook, sook," and the poor
creatures would get just ear enough
to smell the food. and then 1t would he
taken from them. So it Is with our
Ohio legislature today just near enough
| to think they have it, and while the
poor innocent party slaves tag along
with no more suspicion of oeing cheated
all the while, than had the cattle on the
| farm.
The liquor men vote for what they
want; the preachers and church mem
bers Cat least the great majority of
them) talk about what they want and
then vote for what they do not want.
| 1t will not do to vote for tax license
| party and expect temperance legisla-
ton from them. When in Ohio the
Statute of 1852 that made it unlawful
to sell liquors on the premises where
| drunk, had to be repealed in order to
| establish the Dow tax law and also the
| old Adair law had to be so amended or
| modified that there is no longer any yir-
tue in said law; and in the place of
| these good laws we have the Dow tax
law, and all the brewers, distillers and
saloon men are it's supporters, and to
| the shame of some preachers, it must
| be said that they train in the same
crowd. How have the mighty fallen"