The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-08-13
]. THE VOTER
ls Asked to Do More
Than Merely
DENOUNCESALOONS
Mr.. Danner Urges Him to Use
His Ballot as q Weapon
Against the Liquor
Evil.
Uegalized Evil. No. 42.)

trates the conduct of many preachers,
elders, deacoDs and anti-saloon men
who talk" resolve and parade sen
against the saloon, but all the
while keep on voting with tax and IL
cense parties to give legal existence
to the very traffic they are constantly
assailing. All such conduct is very
inconsistent and harmful to the best
interests of society.
A certain pastor in Canton has often
been heard to say, II would not speak
to or recognize a saloon man on the
street." and yet that very man persists
in voting for the tax and license party
which enacted and upholds the uncon-
stitutional Dow tax; and by thus voting
he upholds the legalization of the sa-
loon in Ohio. All his severe denuncia-
ton of the saloon men amounts to
nothing so long as he votes to put in
power any political party that will give
a legal protection to the liquo traffic.
In fact the saloon men. brewers and
distillers look on such inconsistency
with a broad grin, but the moment that
preachers, Christians and good citizens
in general, take up the no-license bal
lot and hurl it against all tax and Ii
cense parties, those very fellows who
now look on with great complacency,
will become terrified and affrighted,'
for they will know that every Prohibit
tion ballot is stone hurled against
their unholy business. They also
know that every ballot cast for a tax
or license party gives consent to their
traffic. Whether said ballot is cast by
brewer or preacher it has the same
effect.
It is the system Of legalizing this
evil that should be opposed. 1t is not
the men engaged in the liquor business
that should be assailed, it is their busi-
ness. Some years ago John Vassar, of
Poughkeepsie, n. Y, was extensively
engaged in the brewing business in
said city. Christian men did all they
could to press upon him the claims OF
the gospel, and to show him the evil
his business was doing. The result
was that he was soundly converted,
gave up the brewing business, and be-
came an active and consistent Chris
tian, joined the Baptist church and left
large fortune to Vassar college, that
| to-day is doing great good. Had Mr.
| Vassar's character been traduced and
his business left untouched, he never
would have been converted This
should be lesson to all who are op-
posed to the liquor traffic. The bust.
ness should be assailed, and not the
personality of the men engaged in it
We have men in Canton who are
kind-hearted, well-mei ng citizens
who from their earliest recollections
have been brought up to deal out in.
toxicating liquors, and think nothing
Of II. To traduce these men above all
others and not expose the evil of theil
business, is certainly a very unwist
policy; and yet that Is the policy to-
often adopted by many who profess
better things.
The selling of intoxicating liquors
for beverage purposes Is acknowledged
by all well informed citizens to be the
greatest evil in our nation; and II Is
a creature Of law. At this time 1t ha.
not only the sanction Of our nationa
government, but license laws have beer
enacted in most all the states Of ou
country. 1t is this kind of laws tha
all good citizens should by their bal
lots help to abolish. The great diff
Guilty in doing this Is, that about nine
teen out of twenty voters belong to on,
or the other of the two great politica
parties Of the nation, viz: Democrat,
or Republican, and both these one,
grand parties have become tax and II
.cense parties, and are seeking the sa
loon vote. Therefore, to get men t,
stand for principles of righteousness
Is no trouble to convince their judg
ment, but the great trouble is to ge
them to have the moral courage to stel
down and out of all tax and licens
parties, and vote for what they want
Under this condi ton of things multi
tudes of excellent men who are oppose,
to the saloon stand and talk agains
the saloon. and say hard and bite
things against those engaged in tn
traffic, but on election day vote tn
same ticket that the saloon man, brew
er and liquor seller votes, because the,
cannot think of giving up their al
legiance to the G. o. p. and knowin
this to be the fact, the liquor men Loo
on and say Of such a man:
He is true to his church, to his part
he Is truen
He talks for the Lord. but he vote
for the brewer"
When the preachers, deacons an
others will talk less against the liquo
men, but always vote against all ia
and license parties, then the liQuo
men will become alarmed and nc
make faces at those fellows for BLOWN
wind as. they now do. Liquor men al
ways vote for tax and license parties
and when those opposed to the traffl
will refuse to vote for any party so Ion
, as they uphold tax and license laws fo
the traffic, then will they be consisten
and victory for righteousness will b
near at hand; but 1t never can come @
, long as Christians pray and tai