The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-06-04
LOCALIZED EVIL NO 81.
Appeal for an Honest Effort TO
Destroy the Liquor
Traffic.


form of the Ohio Anti-Saloon league
and wherein do they differ from the
will try to explain,
The Anti.Saloon league declare IN the I
first clause of their platform as fol
lows: The Ohio Anti-Saloon league
stands for a single idea-the abolition
of the saloon" All good citizens fully |
agree with this. but many OF us who
had the experince with the old Voters
union seventeen years ago have come
to the conclusion that this great ques.
tion cannot be settled outside of politi-
cal action.
The reins OF our state and national
government have been held so long by
some dominant political party, that 1t
appears impossible to get away from
that way of doing things. And, while
there are many Of our best citizens
who are conscientiously either Repub-
licans or Democrats, and as individuals
despise the liquor traffic for beverage
purposes, yet their parties as organi-
zations are committed to the perpetua-
ton OF said traffic under some kind Of
tax or license laws, whereby the state
derives a revenue and is made part
ner in this business. Under this con-
dltion of things the Prohibitionists and
the Anti-Saloon league do not agree
as to the best means of dealing with
said traffic.
The Anti-Saloon league contends
that by voting for the best man in the
dominant parties and working for local
option, will bring about this needed re-
form, viz. the abolition of the liquor
traffic for beverages purposes.
We, as Prohibitionists. hold that this
question has been taken into our ma
tional and state politics and 1t cannot
be got out only to meet 1t at the ballot
box. The liquor interests carried 1t
into the political arena, and there is
the only place it can be successfully
defeated. On July /, 1862, the first
great blunder was made by putting q
tax on whisky, and taking the distillers
under government protection. Again
in Ohio the great mistake was made
by the enactment of tax laws for the
retail liquor business; and while the
Republican party was the prime mover
in both the state and nation in thus
degrading our excellent government, 1t
Is true that the Democratic party was
also eager to get the liquor vote, and
have endorsed what the Republicans
had done in giving the destructive
traffic a legal existence. Both parties
have declared, in state and national
conventions, that the principles of tax
alton or license, are eternal and by
them will forever abide. Both parties
have publicly declared that they are
license parties and opposed to Prohi-
bition.
AS Prohibitionists we rejoice at the
education the Anti-Saloon league are
giving the people on the evils of the
liquor traffic, but We cannot agree with
them that this great national question
can be settled by neRypartisan efforts,
and think many OF them begin to see
il. That there are good men who de-
spise the traffic in both the great po-
lltical parties of the nation, no one
will pretend to deny, but If they are
elected to Office they must keep mum
on this liquor question, or off goes their
political head.
A new party must come to the front
on this great issue, just as there did
on the slavery question, before we can
expect a final settlement of this great
ISSUE And there is where the Prohi-
cannot agree. ! have no idea what the
name of the political party will be. or
Just how it will come, and just when
IL will come, but come 1t must before
this great question can be settled, and
settled right. 1t is a greater and far
her reaching question than was the sla.
very question, involving the loss OF
more lives, more money and happiness,
and it permeates the whole nation
while the slavery question was local
Amidst all this the Anti-Saloon
league and the Prohibitionists have
fully agreed on the extent and magni-
tude Of the evil, but they have not
agreed on the remedies to apply; and
therefore we cannot cooperate; but I
can afford to treat them .courteously,
and try to show them a higher and
better way; but cannot work in their
way and not attack the guilty political
parties, who legallZe this great evil,
not only in our state and nation, but our
glorious flag is dishonored by convey
ing TO heather nations this accursed
traffic. We must cry aloud and spare
not against this evil. Electing good
men in the old parties, or having local
option in townships, does not reach
the great evil, and therefore we can
only say to our well meaning Anti.Sa.
loon friend, come up higher and help
us fight the evil where IL lies entrench.
ed, behind the bulwarks thrown up by
the two great national parties, viz, the
tax and license laws which give 1t a
legal existence.
In Christ's time 1t was said, New
wine must not be put In old bottles, lest
the bottles burst" In our time we car
truthfully say new temperance policy
must not be put into old tax and license
parties, lest they burst. The truth OF
this may be illustrated in a moment
Let either Of the old dominant parties
champion the cause of temperance ant
make an honest effort to suppress the
liquor traffic; they would at once lost
all their liquor vote, and that woult