The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-07-01
LECALIZED EVLS--N0. 65.
(written for the News-Democrat.)
BY JOHN DANNER.

We, in these United States, love to
say "the voice of the people is the
voice of God," and SO it is when guild
ed by sanctified teaching and training,
but very often the voice Of the people
Is turned into the voice of tyranny,
and the people are led to endorse the
tyranny, not stopping to consider what
they are doing.
We believe in "a government Of the
people, by the people and for the peo-
pie" But when a government sup
ports and legalizes evil and tyranny,
then 1t is time to call the attention
of the masses to the tyranny, and II
possible, get them to protest at ballot
box against such wrong That is what
we have been trying to do in calling
the attention Of all patriotic citizens
to the fact that our government Is le-
galizing an evil which Englands great
est statesman, Mr.. Gladstone, said cost
the people more lives, treasure and
sorrow than war, pestilence and fam
inc combined, and that Is the liquoD
traffic for beverage purposes.
The people can change this condi-
ton Of things only by protesting at
the ballot box against all forms Of tax
license for intoxicants to be sold as a
beverage. AS long as we, the people,
suffer this wrong to be perpetrated by
our rulers, just so long this monster
evil will continue to debauch the peo-
pie and pollute our politics.
That the voice of the people may be
led to do evil is taught us by past
history. 1t was the voice of the people
that cried to Aaron, "Give us an idol
that we may worship it," 1t was the
voice of people that cried Release unto
us Barabbas and cruelty Christ. The
voice of the people shouted in great
triumph when martyrs were being
burned" These things show us that
sometimes the masses may be misled,
and do very great wrong, and for that
very reason we should command the
attention Of the people long enough to
reason with them and show them that
they have consented to that which op-
presses and degrades, and appeal to
their better judgement to cease to do
evil and learn to do well.
Popular government we all believe
in, but where popular government sus-
tains an iniquity and defies the law OF
justice and the best interests Of the
people, as does the legalization of the
liquor trafnc for beverage purposes.
then it becomes the duty of all right
minded citizens to raise their protest,
in a republican form of government
just as much as they would under a
monarchy. There is no divine author
ity in any form Of government which
oppresses the masses, and we hold that
all our tax and license laws for the
legalizaticn of the liquor traffic are an
oppression to the masses, and there
fore should be abolished, and II polit-
ical parties in power refuse to abolish
all tax and license laws whereby the
liquor traffice Is made legal business
then 1t is the duty of all loyal citizens
and right-minded people to cast their
ballots against such parties and vote
only for party that firmly stands for
the death of the liquor traffice
throughout the state and nation. q
Fellow citizens, stop and think, is it
false or true that the government Of
the United States has, by licensing the
saloon and liquor traffic, put itself in
the position of an organized foe Of our
homes and firesides? We today have
240,00 pitfalls, called saloons, which
are licensed by the United States gov
ernment to ruin thousands of homes
and protect the liquor manufacturers
in sending their deadly liquids to for
eign and heather countries.
Government is established to protect
the best interests of the people, but
by legalizing the liquor traffic it en-
dangers the happiness of the people,
and thereby The very government that
should be our protection becomes the
protector of the saloons which are our
greatest enemy.
According to the most authentic in
formation, we have today over two
millions of drunkards in the United
States, and they are the cause of MAX
ing eight millions of their relatives
more or less unhappy through tho
strong drink that Is sold them by the
saloons, which have a permit from the
government to carry on this iniquity.
Now, If the saloon business Is mean
and degrading business, is it not a de
grading business for our government
to grant sucf; a permit by the payment
OF a+tax or license fee? And II that is
true, is 1t not doubly true that any mau
who votes tax or license ticket is.
more guilty than either the govern
ment or the saloonkeeper? To prove
this 1t is but needful to say that II tho
people would not vote for tax or IL
cerse party the government would not
think of granting a license or permit
TO carry on this mean kind of business,
and the liquor sellers could not get
permit or license from the government
to do this kind Of destructive work. All
intelligent liquor sellers know that
without permit from the government
their business would be condemned by
all our best citizens, and 1t is already
condemned by the supreme court OF
the nation.
Do we talk falsely in thus saying,
no, no? All good people say they do
not want the saloon as neighbor, aud
above all, our supreme court said, mo
legislature can bargain away the pub
lie health or the public morals, the
people themselves cannot do It, much
less their servants" Government Is
established for the preservation of the
naopIa and tbav hava M RIGHT fo unfa