The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-04-08

BY JOHN pANNER.

A more truthful statement was never
made. Every christian, in order TO be
loyal to the declaration Of the church
es must therefore vote against every
political party that upholds any form
OF legalization OF the liquor traffic.
The M. e. people have taken the ad-
vance step, when they proclaimed to
the world in their general conference
"The liquor traffic cannet be legal
ized without sin," and all other church
es have followed in line by proclaim
ing aloud amen. But singular to say
up to this tine not over three per cent
of the christian voters have needed
this declaration of the churches when
they get to the ballot box but have
voted with, and for brewers and sa-
loonkeepers to keep tax and license
parties in power.
That there are many good men in
these tax and license parties, no one
will pretend to deny but they do not
shape the policy of these parties; it is
TIE liquor power that does this and
hence II was that George b. Cox and
the brewers of Cincinnati and other
parts of the state, demanded of the
Republican party nearly twenty years
ago. that they trample upon our pro-
hibition constitution and champion a
tax law, whereby they might open up
their death traps all over the state,
and ii was done. Since that time the
great Methodist u. S. senator, ]. b.
Foraker, did say I'VE point with just
pride to the Dow tax law" When
christian men by ballot and utterance
approve of such a law that tramples
upon our state constitution and the
pronounced declarations of our church
es and vote with saloonkeepers and
brewers to keep tax and license parties
in power, it is high time to arouse the
church voters to a sense of their moral
and religious obligations, and turn
away from all political parties that
seek the saloon vote, and are controll-
ed by the liquor element, as all the tax
and license parties are.
Our state constitution clearly says,
mo license to traffic in Intoxicating
liquors shall hereafter be granted"
This was adopted by the people in
1851 and although three attempts have
since been made to repeal the clause,
the people by their ballots have up
held the constitution.
But in order to get the liquor vote
the Republican party enacted tax laws
whereby the liquor men are permitted
to open their saloons IL they pay the
tax levied upon them, by the Republic
can tax laws. This is anarchy, and
nothing short of it. If we understand
the definition of anarchy it is to tram
pie upon laws that have been enacted
for the best interest of the people, and
our state constitution is one of the
highest forms of law which was en-
acted about the time the first prohib-
itory law was enacted in the state of
Maine. A permit is a license and the
anarchy in Ohio, and while the DEM
ocratic party has not committed the
overt act of thus trampling upon our
state constitution, it is also guilty be-
cause it has, on several occasions, had
the power in our state legislature to
repeal this anarchistic Dow tax law,
but it did not even attempt to inter-
cede for the protection Of our homes
and firesides, and thereby both the
dominant parties in Ohio are RESPONSE
BILE for the existence of the anarchistic
Dow tax law remaining on our statute
books, and a vote for such parties is
a vote to uphold anarchy.
Before the enactment of the Dow
tax law in Ohio the consumption OF
liquor In our state was four gallons
per capita, today, under the protection
of the outrageous Dow tax law, the
consumption Of liquor in Ohio is four
teen gallons per capita, an increase OF
over two hundred per cent in twenty
years.
Dear friends and fellow citizens OF
every name, is it not time for patriotic
citizens to withhold their ballots FROM
all parties that thus trample upon the
Ut6L InttTeSlS VI Jul pSoPiS, oiNa bT'
their inspiration from the saloon ond
not from the bible? Such conduct Is
in direct conflict with our free form ol
government.
In the sight OF the bible and human
law, to be accessory to a crime Is re-
garded as being equally guilty with the
party that commits crime. This be.
ing true, then to vote for tax or II.
cense party is to be equally guilty with
the man that stands behind the bal
ad deals out the liquor. The bible ani
our state constitution are against the
4 saloons and the saloons are against
the bible and our state constitution
Now to vote for tax or license is Il
give your consent to this legalizatioI
of evil. Can you do 1t, dear friends
and neighbors? Think on this ques
tion and vote against the most gigantic
evil that ever cursed this otherwise