The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-05-20
LECALIlED EVILS--NO. g..
(Nvritten for the News Democrat
BY JOHN DANNER.

of the Anti-Saloon league, in this city,
and found the genial superintendent,
Rev. T. M. Hare, at his desk, and In
speaking Of my recent article, number
81, on "Iegalized Evil" he said "The
read difference between the Anti-Sa-
loon league and the Prohibitionist, Is
this: The Anti-Saloon league wants to
abolish the saloon without political ac-
tion, while the Prohibitionists con-
tend that the only successful way Is
to take the question into politics"
consider Rev. Hare Christian gentle
man, and believe he really dislikes the
saloon as much as do the Prohibition
lists and he has stated the difference
correctly; but 1t seems to me things
are rapidly developing to convince
Rev. Hare and all others that the
position taken by the Anti-Saloon
league on this question is wrong, while
the Prohibitionists are right
Let us see. A little over twenty
five years ago, the Republican party
in its national convention, which met
in Philadelphia, adopted what was
known as the Rastor resolution, which
opposed prohibition of the liquor
traffic, and Sabbath laws, and cham
pioned the legalization of the liquor
traffic by means of high license or tax
laws; this at once attracted many
brewers, distillers and saloonkeepers
to the support of said party; and the
party has never receded from That
position. Many of the most widely
circulated newspapers, like the Gin
cinuati Commercial Gazette and the
Chicago Tribune, boldly declared their
hostility to prohibition, and plainly
told the adherents OF the party. that
IL they had any hopes of making the
Republican party espouse the cause of
prohibition, they had better leave the
party as it was license party
and not Prohibition party and never
would be.
The Democatic party has in it's state
and national conventions declared
that 1t is opposed to all sumptuary
for the liquor traffic. This Is the true
condition of things and every day con-
vinces all intelligent people that both
the once grand old national political
parties have fully championed the
cause Of the saloon license system and
thereby have taken this question into
political partnership with the best
government on earth. Both these
great national political pakties are
catering to the saloon vote, and more
than half their caucuses are held in
saloons, over saloons or by consent
and advice of the rum powers" and
in all their national conventions,
brewers, distillers and saloon men are
among their delegates.
These facts can not be denied, which
proves that the liquor question is firm
ly entrenched in our state and nation
al politics and can never be gotten out
of politics until a national party is put
in power opposed to all forms of le-
galization Of the liquor traffic for bev-
erage purposes.
The Prohibition party is the only
national political party that opposes
this great iniquity and therefore is
entitled to. and should have, the sup
port of all who oppose the saloon,
whether Christians, Anti-Saloon
league voters or Prohibition,sts, or at
least until one or the other old liquor
ruled parties throws off its allie
glance to the rum power and manfully
declares that "the saloon must 60"
throughout the state and nation.
1t is absolutely true that so long as
the reins of the state are in the hands
of any tax or license party, just that
long the saloon and liquor selling for
beverage purposes will be protected by
our government. But when a politic-
al party is elevated to national power
on the direct issue that no form of tax
or license will be granted to said traffic
but that it must be dealt with as an
outlaw then this question will be set
tied and settled right; and so long as
both the political parties refuse to rec
ognize and champion the principle
Of state and national prohibition of the
iqnor traffic, just that long Christians,
Anti-Saloon voters and Prohibitionists,
should support the only party that
champions the protection Of the home
against the saloon. There ig no other
way of looking at this Ques-
ton; and IL these three great armies
Of moral reform will stand by each
other for this principle. one of two
things will happen. First, the Pohib-
Ition party will come to the front, as
the dominant national party, or, sec
ond one of the other of the old liquor
ruled parties will throw off their al
'c5idhCe " tuc rum power anu ucCidIo
for state and national prohibition, and
when that is done these mighty arm
les, for the banishment Of the saloon
throughout the nation will go to the
support of such re-organized party.
All we have to do Is to stop our
little chickering's about minor things,
and say we all stand shoulder TO shoul-
der for the state and national prohib-
ition Of the liquor traffic; and then
we will be felt as a moral power in our
great and otherwise happy nation.
Let wicked politicians and saloon
apologists sneer as they please, IL we
can ute these three great moral forces
to stand solid for the same thing at the
ballot box, we shall most assuredly
see victory In the near future. Let MS
that our chart is In Gods
Word and there we are plainly told
that righteousness exalteth q nation
but sin is reproach to any people"
The legalized liquor traffic is the great