Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1904-05-12
w. c T. u. COLUMN.
For God, Home and Native Land.
This department is under the management
and control OF the Bedding W. G. 7. u


We quote from the American
Issue this week, in order to inform
the readers of this column how the
leading republican papers Of Ohio,
are opposed to their republican
governor, who is hand and glove
with the saloon men. And this is
as it should be, forget party afiilia-
tions when dealing with the tenn
perance question.
"In the last two numbers OF the
Issue we have given somewhat OF an
indication OF republican press feel
ings regarding the Governors at
titude in the Brannock bill matter.
We have seen how he has been con-
demned, either directly or by the
very strongest implication, in such
party organs as the Cleveland
Leader, Toledo Blade, Springfield
Republican, and a number of others.
We come this week, according to
promise, to give yet another testi-
monies from the Sandusky Register,
which was printed before the final
settlement of the matter. Other
expressions have been made by
other papers in view of the compar-
atively weakened condition of the
bill resulting from the Governors
hostility.
We begin with the Registrar
editorial by that stalwart republi-
can, Mack. "
If the legislature passes the
Brannock bill substantially as it has
passed the Senate and the Governor
vetoes it as he threatened to do ac-
cording to the correspondents there
will be lively time in Ohio during
the next two years. There is no
use Disgusting the fact that the
Anti-Saloon League has come to
stay, and that it is powerful factor
in the politics of Ohio so far as the
liquor and allied questions are con-
cerned. If the governor vetoes the
bill to please the brewers, as the
correspondents tell us he will, he
will have the solid opposition of the
Anti-Saloon League, and that league
represents, on the liquor question,
the moral sentiments of the people.
We need not close our eyes to the
facts for we cannot dispose of the
facts by closing our eyes against
them. In this county for example,
there are fully one thousand if not
more subscribers to the funds OF
Anti-Saloon League. Few people
outside of the officials of that or
ganization have any conception OF
the tremendous hold the League has
on the people of Ohio. This is
strikingly illustrated in the passage
of the Brannock bill by the present
geaeral assembly. There is nc
doubt but that some sort of under.
standing was had between the Re.
publican political bosses and the
agents of the brewers and liquor
dealers that there should be nc
liquor legislation by the present
general assembly. What specific
promises or pledges or arrange.
ments were had between the parties
only they know, but it was distinct
~ stated almost as soon as returns
were received last November that
there would be no liquor legislation
by the incoming general assembly.
The brewers SO understood it, and
the saloonkeepers so understood it,
and the public generally became
satisfied that some sort of bargain
had been made. Yet, in spite of the
understanding, in spite OF opposi
ton, open or secret, more secret
than open, of the republican lead
ers, the general assembly has been
forced by public sentiment to pass
the Brannock bill. Men who went tC
the Legislature expecting not to be
called upon to vote for or against a
temperance measure found them
selves beset by their constituent is
and threatened with political death
If they did not support the Brannock
| bill. 1t passed the House by a
large majority. 1t went to the
senate, there it was somewhat
amended, it was even made in some
respects stronger than when II
passed the house, and the senate
passed it by an almost unanimou.
vote, only seven voting against it,
Nobody need say that all the men
who voted for it are temperance
men, and opposed to the saloon.
They are not They simply submit
ted TO public sentiment in their
espective localities. The mora
sentiment of the people and the
great majority of the republican
voters of Ohio are behind the Bran
mock bill, as are thousands Of dem
ocrats.