Year: 1874




Richard Smith, editor of the Cincinna-


ii Gazette, delivered an address at the


editorial convention at Chillicothe a
couple of weeks ago, which concluded
as follows:


The next point to which 1 propose to
| direct your attention is the duty of the
press to maintain


AMERICAN IDEAS


In order that I may not be misunder-
| stood, | will remark that I do not use
! this term in any restricted or partisan
sense. This precaution seems necessary
| because, in these days, a certain class of
people associate the name with that of
Known othingism. Every citizen of the
United States is an American, whether
born on native or foreign SOIL and l
would make no distinction on account of
race, color, or place of birth. l think it
the duty of foreign born citizens, in
making their homes in this country, to
make up their minds in taking the oath
of allegiance to consent at the same time
to be Americanized. Cfannishness on
the one side is very apt to tend to clan
nishness on the other. Whenever one
portion of our citizens born on foreign
soil set themselves up as the balance of
power and in solid body offer their
notes to any party that will adopt their
idea, which may not be an American
idea, they may expect to meet opposition
in the spirit they invoke. do not deny
to any citizen the clear, legal and moral
right to advocate such changes in our
laws as may to him seem right, but 1 do
most decidedly object to any class of
citizens, composed of particular nation
ality, banding together as such and with
threats of prescription, seeking to en-
force their ideas upon the American peo-
pie. There are certain great principles
upon which parties divide in this coun-
try, and when any particular class an
nounee themselves ready to ignore any
one or all of these principles and offer
their votes to any party that will favor
their one idea, hold that they commit
an offense against the spirit of our insti-
tutions, that deserve to be, and 1 trust
will be, efectually rebuked. l have also
to express the hope that no great party
in this country will accept the dishonor-
able proposition, and that the time will
never come when the beer mug will be
substituted for the American eagle as
our national emblem, or when the people
will adopt free trade in Intoxicating
drinks as the motto of American liberty.
Whatever difference of opinion there
may be on the question of legislation in
regard to the liquor traffic, we all know
that intemperance has grown to be an
evil of frightful magnitude and that leg
isIation calculated to diminish or wholly
eradicate this evil, is an American idea.
Especially is it an American idea to re-
strain traffic whose supporters band
together and seek to control the legisla-
ton of the country in order that their
traffic, which is, indisputably, the cause
of so much crime and misery, may be
free The bugle blast of the brewers in
convention at Boston last week, is in ev-
cry respect comparable to the appeal of
the silversmiths of Ephesius to their
craft, to suppress Paul. whose powerful
eloquence on the side of Christianity, and
against idolatry, endangered their busi-
ness l have not the time, and, were it
otherwise this is not the place to dis
course upon the question of Temperance.
Neither do l wish to be understood as
addressing myself to Democrats or Re
publicans; to anti-Temperance men or
Prohibitionists, as such, but to .Ameri-
can citizens, without regard to party, sex
or place of nativity. protest against
the anti-American idea of a class of for
eign born citizens banding together and
virtually offering to sell their votes to
any party that will make free in this
country, governed by the ballot, Gus
tom that in foreign countries is sustain
ed by the bayonet, for no higher motive
than that the trade may prosper.


1t is also an American idea that every
citizen should be free to express opinions
or to organize opposition to any business
that NAV be regarded as immoral or in
furious to society. The women OF Ohio,
ayailing themselves of this privilege, or
ganized to suppress intoxication by sup
ho
said of their methods, their motives can
not be successfully impuned; yet they
were in many places most vulgarly as
sailed, and in the great city of Cincinna-
ii, little band of forty-three who were
| guilty of the offence of attempting by
song and prayer to promote the cause of
temperance, were pounced upon by order
80 = board of Police Commissioners, who
dare rot disobey the instructions of the
so1oonis ts, who demanded also that the
laws AGAIN, 1T the sale of Intoxicating liq-
uors should rot be enforced. IT there
is any class of people IN Inls Wloe "orio
that suffers more from ths lntemperate
use of Intoxicating liquors Inan any
other, that class is the women; - Vne
suffering of the women !1on Ihe lhteIn-
narance of the men, coulo be written, the
world would not hold the book that con-
tained the record. They are to be ex-
cused therefore, if they have in any way
been indiscreet, but they are not to De
Condemned or abused for lifting up their
voices against the great evil. Neither is
it the custom in this country to assall
women as they have been assailed IN


many places in this state. 1t may be a
foreipn custom to treat women as some
what lower than the meh, but it is not
an American idea, and in this respect it


wonId be well for the men, we'll for the
,,ountry, and well for society if foreign
= ustoms were Americanized, especially
w hen imported 1t will be sad day for
tn is Republic-this country where the
neople govern themselves-if, unhappily,
the influence of woman should be de-
stroyed or diminished. As it is, the wo-
men govern the men and the men govern
the country. This works well. Unfor;
tunete would it be if the men should
undertake to govern the women and the
country also. The press it is to be hoped


will not give its influence in this direc-
ton.