Year: 1874

From the New temperance Era


Republican Orators Upon the


Stump.


AS the campaign goes forward
oratory abounds. Many of the lead
ing men of the Republican party are
putting in good words for temper
ance. While the financial and other
questions of national politics engross
much attention, temperance, which is
matter of State policy in Ohio, is
not ignored. Although Mr.. Shella-
barger's recent elaborate speech does
not mention the question, yet his let
ter in August against license, and
his more recent letter to the Opera
house praise-meeting, show that he
occupies strong temperance ground.
Judge Lawrence of the Eighth Con
gressional District, and Mr.. Bundy,
candidate for reelection in Eleventh
District, have made telling speeches
showing that they understand the
resolution of the Republican State
Convention to mean what it plainly
SAYS. And the same is true of speak
ers in other parts of the State
Though our Congressional candi-
dates, and others, in this city, may
ignore the question, it is made a live
issue elsewhere in every part of the
State.


Among the recent significant
speeches, we present below extracts
from two, of marked Importance
arising from the position and ability
of the respective speakers. The first
is from Senator Sherman, delivered
on Tuesday evening, at Springfield
We give all that he says on Temper
ance, as we find it in a special tele-
gram to the Commercial, as follows


The temperance question now
comes for the first time into politics
by the act of the Democratic party
by thrusting into the contest reso
luton in favor of license. Nine.
tenths of all your taxes to enforce
the laws against crime are caused by
intemperance. At every session OF
Congress that / have been there, un
til the present, l have seen senators
coming into their places staggering
drunk, and perhaps half dozen
similar cases in the House. There is
no one case now that l know of
Twenty four years ago temperance
men opposed putting license in the
Constitution, and we have been TWEEN
ty years without a license law, and
think there is less intemperance thar
twenty or thirty years ago. | have
examined into the matter, and l an
convinced that laws to absolutely
prohibit the liquor traffic can not be
enforced in the existing state of pub
lie sentiment. But we have temper
ance legislation, and have had it fol
twenty years. When the Republi
cans met in Convention, they founo
that the Democrats had already ia
ken ground in favor of the liquor
traffic, going back on their own rec
ord of twenty-four years ago, wher
the anti-license clause was adopted
The Republican party never made
pledge it did not fully perform. L
moved in accordance with public
sentiment. 1t has resolved that thu
restraint Of intemperance and it
causes, by the Legislative, judicial
and police powers of the State, anC
the forfeiture of public trust for in
toxication; are proper, and | stant
by that declaration. As to the par
ticular forms of law, it may be loca
option. should prefer a tax law
not a license law. A license is per
init to do something; the Unite'
States tax every liquor seller, bu
they do not license. Under local
option-law the people have the powe
to prevent the selling of liquor, ant
that tax would not interfere with


The above was sent by telegraph
Had we the Senator's speech in full
we could understand his position bel
ter. We think, however, we can Sc
an improvement upon the ground h
took at the State Convention. He
not in favor of "license law" b
does not oppose even prohibition,
Il L Z . L Il L