Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 January 1895 — Indiana Liquor Laws. [ARTICLE]

Indiana Liquor Laws.

Concerning a recent important decision by the Appellate court, the Crawfordsville Journal says: “If a saloon keeper is liable for damages to the person he has made drunk for any injury he receives while in that condition and he is according to a late decision of the Appelate court, it will do much to restrain the sale of liquor to a large class of saloon patrons. This ..theory of the law, coupled with that of the Tippecanoe board of commissioners, that a man who violates the law by making sales on Sunday or on a legal holiday is not a fit person to be entrusted with a will reduce the number of saloons to the minimum. These decisions should be enacted into plain law.

In his remarks on the political situation, in Chicago the other day, Col. Ingersoll said: “What are the markets of the world? We manufacture nothing that we can sell at a profit in England, France, Germany, Belgium or any other Country in Europe. The market in Africa is worth nothing to us; we have very little interest in Asia, very little in Japan, and less in the islands of the Pacific. America is the best market for what Americans can manufacture, and we can not afford to desert our market for what they call the markets of the world. I think we’ve learned a lesson. I think the laboring man has found he cannot injure bis employer without hurting himself, and people of this country are going to retrace their steps, and are going back to protection and prosperity, to reason and republicanism.”

Hon. M. L. Spitler, joint representative for Jasper anti Newton counties, left for Indianapolis Tuesday, to be on hand for the opening sessions of the State Legislature, today. We look to see Mr. Spitler give a good account of himself at this session. While not, in any degree, a “hustler” in the sense of pushing himself forward, he is pre-eminently a hard and conscientious worker—one who will take pains to “get onto his job” and having got thGre, will stay with, — the kind of a member, in fact, who do the hard and useful work of a session, while some more noisy and pushing fellows get the bulk of the glory. Furthermore, while he makes qo special claims to ability as an orator, he is able at all times to render in well spoken words, good reasons for the faith that is in him.

The State Editorial Association will request the general assembly to pass an act requiring township trustees to publish annual reports in two county papers representing the two political parties. They believe, and as we think rightly, that, the publication of reports would be a great check on extravagance in office. That such publications would, in the aggregate, save much more to the people than they cost, there can be no question. Such publications have been required of the town£ ship “supervisors” of Illinois, for

quite a number of years. And while they are about it, why not make it the law that county auditor should publish the allowances made by Judges of courts as well as those made by the county commssioners? It would help amazingly in bracing up the spinal columns of many well-meaning but easy going judges, if they knew that all the allowances they made would be promptly published in

the local papers. There, also, the saving would doubtless greatly exceed the expanse.

In competition with German, French and Engli sh st eel works the American Bethlehem works have secured a $4,000,000 contract for armor plate. It will not do, however, to assume that an average armor plate may be made cheaper in the United States than in the countries named. The Bethelehem works have a process of hardening plates which competing works do not possess. The Russian Government is contracting for what is known as Harveyized armor, a kind that it can not procure in Europe. But the fact that an American steel plate manufactory can turn but better plates than can be made in the old countries is a demonstration of the wisdom of the protective policy. Under Free Trade rule we should have been buying steel armor of Europe. Now we are selling steel armor to Europe. If the rule of buying a thing where it could be made at the lowest cost had been followed, we should have had no steel works at all. The success we have made in this steel industry should confirm the Government in its policy of protecting the ship building industry. The rule of buying ships where they can be bought at the least cost would be as destructive to the ship building industry as the same rule would have been, applied years ego, to the steel industry.

The people naturally look to the Republican party for temperance legislation because whatever work has been accomplished in that direction was originated and fostered by Republicans. What will be dune —at the coming legislature is difficult to determine, but there seems to be no special or uniyersal demand for a change in the present law and probably no change will be made. The .Indianapolis Journal makes the following statement: “The Republican party never passed any temperance law in Indiana as a party measure. The prohibitory law of 1855 was passed by what was known as the People’s party or the Fusion party, elected by a combination of Know-noth-ings, Prohibitionists and antislavery Democrats, having a majority in both houses. It was voted against solidly by what was known as the old time Democratic party. That law was annulled by a Democratic Supreme Court in less than six months after its going into effect, and the state was for three years and a half without any law whatever on the subject. In 1859 a license law was passed but not as a party measure, Republicans and Democrats voting permiscuously for it. In 1873, both branches being Republican, the Baxter law was passed, but not as a party measure, Democrats and Republicans voting for or against it without regard to party lines; more Republicans than Democrats voting for it and more Democrats than Republicans voting against it. In 1875,-the Democrats b?ing a majority in both houses, that law was repealed, and the present license law, which was dictated by the saloon interest, and written by Senator Turpie as their attorney, was passed as a party measure, the Democrats at the preceding election making the repeal of the Baxter law 7 a part of their platform.”