ILLINOIS. 



385 



to relieve the people from taxation, has been misused 

 as a stimulus to increased extravagance and increased 

 taxation. 



8. That the offices of Warehouse and Railroad Com- 

 missioners, now filled by appointment of the Govern- 

 or, should be filled by election by the people. 



9. That we demand a revision of the present unjust 

 and in many respects prohibitory tariff, which is 

 framed in the interest of capital ; and while it favors 

 and fosters iniquitous monopolies, is unjust and op- 

 pressive to the laboring man in all the relations of 

 life. The Constitution confers on Congress the power 

 to raise revenue by duties on imports, and as a just 

 and proper exercise of that power we favor a tariff 

 based on the principle of revenue, which will deal 

 justly with existing business relations and with all 

 legitimate industries ; and at the same time discour- 

 age monopolies and remove the burdens imposed by 

 the present tariff upon all the laboring people of the 

 country. And we hereby declare that there is no 

 power given by the Constitution to Congress to levy 

 a tariff or tax on the people for the purpose of protec- 

 tion without reference to revenue. 



10. That while we have no purpose to interfere with 

 just laws in force in Illinois for the regulation of the 

 traffic in intoxicating liquors, and conceding the right 

 of the people to an amendment, if necessary, of such 

 laws to prevent or correct the evils to society growing 

 out of abuses in the use of intoxicating liquors, this 

 convention declares that it is not the legitimate prov- 

 ince of government to control the habits, tastes, appe- 

 tites, and liberties of the people as long as they are 

 peaceable and orderly, and do not encroach upon the 

 rights of others or of society ; and we therefore declare 

 that the prohibition by the Constitution, or by general 

 laws, of the manufacture or sale of vinous, spirituous, 

 or malt liquors would be in violation of individual and 

 personal rights, and contrary to the fundamental prin- 

 ciples of free government. 



11. That we appeal to the people of this State, with- 

 out regard to former political affiliations, to unite with 

 us at the ensuing election in carrying into effect the 

 foregoing principles. 



The third annual convention of the Liquor 

 Dealers 1 and Manufacturers' Protective Asso- 

 ciation of Illinois met in Rock Island, on the 

 19th of September, and adopted the following 

 resolutions : 



Whereas^ The danger arising from the prohibition 

 movement is steadily increasing in this State ; and 



Whereas, The thorough organization of all busi- 

 ness-men directly interested in the liquor-traffic is 

 now, more than ever, a matter of imperative neces- 

 sity and 



W hereax, The ensuing election of members of the 

 Legislature will, to a great extent, determine the issue 

 of prohibition against personal liberty in our State : 

 be it 



Resolved, That we consider the maintenance and 

 further development of our present State Association 

 as one of the most effective means of protecting our- 

 selves in our rights as business-men, tax- payers, and 

 citizens, and that the Board of Trustees spare no 

 efforts at once to secure the co-operation of all the 

 various branches of the liquor interest in this State ; 

 and be it further 



Resolved, That we will use our best endeavors to 

 defeat, at the next election, any candidate, for any 

 office, who can not be fully relied upon as being un- 

 compromisingly opposed to all attempts at sumptuary 

 or prohibitory legislation ; and be it further 



Resolved, That we are decidedly in favor of abol- 

 ishing all the abuses incident to the liquor-traffic, by 

 a proper system of licensing and regulating the busi- 

 ness in such manner as to protect our interests and 

 welfare. 



Resolved, That the manly, outspoken declaration 

 against a prohibitory amendment to our State Con- 

 VOL. xxn. 25 A 



stitution ? as adopted by the last Democratic State 

 Convention at Springfiefd, is deserving of the high- 

 est praise on the part'of this convention. 



In January the Illinois State Christian Tem- 

 perance Union and the Illinois State Temper- 

 ance Alliance met in Springfield, and the two 

 organizations were consolidated under the 

 name of the Illinois State Temperance Union. 



.The Prohibition State Convention met in 

 Bloomington, on the 9th of August, 158 dele- 

 gates, representing twenty-nine counties, being 

 present, and adopted the following platform : 



We, delegates assembled, representing the voters 

 of the State of Illinois, having determined to organize 

 a political party and place in the field candidates for 

 various offices to be filled by the electors of the State, 

 declare the following reasons, based on the funda- 

 mental principles of this Government, to be the basis 

 of our action : 



1. The people having for vears and in large num- 

 bers exercised the sacred right of petition, asking for 

 submission to the vote of the people of a constitu- 

 tional amendment prohibiting the liquor- traffic, were 

 refused this right of self-government at the dictation 

 of twelve thousand liquor-dealers, with the excuse 

 that it was not in their party platform. 



2. The people, believing that these legislators mis- 

 represented their parties, sent a committee to the Re- 

 publican State Convention, the dominant political 

 party of the State, asking it to place in its platform a 

 plank affirming the rightf of the people to amend their 

 Constitution by the only method provided in that in- 

 strument, the exercise of which right had been re- 

 fused by the Legislature. The convention refused to 

 consider this most reasonable request by a vote of 613 

 to 133. The Democratic party having, by a larger 

 majority of its representatives, in a legislative declara- 

 tion of its party platform in the past year and the ut- 

 terance of its well-known leaders, courted the sup- 

 port of the liquor-traffic and opposed even the submis- 

 sion of an amendment to a vote of the people, we can 

 not hope for favorable action by them. 



3. All governments must grow with the develop- 

 ment of mankind, and must meet new problems as 

 they arise, or the onward march of civilization will 

 overthrow them. The founders of our Government 

 recognized this law, and provided in the Federal and 

 State Constitutions for their peaceable amendment. 

 Consequently, the submission asked for was in accord- 

 ance with the genius of our institutions. 



4. The plank which the dominant party refused to 

 consider is as follows : " Resolved, That the Repub- 

 lican party is in favor of submitting to a vote of the 

 people of the State of Illinois a constitutional amend- 

 ment, prohibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxi- 

 cating liquors as a beverage." 



5. Political parties being a controlling power in our 

 Government, constitutional changes can only be ef- 

 fected by the reorganization of the people as sov- 

 ereign, and voluntarily submitting amendments for 

 their adoption or rejection, as in Iowa, or on their re- 

 fusal to do so, as in Illinois, to build up a political 

 party pledged to these principles ; and this action is 

 rendered necessary by the fact that this betrayal of 

 the people, if left unrebuked, establishes a dangerous 

 precedent for future party action. 



6. All political power is in the people. To deny 

 this is a subversion of the fundamental principles of 

 the Government. The liquor-power, by fighting the 

 submission of the amendment asked for, and seeking, 

 through boycotting and bribery, to prevent the elec- 

 tion of men to the'Legislature favorable to such sub- 

 mission, and by intimidating and corrupting those 

 already elected, compel aggressive action and thorough 

 organization of all men who love their country, and 

 who favor a free ballot and fair count. 



For these reasons we ask all lovers of our free in- 

 stitutions to disregard old party lines, and unite with 



