The Prohibitory Question

Th:it prohibitioo prohibita no one will mlmit. Pass all the law ( i"2 t Vi 9 sale of liquor the statuto bookp wül hold.tbe appetite remains and it . wil! soniehow bo appeased. In Maine whore a prohibitory law bas benn in forco raany yoarR, tbo salo of liqnor goefl on despite the penalties attaohed to violation. A law can not be enforoed uuless public sentiment isstrongenough to suíiíain it: Just so long as a largo element of the popnlaticn will indulge in the glass, whether it be filied with the strongeï or the milder liquors, or strong eider, just so long will it be impossible to carry out the provisions of a prohibitory law. The moral suasion and pledge movement is better than all the cumbersomo laws thatcan be enacted. Place a man upon bis honor and in most cases be will stand true. But say tö him, he shall not have any liquor, and he will contrive some method to obtain it. Mankind are so constituted thnt thoy are restive under a ban that imposes restraint upon appetite, and, restrained, take picasure in devising means to bring into disrepute any such law. Prohibition was refused by the lower braucb of the legislatura last week by a large inajority, yet, thero was a pretty good vote in its favor. Two of our representatives Messrs. Eobison and Sawyer opposed, whilq Mr. Allen favorprl me OU), irrespective of personal piejudice8 or political espectations, the bill deserved the f:ite it met. The people of the state are not propared for prohibitlun. "With such a law the hundreds of thousands of dollars revenue derived from its salo would have to be raised by taxation. Thero would be just as much liquor drank with as without it, and taxes would be increased. The "spy" pystcm that would come into vogue uuder it wonld raise up a set of sooundrels empowored to go from placo to place through color of law, distracting cotnmunities by eotuplaints, aud créate an almost endleas arnount of litigation. Better by far enforce the present excise law, or, adopt the local option system of New York and let eacb. township and village vote whether it shall or shall not be sold within its limits. It seems to us a true and consistent teuoperance man, radical though he be, can not favor a prohibitory law at the present time in Michigan. Mr. Hooker (Dem.) of Missis3Íppi, said in the House of Itepresentatives that he had seen, for five years after the war olosed, negroea ruarched to the polla in Mississippi, headed hy leaders, bearing drawn swords, and that it liad never been regarded by Republicans as an invasión of the rights of the people and of the freedom of the ballot-box. That ■ was the way they did things while the Republicana had t-rrrrsolid South. In the lost two elections, however, with the Democrats in supreine control in that State, Mr. Hooker declared that there ■was not a single man who had not been B'bsolutely free to cast his vote as he ohose. This is the teslitnony of a man who speaks of hia personal knowledge and not from hearsay. The illy-ventilated room of the house of Eepresentatives adds another to its long list of victims. On Saturday, Ru9h Clark of Iowa appeared in his seat as well as usual, and on Monday at rest in his eoffin. Mr. Clark was but forty-five years of age, having been born in Bedford county, Pa., Oct. 1, 1834. He graduated from Jefferson College, Pa., in 1852, and removiug to Iowa was admitted to the bar of tbat state in the same year.' He eettled at Iowa City, where he has since lived. He was a raeuiber of the Iowa legislatura in 18G0-C4, and Speaker of the House during his second term-. He was eleeted to the Forty-fifth Congress in 1876, and to the Forty-sixth VQTC The venerable Bishop Ames, of the M. E. chu-rch, died Friday at Baltimore, aged 74. Bishop Ames was educated at the Ohio TJniversity, and eutered the ministry in 1830 in Indiana. In 1852 he was chosen to the Episeopate from the Illinois conference. For eighteon years he had resided in Baltimore. - Bishop Ames was on terms of intimacy with President Lincoln, by whom 1 e was appoiuted,inl8G2,H,commissioner to arrange for the relief of the necessities of our prisoners in the hands of the rebels. He was probably the most influential man with his church in this country. If, as is asserted by Republicans and its press thüt every day (Jongres3 continúes in session, thuusands of voters are lost to the Democratie party iii 1880, why don't its leaders in Congress keep etill and not in al; o so many speeches, and thus quietly let Democratie feaders kill the party ? If the party will be ruined by the repeal of tho bülpreventing soldiers f rom appearing at the polls why is tho repeal resisted inch by inch by speeches and votes of every Republican in tho Hóuso ? These aro conundruuis that we would like to have solved. Now we have the name of the next oandidate of the Republican party for President from an authority high in its councils. On ïbursday of last week.senator Conkling, in a speech in opposition to the amonded appropriation bill said : " When New York next bas occasion to express her jndgraent on the services of Gen. Grimt, his aotion in 1880 will not be hiddeti away by those who espouse his causo." It was expeeted that on yesterday the Hoaso would take a vote on passing the Army Appropriation Bill over tho veto of the'Presddont. The effort to do so wfir meeessarily fail because the Demoerats lnck tho requfsïta two-tbirda vote. What will be dono, o{ course, respecting the questipn remains to bo scen. Af ter forty odd speeches have been made pro and con on the appropriation bilí, itpasspdon Saturdayby a party vote ypiis, 140, naya 119, severa] members buing paired.