The Republican Party Committed

The republican party at their state convention committed them selves to local option. At their national convention they declarec in favor of free whiskey. They are committed to this issue. They chose the language of their resolutions de liberately. They resolved in this manner because they wished to do so. And they must succeed or fai on a platform of their own adoption We believe the intelligent people o: YV'ashtenaw are not in favor of free whiskey. We believe they are no in favor of local option, which in effect means free whiskey, but no beer. For beer is a bulky liquic and cannot be handled as successfully in defiance of law as whiskey The two platforms, national anc state, are consistent, but what a platform they make for a political party to stand upon. How can they hope for the suffrages of intelligent citizens? The wording of this part of the republican state platform is as follovvs: " We cordially indorse the progressive temperance iegislation enacted by the last Legielature, and regret that its full fruits were not realized ovving to technical defects in the laws, held by the Supreme Court to be in conflict with the stitution. We record ourselves as in favor of the impartial enforcement of the temperance laws of the State and recommend to the next Legislature the re-enactment of a local option law that shall be free frorn Constitutional objections." A republican legislature passed and a republican governor signed a local option law that was glaringly unconstitutional. Our readers will remember that the Argus so pronounced it long before the supreme court was called to pass upon it and before the people of Washtenaw were called to vote upon it. The republicans must father that law. They must father the great expense to which they put the counties which held elections under that law and the expense to vhich they put private parties vvho j jarticipated in those elections. In passing and signing such a law they howed that they were not capable of doing the work for which they were elected. Happily the republican convention does not attempt to ■eputliate the offspring of the party. They " regret" that the " full fruits" of the law " were not realized owing to technical defects." Yes, they regret it exceedingly, for then it would not be necessary for them to declare ín. favor of a re-enacttnent oí a local option law that shall be free from constitutional objections.