The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-12-30
The True BASIS of Temperance, Poiiti-
cal Action.
Gil, Ja.

Good citizenship now demands that
every man aud woman be total abstain.
or from all alcoholic drinks aud an out.
spoken advocate Of Temperance. The
sentiment should be embodied in the laws
OF every country, consequently, persons
deficient of such qualities should not be
elected law makers or administrators Of
law.
BY the operation of politics such de.
fcient persons do get offices by the
same means such can be kept out, and
temperance persons put in. While ten.
perance does not qualify. iutemperance
disquaities person from Being good
law maker or administrator.
Intemperance is vice, temperance is
virtue, and as legal enactmcnts, when
wrong, encourage vice, so they can be
made to encourage virtue apd aid the
suppression of vice. BY law the impor.
tation, manufacture and sale of intoxcat.
ing drinks should be entirely suppressed
BY law the children and youth in the
public schools should be taught their na.
'h't anu utStl tutCI5 Nubn tdkGU
iuto the stomach.
Politics are carried on by parties. We
have but two great rational parties,
Democrat and Republican. All great
issues except temperance are taken up by
them aflirmativcly or negatively. Usurp-
ing leaders in the Democratic party al.
most succeed in committing that party to
the negative side of Temperance and / no.
hibitiou, and the grabbers after the
emoluments of office almost do as much
for the Republican party. Temperance
eau be and must be forced upon both Of
them, as the paramount issue. Its ad
herents are in both the parties numerous
enough to do it. We must not wait tc
see whether "cxisting parties will endorse
the legislative policy of prohibition and
nominate candidates pledged to its sup
port; otherwise organize separate party
action" (Saratoga Resolution) we mus
be ahead of them, not by pu.sying arounC
and as last resort start up third can
didate, and out Of the frying pan into thu
fire. We must make every election
boiling cauldron. Every temperance vot
or should be as much stimulated to 60 t,
the polls as the customary nip stimulate
the enemy. No voter can be bound a
to how he shall use his political franchise
he has no right to even bind himself, bu
every lodge, division, tent, society an,
, church ought to be provided with positiv
political work. They ought to be re
, quired to elect delegates whose duty
should be to organize themselves into
deputation to attend every caucus Of an
national party, to influence it, ifpossible
to nominate only temperance persons 70
, its candidates, and if necessary, to sup
, plant the names of those who are no,
, with the names of those Of tie same par
, ty who are and to print and circulat
the ballots with funds furnished the dele
, cation for the purpose.
!. We went machinery that has a snap t
= it and that bids fair to accomplish tn
. object. A third party don't do it
draws from friendly forces and makes th
= party not friendly comparatively stronge'
\ Liquor dealers and their synpathizer
9 don't get up third parties or expend "A
n their energies getting up conventions an
q passing resolutions they employ machine
y ry similar to that here proposed and fur
:, ish money literally to set it running
). Let US be equally alert aud with God an
h right on our side we will certainly wi
: j. II. FORREST.
Winooski, VT, Dec, 1873.