Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-11-21
coMMuNlcATIoM.
AGENCY CrTr, Oct. 20, 1877

ed ana the reasons arc pain, anu you !
to lay the principal blame on
the radical temperance men, and IS
belong to that class much despised of
the COURIER, trust that / shall be
permitted to speak for myself.
You say they were such sticklers
for principle that they could not vote
for republican license candidate but
could vote for democratic license
candidate. Will the COURIER tell us
how we come to have : license candi-
date when prohibition is one of the
cardinal doctrines Of the party, and
license or free whisky the main plank
in the democratic platform Who
authorized any Of our candidates to
get astraddlc of their platform and
still claim to be republicans and OK
pect our support? When man be-
comes a candidate of q party he must
accept the principles of the party, or
publicly refuse to, as Gear did. 1.-The |
refuses to accept the principles as de- |
clared by the convention, no one lie
under any party obligation to vote
for him. If we had license candi-
date in this county he was such by his
own action and not by authority of
his party and not entitled to support
as republican any more than any
other democrat as that is tho princi-
pie that binds them together as par
ty. 1 was not aware that we had any
candidates in the county that rejected
the platform, and do not yet think VIC
had, notwithstanding the intimation
of the COURIER that we had. The
radical temperance men supported
the county ticket with as much una
mmity as have known them to for
years, believing they were honorable
men that would be governed by the
principles of the party, but the free
whisky men did not. They scratched
Michaels and voted for Stewart, true
to their principles to vote for a free
whisky man against temperance
man always, just as they would have
done in Center, without any provoca-
ton of the temperance men, and as
they always do. And for the COURIER
to claim that it was because some
temperance men scratched Tilton. is
an insult to the intelligence of the
party. Who ever heard of a whisky
man voting for temperance candi-
date if there was free whisky can
didate to vote for? No party faith
binds them in that case. But has the
COURIER ever had word of censure
for that class? Not one. Nothing but
apology for them. Oh no, they were
not to blame they were provoked to
1t by temperance men; it was blow
Z for blow; just as the wolf was pro
vokcd to kill the lamb for riling the
water when the lamb was drinking
below him.
:. You speak of the almost vindictivt
attack Of temperance men in the STATE
and the crazy nonsense of the groen
!, , hackers, as being likely to reduce oul
majority in the legislature. You cal
: throw the mantle of charity ovel
: the greenbackers as being insane ant
y therefore not accountable for wha
they do, but those wicked Temperance
: men have committed the unpardona
: bic sin. Let me remind the CoUR1El
t that it 10 not a sin to be q Temperance
i republican in most Of the countie
of this State; if it was there woult
not be the 20 or 80 majority to b.
? proud of in the legislature.
MI You style us faction. That ha
n been the policy and practice Of tn
COURIER when the platform was 81
lent on the subject of temperance
J We had hoped that when the part
i adopted prohibition as an article o
e her faith that the COURIER would re
n spect the platform If not the men tina
made it; but in that it seems we ar
mistaken, as we are the same wicllc,
9 faction yet and get all the misses ant
curses that the COURIER has to dea
4 out and the free whisky men tn
= apologies.
. And now about the laggards am
4 stay-at-homes. The COURIER ca
!. thank itself for much of the apath
I of the party in this county. Whel
= Christians and temperance men ge
all the censure and cursing and tn
free whisky men all the apologies an,
d approval of our party organ, is it an,
a wonder that many should feel lik
staying at home?
And now, let me say for the tenn
perance men here, that the charg
: that we sought to defeat the party
o not true. They have already adopt
Q ed prohibition as unequivocally as W,
could ask. and when the license mel
and all the free whisky part of tn
: eesty sivs tlAs .tialatxhs hearty cup
o port, and the COURIER quits cursin,
s temperance men and Christians an
labors for the elevation of the part
instead oflaboring for principles tina
s degrade men, then we may hope TO
4 success; but while the COURIER ha
Q nothing but censure and abuse fo
q temperance men and Christians ant
treats us as though we were faction
that had better leave the party, WI
r may bid goodbye to success in thi
s county, and also in the State if all thu
other counties should pursue tn,
!. same course. CHARLES DUDLEY.