Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-02-13
THE HERALD.
Hastings and Kanouse.
u La Crosse republican and Leader.


Hastings and Kanouse.
From the La Crosse Republican and Leader.
There is no more effective way fol
demoralizing and degrading the cause
of temperance than by hitching it te
the fortunes of some political weather
cock aud office seeker. The sensible
leaders in temperance work, like
Hastings and Kanouse, have discoun'
tenanced all attempts of dema yoguet
and blatherskites to drag it into poll
tics, and up to the opening of the sea-
sion of the present Legislature they
had succeeded 10 keeping it separate
and distinct from the political par.
ties of our State. At the beginning
Of this Legislature they are said to
have changed their former course,
and selected the Senator from Black
River Falls as their leader and coun-
selor, and began organizing for a
contest before the people that could
benefit only those who aae seeking
personal notoriety and preferment.
They have laid before the Senate q
proposition in the form Of a bill, for
submitting constitutional amend-
ment to the people for PROHIBITING the
sale of spirituous and malt liquors in
Wisconsin. That body is in the
hands of Republicans and it is res
ported that the threat is made that
If the Senators of the maj ority do
rot vote to submit this amendment
and compel the State to foot The ex-
pense of an election, Messrs. Price,
Hastings and Kanouse will place
themselves at the head of fifty thou
sand teetotalers ard rip up the Re.
publican organization and scatter its
members to the four winds of heav-
en-.
OF course the Republican Senators
are anxious to save their party from
destruction and they have asked icr
time TO consider whether it will oe
more desirable to die by their own
hands or take the chance OF being
killed by an opponent of questions-
BILE strength and endurance. There
is no question in the minds CT the
conservative Senators as to the fate
of the Republican party as an organ
zation in this State should it adopt
as one of it's principles the doctrine
of prohibition, and it is not TO be
denied that it would be greatly
weakened by combined effort OF
the temperance men and women OF
Wisconsin to break it down they
are seeking, therefore, for an al.
tentative that shall be satisfactory
to both parties, to those demanding
the amendment and the people who
are expected to profit or lose by it.
The reported attitude of Messrs.
Hastings and Kanouse is so different
from the stand they have uniformly
taken hitherto, when it has been
proposed by fanatics and dema-
gogues to attach the temperance is-
sue to our party, that we can scarce
ly credit the report. Those gentle
men are not ignorant of the fact that
in the ranks of the party which they
are said to threaten with demolition,
they find many of their warmest
supporters. and that it's defeat in q
general election would do more to
retard the progress of moral and So
eial reforms in our State than the
temperance leaders could hopo to
gain by an opportunity of demon-
strating their strength at the polls.
For these reasons and for others not
necessary to specify here, we do not
believe they have yielded to the
wishes of scheming, ambitious men
to force upon the Republicans an is
sue which does not belong to the
category of political questions
Messrs. Hastings and Kanouse are
high minded gentlemen, They are
devoted to the cause in which they
have done much useful work, and al
Republicans they have never lost
sight of their principles, nor neglect
ed to lend their influence to promote
She success of the great party which
Numbers them among its members
and at this late day to blot theil
splendid record merely for the sake
OF trying hazardous experim emit
would be long and dangerous steI
backward.
We cannot believe that Messrs
Hastings and Kano use have decided
TO submit to the domination of al
indiscreet aspirant, or that they
have assumed the attitude TOWARD
the Republican Senate represented
IN the reports of correspondent
from Madison. 1t is more proba oil,
that the threat to which we objaot
was uttered by an irresponsible Par
ty, whose services in carrying then
proposition through the Senate hav
ing been accepted has alone and I'M
supported adopted the course ascrib
ed 10 them in the hope that he will
be able TO ooerce Republican Sena
tors into voting for the submission
Of the proposed constitutions
amendment. In the past it has no
been the plan of Hastings and Kan
ouse to threaten; they have sough
TO persuade by argument, which j
the secret of their great success.
they depart from this tried and sue
csssful method to adopt ono of fore
time will convince them of thei
blunder. We hope that subsequen
information will confirm our view G
the situation at Madison and taa
Messrs. Hastings and Kanouse Wi
put themselves right before tb
public