Litchfield enquirer., 1879-08-14

| cess that our earnestness merited,' and bowed himself out. "Why-what-doe --he-mean ?" inquired | my lovely Conservative, in astonishment.
 A committee clerk stood by, who answered, | briskly: ''Why, ladies, the Hon. M. A. represents district in which German voters are in the majority therefore, he cannot sup port your bill.' .r.-. . ..ss,
 Why, thought lawmaker was to repre- sent his own judgement and conscience, "mur- mured the sweetvoiced lady.
 | His judgment yes; for that tells him on which side the majority of votes in his district IS located. Ills conscience, no ; for that would often cost him his chances for political fu- ture," answers the well-instructed youth.
 | "O-e-oh ]" softly calculated Mrs. Blank, in the key of E flat, minor. ....
 By this time the Hon. MT. B entered in re- | sponse to our invitation, of course-he never l would have come on his own motion. After brief conversation, he pledged himself to vote for our bull and to makea speech in our favor. Nevertheless, if you should glance over the list we are care fully preserving and industriously circulating in Illinois, of men who voted against us, you would find his name Nevertheless he is an honest fellow in his way, and we owe it to a motion made by him that women were for the first time in history, allowed to speak before the legislature of Illinois. He explained his desertion of the | temperance cause in this way: 'I tell you, ladies, I've got to go back on you. Pm leader of my party in the House, and they cracked the party whip mighty lively around my ears. The long and short of it is, I've got to repre- sent the men that voted me in.'
 l Poor Mrs. Blank! How appealing was her voice. as she replied: ''But I am sure your better nature tells you to represent us." Hon. | MT. B. brought his great fist down on the ta- l hla uyifh a al yUa thumn and oaid stCourca it does, Madam; but Lord bless you women, you can't stand by fellow that stands by you, for y0u hGin't got Gaey UOtes." Just here a young lady of the group piped us: ''Oh but we would persuade our friends to vote for you" 'Beg pardon, Miss; but you couldn't Il do nothin' of the klnd," said he. "Don't you spose know the lay O the land in my dees- trict ?" The young lady now grasped the oth- CT horn of the dilemma saying desperately : But we will get the temperance" ce"me6f Tn Syour district to vote against you if you desert us in this manner" His rejoinder was deplorable revelation to our simple-minded company
 'Never bit ont, Miss The temperance men are an easy going lot, and will vote the regular ticket anyhow. Old dog Trays ever faithful We've eignored them for years but they come up smilin' and vote the Repub- lican ticket all the same. You'll eee!" ''But won't you stand by us for God and home and native land!" pleaded Mrs. Blank, with a sweetness that would have captured any man not already caught in the snares of German constituency. The worthy politician thumped the table again. and closed the interview by saying: "You women are altogether to good to live in this world. If you could only vote you'd have the legislature solid But Pm bound to stand by such a conscience as Pve got, and it tells me to stick to the fellows that voted me in. Good-morning !" And he got speedily out of the range of those clear, sad eyes. Hon. MT. R. Gan ex-senator) came in. With all the vehemencc of his Irish nature he anathematiZed the 'weal -kneed temperance men," ''Sure as your living, B. told you the truth" said he. ''The temperance men are a hissing and byword. They're the foot ball of parties. There's none so poor to do lem reverence. Where are the plncky young fel- lows that were here when we gave Illinois her present local option law?" (By the way, that law bears the name of this valiant senator who is, by the same token a Democrat). "Where are they? Out in the cold, to be sure Did the temperance folks remember their services and send em back? Not bit of it. But the whisky men didn't forget the grudge they owed lem, and they're on the shelf to-day-every last man of 'em." II tell you," and the wise old gentleman gesticulated wildly in his wrath, until you women have the power to say who shall make the laws and who enforce lem, and to reward by reelection them that are faithful to your cause and punish by de- feat them that go back on it, you may hang your respective bonnets on a high nail, for you'll not need lem to attend the funeral of the liuuor traffic ]" f'Why," exclaimed one of the ladies confusedly, ''you don't mean to say that the temperance ballot is not enough, and that we must follow in the footsteps of Susan B. ----?" The sturdy old gentleman walked to the door, and fired this Parthian ar row back at us: ''Susan could teach any one of ye your a-b-abs. This winters defeat'll be paying investment to ye all, if you learn that politician is now and ever will be the drawn image, pocket edition, safety-valve and speakin trumpet of the .tolks that Uoted hie | in"
 The ladies drew long breath. 'I begin to sweet Sister Blank.
 "But we must bide the Lords tlme," warn- ingly uttered an old lady, who had just ar- rived. To her the brisk committee clerk ven- tured this answer: ''But Senator R. says you will find the Lords time will come just about twenty four hours after the women get their eyes open"
 | A temperance member of the House is the last caller whom 1 will report. He spake in this wise: 'Ladies, pretend to no superior saintship. 1 am like other men, only come l I not stand by you. l have a pocket full of let ters, received to-day from party leaders at home, assuring me I run no risk" At the close of three weeks of such school as this one of our radicals asked Mrs. Blank, chief of conservatives, this pointed question, "Are you still for the Home Protection vote alone, or for the ballot on all questions ?" She re- piled, in thrilling tones and most explicit words: "Any woman who could have shared l l>sk Io,e vote on every officer, from constable to Presi- dent, would be either knave or fool" l MAKE sELF-INTEREsT OUR ALLY.
 This lady reasoned that, since we were SOL | emnly bound to be as wise as serpents we must harness self-interest to our on-moving chariot The great majority of men who are in office desire to be reelected anyhow. Only in one way can they bring this to pass by securing on their side old King Majority. If we furnish them with constituency commit ted to the proposition 'sThe saloon must go'' then go it will, and on the double quick. Let the city council know that women have the ballot, and will not vote for them if they li- cense saloons. and they will soon come out for 1 prohibition. Let the sheriff, marshal and constable know that their tenure of office de- bends on their success in executing the law thus secured, and their fathfulness will leave l HoIAluS tO Dc ucSiFcu. IcL tue SNuIIllDS Jus tice and the trucking judge know that severe interpretation of the law will brighten their chances of promotion, and you will behold rigors of penalty which Neal Dow himself | would wlnce to see.
 There is also great force in the consideration that, if women, not themselUes eligible to office, had the power to elect or to defeat men (who will alone be eligible for a long while yet), the precise check might by this arrangement be supplied which would keep politics from forming with the worst elements of society that unholy alliance which is to day the grief of Christians and the despair of patriots. Be- longing to no party ourselves we might be able to lift the Sabbath, the temperance move ment. and kindred moral questions out of the mire of merely partisan politics into which they have fallen. It is, at least worth trying. Into the seethng caldron, wheer the witch's broth is bubbling, let us cast this one ingredi- ent more. In speaking thus I am aware that l transcend the present purpose of my constit- ucncy, and represent myself rather than 'the