The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-06-24
NATIONAL PROHIBITION CONvINs
! tom

lNATIONAL PROHIBITION CONy1N.
i ton, (
The Prohibition National Convention
was held at Cleveland on the 18th. with
142 delegates, representing twelve
States Connecticut. Iowa,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Penn.
sylvania, West Virginia and Wiscoh-
1 Sf;n.
Neal dow, Of Maine, was Nominated
by reclamation for President, and A.
H. Thompson, of Westerville, Ohio, for
Vice President, of the United States.
The platform ii as follows:
The Prohibition Reform party Of the United
States, organized in the name Of the people to
revive, enforce and perpetuate in the Govern
pc1idcnce, submit for the suffrages Of ali good
| citizens the following platform of National re-
forms and measures. In the examination and
been proven and is an accepted truth that aico-
| hOlic drinks, whether fermented, brcwed, or
| distilled, are poisonous to the healthy human
less, but hurtfui, necessarily tending to form
Incorporate habits, increasing greatly the
| number, severity and fatal termination Of dis
polluiine the affections, hardening the heart
and corrupting the morals; ;deRrfting many
Of reason, anti still more Of its healtf1ful ex-
ercise, and annually bringing down large num-
berS to nhtimely graves; producing in the
| children of many who drink a prelisposition
| to intemperance, insanity and various bodily
Of vo
purpose and premature old age, and prOduc-
ing to all future generations deterioration of
moral and physical character. Alcoholic drinks
| ippVpN
| vidual.
| j. The lcgalized importation, manufacture
and sale of Intoxicating drinks minister's to
| their use and teaches I'm erroneous and de.
| structive sentiment that such use Is right;
thus tending to produce and perletuatG the
| abOve-menti evils:
ing the disthrber and destroyer of its peace,
| prosperity and happiness; taking from it the
| earnings of the husband, dcprivirg the de-
pendent wife and children of essential food,
cln+hing and oducatiun; bringing into it pro-
| family, abuse and violence; setting ut Taught
the vows of the marriage altar; breaking up
| the family, and sundering the children from
the parents, and thus destroying one. If the
most beneficent institutions of our CREATOR,
and ,em0yng the sure foundation for good
., b TO the continuity it is an enemy pyOduc-
ing disqualification, vice and wickedness; it's
places OF sale being often resorts for gaming,
lewdncSs and debauchcry, and hidng-pinces of
those who prey upon society, cOurferacting
the efficacy of religious effort and of all means
for intellectual elevation, moral purity, social
happiness and the eternal good of mankind,
without rendering any cOunteracting or COM
pcnsatfng benefits, being in its influence and
erect evil, and only evil, and that continually.
islative inquiry, judicial Interrogation and Of
fetal reports of all penal, retOrmatOry and
dependent institutions showing that the man
ufacttre and sale of such beverages is the pro-
noting cause of ihtemperance, crime and
palperism, and Of the demands OH public and
private charity, imposing the larger part of
fi0r vi,nf, &hrr% {rHI,p
facttlres and commercial life, which but for it
would be unnecessary; disturbing the peace
OF the streets and highways, filling the prisons
ana poor houses. corr upting politics. le.fsla-
ton and the execution of the laws, shortening
lives, diminishing health, industry and pro-
ductive power in manufacture and art, and is
community on which it is impe scd, and is con-
trary to all just views of civil liberty, MS well
as violation of the fundamental maxim of
G ir,x law to use Your own property or
s. 1t Is neither right nor polite for the State
to afor. legal protection to any traffic or sys-
rupt social habits, and to destroy the health
and lives of the people; that the importation,
manufacture and sale of Intoxicating bevcr-
ages is proven to be- inim:cal to the true inter.
cSts OF the individual, home, community.
state, and destructive to the order and welfare
of society, and ought, therefore, to be classcd
among crimes, and be prohibited.
9. In this time of profound peace at home
eral Government from the drink traffic, and
its prohibition in the District of Columbia. the
which Ulnder the Constitution Congress has
control or power, is a political issue of the
first Importance to the peace and prosperity
OF the Nation. There can be no stable peace.
and no protection to personal liberty, life, or
property, until secured by National and State
Constitutional provisions, enforced BY ado
Z. All legitimate industries require the de-
liverance from taxation and loss which the
liquor traffic imposes upon them, and financial
or other legislation could not accomplish so
much to increase the production, and cause
demand for labor, and, as result, for the
comforts of living. as the suppression of this
traffic would bring to thousands of homes as
one Of its blessings.
8. The administration of the Government
and execution of the laws are through peliti-
party, which has been in continuous pOwerfn
the Nation for twenty years, as being false to
pr 5 hs q s
favors to none, and of protection to the weak
and DEPENDENT" insensible to the mischief
fiictcd on the industry, trade, commerce and ne
social happiness of the people; that the 1862
distileries, $3.50 breweries, l75,e66 places
Sf sns of a aness was, il"
of 1880, 100000 and the sacrifice of
hundred thousand lives, have under
its legislation grown up and been fostered as
legitimate source of revenues; that during its
history six Territories have been organized and
five States admitted into the Union, with Con-
situations provided and approved by Congress,
but the prohibition of this dcbasing and de-
structive traffic has not been provided for. nor
even the people given, at the time of admission,
the power to forbid it in any one of them. Its
history further shows that not in a single in
stance has an original ProhibitOry law been
enacted in any State controlled by 1t, while in
four States so governed laws existing on its
National Convention in 1872, it declared, as part
OF its party faith, that it disapprOves of a re-
sort to unconstitutional laws for the purpose
OF removing evils by interference with the
the State or National Government, which, the
author of this plank says, twas adopted by the
Platform Committee with the full and explicit
understanding that its purpose was the dis
cOuntenancing of all sO-callcd Temperance
PrOhibitOryl and Sunday laws.
g. We arraign the Democratic party as un-
faithful and unworthy of reliance on this Ques-
tion, for, although not clothed with power, but
occupying the relation Of an opposition party
during twenty years past, strong IN numbers
liquor-traffickers and become in all States of
the Union their special political defenders, and
in the National Convention in 1876. as an arti-
hibition and just laws in restraint of the trade
in drink by saying it was opposed to what it
was pleased to call "all sumPtuary laws" The
10. Drink traflickers having history and ex-
perience, in all ages, climes and conditions of
men, declaring their business destructive Of
I'LL gOOO. NnOlug no support III tue nsDe, inoTuS
or reason, appeal to the misapplicd law for
their Justification and intrench themselves be
hind the evil elements of political parties for
defense. Party tactics and party inertias be
come the battling forces protecting this evil.
II. In view of the foregoing facts and his
tory, we cordially invite all voters, without re-
gard to former party affiliations, to unite with
us in the use of the ballot for the abolition of
the drink system under the authority OF our
National and State Governments We ais de-
mand, as a right, that women, having the
privileges of citizens in other respects, be
clothed with the ballot for their protection and
as a rightful means for the proper settle |
ment Of the liquor question.
II. To remove the apprehension of some
who alcge that the destruction Of the public
revenue would follow the suppression of the
drink trade, we confidently point to the OK
pericnce of Governments abroad and at home,
which shows that tho thrift and revenue from
the consumption of legitimate manufactures
and commerce have SO largely followed the
abolition of drink as to fully supply all less OF
the liquor tariff.
13. We recognize the good providence of AL.
mighty God, who has preserved and prOspered
us rs Nation, and asking for His spirit to
guide us to ultimate success, we will look for
II, relying on His OmnipOtent arm. ~
NATIONAL COMMITTEE.
The following National G&mittee was APP
pointed: Arkansas, J. l.. ISlmcr, T. Il. Kog-
COuuncficvf Elisha n p0iLcr nr F. r.