The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-11-02
Prohibition.


There can be no controversy with T. B.
our correspondent of last week, with re-
gard to the magnitude of the evil of intem-'
perance and the duty of all good men to
work for its overthrow, and we are as
ready as he to support any measure, or
vote for any men that reasonably promise
to advance the interests of temperance.
The question is one of means and meas.
ures, and not of principle Whenwe wrote,
that paragraph we had reference to the
action of the Prohibition party in putting
in nomination candidates for the Legisla-
ture in counties and districts where the
Republicans had already in nomination
as staunch temperance men, in favor OF
as stringent prohibitory legislation as the
most earnest Prohibitionist in the State,
but had no reference to Gov. Foster, who
has no more to do with legislation than
we have. We, had in mind this and sew
eral other counties, where we had in nomi
nation as good temperance men as could
be found, and who could be safely trusted
to favor any judicious temperance meas
ure, and where third candidates were put
in nomination who could not by any pos
sibily be elected, and the only n suit, if it
could accomplish anything would be to
defeat temperance man and elect Demo
crat, who, it was absolutely certain, would
oppose every species of temperance legis'
lation. - .siHaTf 1910 1iss ii
1t should be remembered that not all the
temperance men are in the Prohibition
party, and they are not going to be speed
lily brought into it by a course so unrea-
sonable as the one above mentioned. The
more judicious men of that party recon-
mended that no third candidate shoul Id be
nominated in counties where either one of
the others were unobjectionable, but the
opposite course was pursued in half dozen
or more close counties, manifesting, it
seems TO us, disposition to cripple the
Republican party merely to crafty spirit
inexcusably partisan. Wecan understand
the moral advantage of standing for prin-
ciple though the world is against you, but
we are not enough of philosopher to dis
cover it in the case in question 1t was to
get light on this point that we invited cor
respondence, and not to get an opinion of
Governor Foster as a temperance man.
We see no reason yet to change our
opinion that the Abolitionists never did so
unreasonable and foolish thing as that
against which we protest. There were
many men at the North who were opposed
to slavery both in the Wing and Demo
cratic parties, but we have yet to hear of
any attemp<to TO defeat one of them by run
ming a third candidate merely for the
moral effect Many men think the sem
sible thing would be to aid in their cleo
ton and make opposition only when neces-
sary to defeat bad men, and so be entitled
to the respect and confidence of that large
class of men who agree with them inlprin-
ciple but differ as to methods.
We and many others are as much In IA
vor of prohibition as our correspondents
and are as ready to make. sacrifices and
incur obloquy to advance the cause Of tenn
perance, but we are not willing to be found
favoring an unreasonable and impractical
thing merely for the sake of an, idea If
the men who captured and run the Love
land Convention were truly good y they
were not supremely wise, and are NOT re-
garded by their associates in the Church
and ministry as judicious and safe leaders
On the other hand, they have the reputa-
tion of being hot-headed and unreasonable.
The complaint that the leaders in the
Prohibition movement have been abused
and slandered, and that it is as much as
mans social, moral or business staiding
is worth in Wellington or even in the
State to be Prohibitionist, is little
overdrawn, to say the least. We had bet
ter not be in too great haste to assume the
role of martyr. 1t is possible to believe
in a mans honesty even when we disagree
with him in principle, and no man who
has the courage to act his convictions has
any occasion to be uneasy about the ssti-
nation in which he is held by society.
The public will generally recognize his
conscientiousness about as soon as he does,
and give him the necessary credit We do
not deny that many things have been said
in the heat Of the campaign that had better
been left unsaid. but IN this respect the
Republicans are not the'only sinners-l For