Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-10-20
As Good Temperance Man
Views It.

4
of the cause of temperance, has
done better service for that cause
than the Platteyille Witness. No
m an is more earnest in opposition
to the evils of intemperance, or
would ge further into legitimate eff
forts to suppress it, than Mr.. Rind-
laub, the editor of the fitness. His
words, therefore, are entitled to con-
siderstion on temperance subjects.
He speaks editorially as follows:
Forty-nine persons representing
thirty-three cities and villages of
the State of Wisconsin, the names
of which we published in last Wit
ness, met in Madison on the Goth
ult, adopted a prohibition platform
and nominated a state ticket.
Nineteen-twenteiths of the men
who composed the above body are
Republicans and the same portion
Of the votes they hope to secure for
their ticket will be from the Repub-
lican party. By this course they
may defeat the Republican ticket
and throw the State Government
into the hands of the Democrats, a
party which as a body has always
strenuously fought everything which
looked towards proper regulation
Of the whiskey traffic,
The principal reason for this at.
tempt to defeat the Republican party
is because it refused to put in it's
platform a plank fayoring the sub
mission of the question Of prohibi-
ton to popular vote of the people
of the state.
While we would have been glad
to have the Republican party by its
representative in convention de-
clared in favor of proposed sub
mission, because if majority of
the people in the state are in favor
of the prohibition amendment they
should have it, and if they are not,
no harm could have resulted by al
lowing them to vote on the question;
yet a majority of the convention
having deemed such action lnadvis-
able at the present time, we do not
feel justified in boiling their action
and voting for ticket of which
there is not the least hope of elect
ing, and the most that can be ex-
pected is to place in power the very
party we have been opposing all
these years.
But, say the ever Jealous Republi-
can prohibitionists, the venerable S.
D. Hastings being among them,
"What particular calamity would
befall Wisconsin, just now if the
democracy should carry the state?"
When it is remembered that the
temperance laws we have were pass
ed by Republican legislators; that
last winter when this question of
submission to the people came be-
fore the Assembly, of the thirty
nine votes in its favor, every one of
them was Republican. 1t is hard to
see what good would result by plac-
ing a party in power which has al
ways oppose any temperance legisla-
ton whatever, even going so far as
to declare its opposition in its p
platform. artv
While US we have said, the Wit
ness is in favor of submitting the
question OF prohibition to vote of
the people and would do all in its
power to secure its adoption by the
people of the state, still we do not
regard the fact of forty or fifty
thousand petitioners rs conclusive
evidence that the people of the state
are at this time prepared for its
adoption. Upwards of two hundred
and siXty-four thousand votes were
polled at the last Presidential cleo.
ton, of this number the forty OF
fifty thousand alluded to, many OF
whom undoubtedly were not citi.
! SllS, DcdI OUT IL Sllldll IcldIlOH W IHt
actual whole and the Legislature
having been elected without refer
enee to the temperance question the
Republican members were justified
in hesitat 'ng before they plunged
the party into a discussion which
might result in its ruin.
There exists already in our State
a partially prohibitory law and local
prohibition, enacted at the hands OF
the Republican party, under which
any community may, If it choose
refuse to license the traffic; and
which also provides severe punish
ment for the sale of intoxicants tc
minors and confirmed drunkards
and yet how few localities have q
public sentiment sufficiently adj
vanced to take advantage of these
laws. The enactment of prohibi