The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-08-25
Anent Prohibition.

MEssRs. EDITORS In reading
your comments Oh the prohibition
question, you say "the salOon.keepers
are not aroused in Mankato, nor in
Blue Earth County" Now every
citizen in Blue Earth county does
know Tor ought toy that the saloon
keepers are doing all they can to in
jure every business man in MaIkato
that is not in sympathy with them.
And you say "the saloon.keepers rec
ognize the right of the people To vote
on this amendment" Where have
they once said they did! Their say
has always teen backward. g." Why
have they and the Republican party
in several instances voted the lues.
ton out?
Then you say it will not do to force
the matter, and that the "Americans
can be reasoned with. but to coerce
them, they become contrary and un.
manageable" Who has been trying
to use coersiOn In many of the Re.
publican and Democratic conventions,
and would not agree to let the people
decide this question: And that we
(the people) "should not take matters
into their own hands" but leave
them in the hands of the saloon men
This matter has been lett there too
long now.
While people are generally willing
to let we'll enough alone, the people
do not think this well enough!
We agree with you that it is not a
political movement, and that is the
very reason all parties ought To give
II to the people; and il they do not,
then the political parties will make it
political issue.
Yours respectfully.
j. 5. BEAN.
Either Mr.. Bean has not read our
comments upon the submission of the
amendment question, or else he does
not comprehend what was stated,
hence his remarks as regards the po.
sition We took are vague and mean
ingless. We said the saloon men
were not aroused. and if left alone
would mot raise an obstacle in the
way OF electing a legislature upon
that issue amendment submission
We reiterate the assertion and if Mr..
Bean can name a responsible gentle.
man who is openly antagonizing this
measure we would respectfully call
upon him t. do 80. When We speak
of the saloon men, We refer directly
to the element that controls the
liquor traffic of the county. That
there will be now and then an ir.
responsible individual who will make
himself obnoxious by needless oppo-
sitiOn, no one will deny, but we
speak of the liquor men collectively
and not individually. The assertion
that the saloon keepers "are doing all
they can to injure every business
man in Mankato that Is not in SYM
pathy with Them" is an unjust impu.
tatiOn If not true. and if true, Mr..
Bean should have the fairness to tell
for what reasons this state of affairs
exist. The allegation is news to us,
and will be surprise to many others.
Without further proof than the
broad and unqualified statement, THE
FREE PRESS will labor under the i'm
preston that Mr.. Bean has been
misinfOrmed.
Mr.. Bean goes out of his way to
kick the Republican party for, us he
says, in "several instances voting the
question out" and a little farther on
admits that the prohibition or amend.
ment proposition is not a political
issue. Evidently he wanted to strike
something and hit at the first thing
that came within his reach, without
fully considering what he was saying
or how his remarks would CRATE upon
an intelligent ear.
We did not say anyone had been
trying to use eoersiOR only admon.
ished the prohibitionists against over.
enthusiasm and unnecessary demands
Simply this and nothing more.
Our friend Bean, before giving
vent to his disapprobaticn of THE
FREE PRESS comments. should have
stopped and considered this amend
ment submission in its various phases
and possibilities. and not obstruct
every thing from his vision save the
one ideal thought. He speaks of the
temperance or prohibition element as
zoe. (the people) forgetting that in
Minnesota it is very questionable
whether one half the voters of the
State are inclined to his doctrine, all
of whom, Mr.. Bean himself will adj
nit, have equal rights with himself
for thinking as they do, although
their views may appear peculiarly in.
consistent with his own, and directly
antagJnistic thereto.
Finally, if Mr.. Bean is of the Opin-
ion that the cause of amendment sub
mission can best be enhanced by a
vigorous, unceasing and uncompro-
missing war on the now conservative
opposition, he has an unquestiOned
right to prod the lion as sharply us he
pleases, but must at the same time be
prepared to receive retaliating blows
and also to acquiesce in the result.
AS we have before stated, it is our
conviction that reasonably cOnserv.
alive manipulation of this question,
void of that bitter personality too
often noticeable where the temper.
ance movement takes an active part,
will result far more beneficial to the
cause and show the leaders to be
possessed of manly instincts, and un-
ambiguous in their desires.
NEW YORK politics give evidence
of not being any too harmonious.
Conkling is understood to want no
more COrnellism in his, and is bending
all his well known energies to place
Secretary Folger on the Republican
ticket for Governor. On the other
hand, Cornell's friends believe that