The Republican journal., 1883-10-25
The Republican Party and the Temper
ance Question.

The Argus publishes another of Gen. BOWS
assaults on the Republican party, because he
thinks it does not 60 fast enough on the ques-
ton of prohibition. Gen. Dow must feel flat
tered to observe that the Argus, which is daily
assaulting the Republican party for having gone
too far in the prohibitOry direction, agrees with
him for exactly an opposite reason that this
party "must 60" When the Republican party
of Maine. which Gen. Dow correctly saws is
composed of three-fourths temperance men,
goes he ought to thar the Democratic
party, composed of three-fourths license men,
will come ill.," If Gen. ID. expects temperance
would profit by this change, he must be very
hopeful man. If the Democratic party had
been in power in this>State, instead of the Re-
publicans, we should have now had the license
law which Democratic legislature enacted in
1896. Whatever Gen. Dow may do. we are
sure that the 10000 and more prohibitionists in
the Republican ranks don't propose to upset
the steps by which prohibition has been secur-
ed and carried so far. simply because they can't
reach the summit at one bound. Indeed, Gen.
d. presents the strongest possible reasons for
this course, when he says in later letter to the
Advertiser, that ''the liquor traffic in Maine is
reduced 10 very small proportions, compared
with its former magnitude here"-and he might
have added its present magnitude in license
States. II all this has been accomplished dur
ing the twenty-five years of Republican rule in
Maine, have we not reason TO encourage and
strengthen the party to 90 on in its good work,
No one will question Ex-Governor Dnglevs
record rs a temperance man. In principle, in
practice, and in earnest, we'll directed work for
the cause. there is no better representative re-
former in Maine. He is safe leader to follow.
because he is practical. not visionary or
schemer; and alike among true temperance men
and true Republicans ~ the words are nearly
synonymous his utterances always command
attention and respect He has not indicated any
too plainly the pitfalls into which the temper
ance men of Maine must fall if they follow the
leadership of Gen. Dow, who would have them
grasp the shadow and lose the substance
Worse than that-the defeat of the Republican
party next year through the instrumentaliiy of
Il so-called prohibition party, would also defeat
prohibition and pave the way for license law
and rum rule.
Year after year for the past thirty years atl-
ditional temperance legislation has been asked
for by the prohbtionistS and enacted by Repub-
lican Legislatures. If the party has made mis-
takes it has been in going too far in response to
the demands of mpracticable and visionary
men, and in placing laws on the statute books
The natural result is that such laws become Il
dead letter This is inevitable. The remedy is
not more laws in the same direction. but well
directed missionary work among the people.
Here is where Gen. Dow and the few Who fol
low him make their mistake. And they make
greater mistake when they utter the idle
threat of striking down the party which com
pri>es ninety nine per cent. of the Temperance
voters in Maine.
Look at Ohio where a few so-called prohibi-
tionst> have set back the temperance cause for
how many years we cannot say. In the recent
election the Republican party as such gave 309.-
GEO votes for prohibition. while the prohibiory
party, which preferred to fight snge-handct,
cast only 10000 votes, and some of these were
obtained by trading votes for rum candidates
to the legislature The result was the defeat
OF thr amendment and the election of 4 legisla-
ture committed to the liquor dealers. which
viii hasten 10 undo the temperance work of
preccd ding Republican legislatures But for the
folly of setting up this third party the prohihi-
tory amendment might have been carried and a
legislature elected that would have enacted the
necessary laws to give it effect. The temper
ancc men of Maine are too sensible we take it,
to repeat in Maine next year the mistakes made
this year in Ohio.