The Portland daily press., 1883-10-15

70 the Editor of the Press:
A brief epistle from Gen. Dow to Rev. DIR.
Miner, the third-party leader in Massachusetts,,
places the temperance men of Maine in a false
attitude, and unless explained is likely to do
them great injustice.
"We temperance men, writes Gen. Dow,
"haye fully determined to cut loose from the
Republican party as You in Massachusetts
have DONE" Had the General only under
taken to speak for himself his proclamation
might not be regarded as especially important,
since his own political course has been SO err
ratio of late years as to render his individual
political status of very little importance. But
when he essays to talk about I'VE, the temper
ance men of Maine." his statements affect a
very influential element OF the Maine voters
which for many years has commended for the
supremacy of prohibitory principles within the
ranks of party which has never yet tarned a
deaf ear to their reasonable petitions.
Gen. Dow has so often of late years under
taken to speak for 1--WE temperance hes y
without deigning to consult the wishes of his
associates, that his course is becoming extreme
ly vexatious to the great body Of temperance
workers Much as he is venerated by his assoc
ciates on account of his praiseworthy labors in
the past, he exerts no such influence among
them as to excite the fear that he can lead any
considerable number of them into the enemy's
camp. This fact was forcibly illustrated in the
last national campaign, when, as the prohibit
DRY candidate for President he polled less than
one hundred votes in the State of Maine.
When Gen. Dow speaks of 1--WE, the temper-
ance men," he certainly does rot speak for that
old batte-scarred veteran, Anson p Morrill, /:
for Nelson Dingley, than whom no man in
Maine has dealt more effective blows to the
rum power; for Sidney Perham, John j. Per-
~, e. W. Woodbury., j. s. Wheelwright, d.
b. Randall, BENZ. Kingsbury, T. R. Simonton,
and hosts OF others whose names are as we'll
known among temperance people as is that of
the great apostle himself. By no manner of
means These gentlemen have too intently
watched the course of matters in the Old BAY
State, where on account of this same 'cutting
aloof" of DR.. Miner and others, the prohibito-
~ system has been swept from the statute
books and, instead. our neighboring State re-
joices in all the glories of local option They
very well know that it is because the Republi-
can party lives that Maine is to-day in the fore
front of temperance States!
Clearly, therefore, if Gen. Dow speaks for
any one other than himself-of which there are
grave doubts-by I'VE, the temperance men"
he means the little band of third-party prohi-
bitionists who for years have amused them
selves by holding nominating conventions
passing temperancesre and upon cleo
ton day walking up to the polls and SO casting
their votes as to render material aid to the par
ty of the grog-shop! And if this were more full
ly understood the utterances of General Dow
would be regarded as of less consequence, po-
litically, than now.
1t is due to the temperance men of Maine
to say, Mr.. Editor, they in no sense share the
feeling of dissatisfaction indicated by the
letter OF Gen. Dow. There Is absolutely no
cause of complaint. All that political party
can do for prohibition has been done by the
Republican party, and any movement caicula-
ted to ALLEVIATE the great body of temperance
voters from that party in this State is frausht
with disaster and II successful can only result
in sweeping our prohibitory laws from the
statute books.
But Gen. Dow is likely to learn when he
undertakes to marshal the temperance host to
lead them to an enemy's camp, that the sys-
tenn of "bosssm" is no more tolerated in
temperance than in political circles. If he
persists in abandoning the party through
whose instrumentality the temperance men Of
Maine have achieved 80 many and such brill
liant successes, he will certainly find that he
has strayed into the enemy's camp alone.
A PROHIBITIoNIsT.