The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-10-31
Nemtpranrf.
Prohibition and the Late Elections.

The republicans of Iowa, in the cleo
ton Of last week carried the state by
some thirty thousand majority. Their
state convention for the nomination of
candidates committed the party, if sue.
cessful, to take the proper measures for
enabling the people to vote again on the
question OF q prohibitory amendment to
the constitution. The legislature is re-
publican in both houses, and will I'M
doubtedly prepare to pass such an amend
ment; and if it shall be passed by the
next legislature as it will be If the legis-
lature is republican, then the question of
prohibition will be again submitted to the
people. All this will take time for it's
accomplishment yet the end may and
will be gained, unless there should be
very decided change in the public senti
ment of that state. 1t will not be gained
by the prohibitionIsts, as a distinctive
political organization, but through the
republican party espousing the principle
OF prohibition and voting for its success
The election last week in Ohio was disas-
trous to the republicans. The
temperance question was the one great
absorbing and determining factor in this
election and the defeat of the republi-
cans is due to two facts. One is that the
democrats, being the rum party in Ohio,
were able to secure the votes and the
money of the liquor and grog-shop inter-
est in the state and the other is the
withdrawal of votes from the republican
ticket by the political prohibitionists. If
these votes had been cast for the republic
can, as we think they should have been
in the best interests of the temperance
cause, the rum party would have been
defeated, notwithstanding its support by
the liquor interest. The political prohi-
bitionists have, by what we look upon as
an enormous blunder, done just the very
thing that the rum party wanted them to
do. Their action has been sufficient to
turn the scale against the party that en-
acted the Scott law, that gave the people
the opportunity to vote on the prohibit
DRY amendment, and that has done for
the cause of temperance whatever has
been done by legislation in the state of
Ohio, and in favor of the party so notori-
ously anti-temperance that it is no misno-
mer to call it the rum party. That
which we feared, but desired to prevent,
has come to pass and what satisfaction
the political prohibitionists of Ohio can
derive from the result is more than we
can see. They certainly cannot expect
any help to their cause from the demo.
Gratis. That party is too strongly allied
with the rum interests to do anything for
temperance. But for that interest it
would not have succeeded; and it dare
not and will not offend the rum power in
Ohio. The only party that can or will
legislate favorably for temperance, if in
power, is the republican party; and this,
in our judgment, was a sufficient reason
why every prohibitionist in the state
should have given it his earnest sup
port, especially when not to do SC
would be indirectly voting for the rum
party. The amendment ha.
failed, there is not the slightest hope thai
this legislature will propose the same Oh
the people. The Scott law may be re
pealed by the democrats, and free rum
without the restraint of license or any tai
on the traffic, may bear full sway in Ohio
The whole thing briefly summed up
reads thus: The prohibition amendment
is failure; the Scott law will be re
pealed; the rum party will be in power
and free rum in Ohio will be the order Of
the day, until the people, including the
political prohibitionists, shall become wise
enough to correct the mistake of this fall
These prohibitionists would do we'll MOI
to infer that their strength is represented
by the vote cast for the amendment. Tn,
great mass of this vote was given by per
sops who at the same time had tn,
wisdom to vote for the republican ticket
and whose votes would have elected thu
ticket, if the political prohibitionists hat
followed their wise example.-The Inde
pendent.